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Castlebridge swamps field in Colts Championships

  June 25 , 2017
   

Bharath Singh-trained Castlebridge won the Gr 1 Colts Championship Stakes, the second classic of the season, with surprising ease on Sunday. With a quality field of 15 runners in the line-up, one had expected a stiff battle for supremacy but most of the fancied runners fell by the wayside by the time race came to a boil as Castlebridge strode majestically in front from the beginning and won pulling up from late rallying Perfect Star.

This season has had many interruptions either due to rain or problems of obtaining a license to conduct racing. As a result, the lead up to this race had been far from satisfactory as most runners had to make do with mock races which were not ideal for a race of this nature. Many horses in the fray looked on the softer side, running out of gas by the final bend. Horses like Capo De Capi who was expected to be a frontline contender finished nearly 30 lengths behind the winner. The field was spread out, with verdicts being more than anticipated. Contrary to expectations of a stiff battle for supremacy, it became a one-sided affair with the Kolkata challenger taking control of the race from the start and jockey C Alford having the luxury of easing up the horse in the final stages of the race. The race was run at a good clip which had many horses struggling to keep pace. The one minute 35.85 seconds clocked by the winner was one of the fastest for this event. The impressive quality of Castlebridge`s win was the fact that he set the pace himself and still had more than enough reserve to cross the post in such a good timing. It was indeed a brilliant performance from the son of the now deceased sire Burden of Proof.

Satish Narredu trained Tutankhamun was the firm favourite based on his performance in a mock race and the fact that he had a fair record at Mumbai during the last season. The wide outside draw was no doubt a worry as also the fact that the progeny of Phoenix Tower likes to run aggressively in front and there was always a doubt whether he could sustain his brilliance over a mile-long trip. Apache Sunrise who had raised great expectations after his winter exploits were heavier by many kgs as compared to his last run and it was clear that he would also find the lack of a race run hurting his prospects. Chief of Command had come from Ooty on the back of his impressive Derby win and he was widely expected to be a force to reckon with. The wide outside draw which meant that he would start on the edge of the grass track which slopes downwards was also going to put a question mark on his prospects. In the event, he struggled as the fast pace unsettled him. Olympia Fields did well to finish third but unfortunately for him, the wide draw saw John wanting to tuck his horse behind for a cover which meant that he fell to the rear position and had plenty of leeway to cover in the bargain. Perfect Star from Mumbai was running for the first time and one was not sure how would fare. To his credit, he performed creditably, coming from the back of the field with a big run to be an eye-catching second. The horse least expected to dominate was Castlebridge who had back to back wins at Kolkata but he surpassed all expectations with a command performance. This, in short, was the story of the race which failed to live up to the belief that the race would turn out to be a humdinger of a contest. In racing, the competition will bite you if you keep running fast, if you crawl, it will swallow you. Castlebridge proved to be an exception.
  
  


C Alford has often proved his worth by having the courage to go to the front and make his own pace rather than look for the safety of a cover. He adopted the same tactics with Castlebridge who from the favorable draw hit the front from the word `go` with Tutankhamun moving from the outside draw to take a position behind the pace-setter. Jockey John decided to play a waiting game as he tucked the horse inside from draw 14. Turf Star and Moon Dancer were well placed while Capo De Capi was also seen in the front bunch. Perfect Star was placed in mid-field with Apache Sunrise in the rear group while Chief of Command was finding the pace too hot for comfort and was in the penultimate position.

Castlebridge who enjoyed the uncontested lead in front came into the straight looking good and he showed no signs of fading out even as Tutankhamun attempted to overhaul the front-runner and weakened. Olympia Fields came through a ground-saving run into contention in the final furlong but the effort told on him as he slackened. Perfect Star made rapid strides on the wide outside and finished an impressive second. The rest were a beaten lot. Castlebridge was not unduly pressed to finish two lengths clear of Perfect Star while Olympia Fields was third. Tutankhamun was fourth. Apache Sunrise was a disappointing seventh.

Pradeep Annaiah trained Topspot lived up to the promises of his last run with a resolute win in the 1200 metres Elusive Pimpernel Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 and above. Goldberg was expected to make amends but the five-year-old who has lost the sharpness of old looked incapable of giving a bold show. Despite being inconvenienced early in the race, Suraj was unperturbed on the fancied runner as he brought the speedy Top Spot into strong contention in the final furlong. The progeny of Sussex stormed clear to win with ease from Gold Berg who held off Ace Badraan for the runner-up berth.

James McKeown trained Mahasuvi was an unlucky loser of the 1200 metres Fantabulous King Plate, a race for maiden three-year-olds. The new policy of accommodating more than 12 runners in a race has seen several horses suffer as a result of horses from outside trying to jockey for position, causing severe restraint to the horses on the inside. The strongly fancied Heroine rolled in from draw 14 which saw a bit of a skirmish on the inside with Mahasuvi who was getting into good position being interfered, causing the filly to lose balance for a stride or two. This made a critical difference to the outcome of the race. Apalachee who was well positioned managed to get the better of Heroine in the final furlong. An overconfident Trevor eased up the horse not being aware of the danger looming large on his outside. Mahasuvi finished with a big rush only to miss the berth by a whisker. Trevor should thank his stars that he won the race because he would have suffered a stiff suspension if he had lost the race. A fine of Rs 10,000 for his indiscretion was a light penalty under the circumstances. Heroine was third.

Darius Byramji trained Ultimate Magic looked too good in the 1400 metres Richelieu Plate, a race for horses rated 15 to 35 after an eye-catching third behind Kambaku earlier in the season. Ultimate Magic took a while to find her rhythm in the straight but once she got into her stride, she bounced clear to win with ease from the dead-heated pair of Raw Gold and longtime leader Duke of Norfolk. There was spirited betting on Kolkata challenger Antiquarian but the filly who was troublesome at the gates, lost plenty of ground as the start coincided with the jockey still in an unsettled position. Antiquarian raced nearly 20 lengths behind the field but in the end, was just about six lengths adrift of the winner. With a fair start, Antiquarian would have surely troubled the winner. The inspired betting on top-weighted Chemical Romance went in vain as the fancied runner did not give a run for the money.

Neil Darashah trained Ambleside won the 1200 metres M Ali Asker Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 30 to 50 in sensational fashion. After walking out from the gates, Ambleside found herself in the rear of the field. China One who jumped out smartly from the gates, was positioned behind Carducci and took over the running in the homestretch and had a useful lead going into the final furlong. Sandesh who brought Ambleside along the inside pulled the fancied runner to the wide outside and the progeny of Glory of Dancer covered amazing ground to nail the front-runner on the post. Hedwig too ran on strongly to finish a suggestive third.

Sulaiman Attaollahi trained Shaman who has the makings of becoming a classic contender, toyed with the opposition in the 1800 metres Camino Plate, a race for horses rated 45 to 65 and won the race by a widening margin of three lengths over hard-ridden Star Tracker. Thomas More was third.
Newly licensed trainer Dheeraj Venkatswamy saddled his third winner of the season as Astral Spirit, in the hands of apprentice Nazil, wore down the challenge of Alvarez in the dying moments of the race to land the spoils at good odds. Game Guy failed in his attempt for an encore and had to settle for the third slot on the frame.


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Castlebridge (C Alford up) winner of the Colts Championship Stakes (Gr.1)




Astral Spirit (K Nazil up) winner of the Bergamo Plate




Shaman (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Camino Plate




Ambleside (A Sandesh up) winner of the M Ali Asker Memorial Trophy




Topspot (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Elusive Pimpernel Trophy




Ultimate Magic (Y S Srinath up) winner of the Richelieu Plate




Apalachee (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Fantabulous King Plate




 
 
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