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Trainer Vijay Singh`s money-spinner, Multitude (A. Sandesh-up), scored another decisive victory, on Friday, while claiming the 1,200m Calcutta Champions` Sprint Trophy. The victory of the 6/10 favourite, also ensured another fruitful treble for the trainer, who had scored a haul of four wins on the Derby Day. Incidentally, Sandesh was associated with all three Vijay`s wins during the afternoon. The day also witnessed trainer Shyam Habbu notching up a priced double.
The luck was also on Multitude`s side as Castlebridge, his main rival in the five-horse field, was withdrawn for being unruly at the start.
Multitude was ridden in his routine style, held back in third, behind early leaders – Amorous White (Imran Chisty) and Nobu (Hindu Singh) -- till about the last furlong, before jumping into the fray for a facile one and half-a-length victory.
Vijay`s day had started when his Jacobin provided the trainer with a back-to-back win to claim the 1,400m Albert Piperno Memorial Cup. The Lady Luck had again smiled in Sandesh`s favour while he scored a shade under a length victory on the 13/10 favourite, over Bharath Singh`s Coup De Grace and Novikov (Hindu Singh). Jacobin trailed the eight-horse field, till about the home turn but a wide split offered by the early leaders – Beatles Bible (Shezad), Coup De Grace (Suraj), Storm Front (app. P. Vikram) and Novikov (Hindu) – helped the favourite avail the galloping room to slip through to victory.
Sandesh, however, was in full control and his power-packed, combined with skilful riding on Vijay`s debut-making baby, After Shock. The three-year-old, rightly earned the jockey a deserving applause following the narrow victory of the colt in the 1,200m Bookmakers` Association Cup. The champion jockey sent the Arazan colt to the front soon after the start to build-up a sizeable lead. The 3/1 shot, however, came under some stress, inside the final furlong, when the Arti Doctor`s 5/4 favourite, Atom (Imran Chisty) raised a purposeful gallop from the fifth berth but went down by a long-neck. The rest in the field, including Glendowner and Itsamoocow, who showed some urgency in the early half, were simply out-classed as the race progressed
Shyam Habbu`s Singapore Sling (Suraj Narredu) was the other one who notched up a back-to-back win. Pitted against a serious opposition, on this occasion, the Excellent Art son was given a waiting run this time to another easy victory over a friendless Poras (Mohit Singh) and Arti`s Hovering (Dashrath) at the nourishing odds of 9/2. The in-form four-year-old is capable of striking again.
Habbu`s Appalachee (app. R.S. Bhati) took all by a surprise in the concluding event, the 1,200m Daring Don Handicap. The five-year-old had hardly shown any form in his recent upper Class starts and also upon demotion. Apalachee, however, led from the start and lasted out to beat a strongly fancied Vikash Jaiswal`s runner, Dangal (Chisty), who was in a vehement chase, in the company of Lumos (Suraj) and Gimme Credit (app. Tejeshwar), all through but failed by a whisker to beat Apalachee at the all-important end.
Apprentices have been ruling the roost during the season and the day`s opener, the upper division of the 1,200m Bold Chieftan Handicap, was no exception. The race, a no whip allowed event, too, was an easy pick for the two-kg allowanced jockey, Rupal Singh, who partnered trainer Shafiq Khan`s 6/1 chance, Mustang, to an easy pillar-to-post victory over a fancied pair of Bharath`s Ghost Creek (app. Sujit Paswan) and Harvinder Bath`s Shanayaa`s Pet (Vikram).
In the same race trainer Richard Alford`s City Heights (app. Tejeshwar) attracted pots of money but, the front-running kind, was never in the race. He galloped in the mid-division and finally, placed a poor fifth.
Apprentice Vikram, in fact, rode a purposeful race on trainer Farley Rodrigues` 6/1 shot Major Colours to a much needed victory to lift the lower division of the Bold Chieftan Handicap, also a no whips event. Lying a handy second or third till about the distance-post, Major Colours changed gears to speed past the early leader Indus Prince (app. Paswan) to score easily.
The 1,600m Horendro Kristo Dutt Memorial Cup was another one that was picked up by an apprentice, Tejeshwar. The Alford-trained horse, went kindly for the Tejeshwar who took the friendless runner to front right after the start and lasted out to beat a heavily fancied Habbu`s runner, Cold Frontier (Sandesh).
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Mustang (Rupal Singh up) winner of the Bold Chieftan Handicap (Div-I)
Major Colours (P Vikram up) winner of the Bold Chieftan Handicap (Div-II)
Singapore Sling (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Star Magic Handicap
Jacobin (A Sandesh up) winner of the Albert Piperno Memorial Cup
Rule Downunder (P Tejeshwar up) winner of the Horendro Kristo Dutt Memorial Cup
Multitude (A Sandesh up) winner of the Calcutta Champions` Sprint Trophy (Gr.3)
After Shock (A Sandesh up) winner of the Bookmakers Association Cup
Apalachee (R S Bhati up) winner of the Daring Don Handicap
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