The Gr 3 Godrej Properties Turf Championship, run over nine furlongs for four year olds and over, which featured Sunday’s evening races at Mumbai produced a thrilling finish, with Colombiana prevailing by the proverbial whisker. Costa Del Sol who was conceding weight to his contemporary, put up a strong show but the weight difference told in the end.

Costa Del Sol was undoubtedly the better performed of the two in terms of the quality of wins. As such, notwithstanding the weight difference, Costa Del Sol was still backed strongly to win ahead of Colombiana. Costa Del Sol had beaten Colombiana on similar terms at Pune but it has time and again been proved that over a trip longer than a mile, every kg of weight carried by a horse make a critical difference if the contest is between horses of more or less equal calibre. Costa Del Sol did everything right and in fact appeared to have headed Colombiana in the final but the latter gnawed her way back to win in the bobbing of heads, the three kg difference in weight making a critical difference to the outcome of the race.

Though there were just four runners in the fray, there was tremendous interest about the outcome of the race as the battle was between two giants of their generation with the battle of wits expected to decide the outcome of the race. Shivalik Shower who has lost form completely did the job of pace setting with Colombiana in second position ahead of Costa Del Sol while Remember Me who lost ground at the start, being a tailed off last. Rounding the final turn, Colombiana steadily increased the momentum and managed to get past the front runner. Trevor on Coast Del Sol too got busy and the progeny of Phoenix Tiger responded gamely. Colombiana, under pressure and the right handed whipping of jockey Suraj Narredu, came away from the rails and even brushed the favourite twice in the final furlong. Just when it looked that Costa Del Sol would have the last laugh, Colombiana responded with a second wind when Suraj put the whip away and managed to win in a thrilling finish. Remember Me managed to get the third place ahead of Shivalik Showers who is a pale shadow of his former self.

There was an objection by Trevor who rode the runner up against Suraj for bumping his horse twice in the final furlong which caused him to lose the race. However, Colombiana did not bump Costa Del Sol but had only brushed him twice and the interference did not warrant reversal of placings. All the Stewards present was unanimous in overruling the objection though some felt that the interference by Suraj was due to careless riding while the others thought it was accidental.

Shiraz Sunderji trained Serenita who had been twice unlucky to come across one better, found her bearings in the 1000 metres Bahrain Trophy, a race for maiden three year olds. Trevor had Serenita lead from the start and the progeny of Whatsthescript had no problem in maintaining his supremacy right till the end. Lady Danehill chased the front runner without hope. Shivalik Shine who was expected to prove a stiff hurdle for the favourite, did not show the speed that she had produced in her two runs and was a lost cause well before the race came on the boil.

Veteran trainer S S Shah was in his elements, saddling three winners through Hidden Soul, Flying Dragon and Turf Dancer. Both the divisions of Solar Kiss Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46, saw Shah’s horses dominate. Turf Dancer who had run a suggestive second last time out, got up in time to get past the front running Lucky Strike in virtually the final stride of the race to land the spoils in the upper division of the race. The well backed Merabella failed to do justice to the volume of money she attracted in the betting ring in keeping with the trend of trainer Fasial Abbas’ horses not running two races alike. Trevor had no problem in driving Hidden Soul to a facile win in the lower division of the race at the expense of Fringe Benefit. Bulldozer galloped in snatches and failed to justify the expectations given by his last start win and was a tame third.

Vice Admiral who had recorded a last stride win last time out, was backed to oblige in the 1600 metres Sion F Nessim Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. She’s An Ace put up a stiff fight, leading all the way in the final two furlongs but was overhauled in the closing moments of the race by Flying Dragon who was at lucrative odds. Vice Admiral rallied late and had to settle for third place, a head each separating the first three finishers.

Imtiaz Sait trained Celestial Light won the 1400 metres Karl Umrigar Trophy, a race for maiden three year olds, at big odds. Celestial Light overtook the front running Kings Canyon in the final furlong and won comfortably from favourite Fury who galloped in snatches and picked up speed after the race had been lost. Fury went wide under pressure and found her rhythm late in the race.

Prakash trained Severus completed a hat-trick of wins while claiming the 2000 metres Adler Double Stakes, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Severus got strong in the final furlong and stormed clear of the rest to win easily from long shot Samba Warrior whose late rally saw him get the second place and return rich dividends on place betting. Dancing Lord was third while Joss who showed up at the top of the straight, weakened to disappear from the scene when the pressure was on.

Another horse to complete a hat-trick was Narendra Lagad trained Rider On The Storm who swamped the opposition in the 1000 metres Ibrahim A Rahimtoola Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Rider On The Storm took over the running without much effort in the final furlong and sailed away. Born To Win dead-heated with Cezanne for the runner up berth.