Jockey Trevor Patel, who entered the rarefied air of Indian racing history by becoming only the third jockey to boot home 2000 winners during Sunday`s Bangalore Turf Club races, discovered that milestones do not come wrapped in silk cushions.

Trevor had to earn every ounce of applause the hard way. First, he conjured up a desperate late thrust on the lesser fancied Kalamisti in the day`s feature, the 1200 metres Kunigal Stud Trophy for horses rated 80 and above. Ricardo looked home after pinching a useful lead in the final furlong, but Trevor kept after Kalamisti with persistence. In the final strides, the Sulaiman Attaollahi trainee poked her nose in front.



If that finish was nerve jangling, the last race nearly qualified as public torture. James McKeown trained Final Call appeared beaten till the very last stride before collaring the front running Flash right on the wire. Somewhere between the 1999th and 2000th winner, Trevor probably aged three years. Congratulations are richly deserved. Patel has been among the most dependable jockeys of the modern era, quietly piling up winners while others specialise in explanations.

The betting ring, meanwhile, continues to operate on the delightful principle that if enough people shout “good thing,” the horse automatically acquires Pegasus wings. Favourites are routinely smashed down, irrespective of actual merit. Some oblige, many don`t, and punters end the day looking like participants in a psychological experiment. With a handful of powerful stables flooding races with multiple runners, deciphering stable intent has become harder than decoding government fine print. Betting now resembles a hybrid of snakes and ladders and blindfold chess.

Rajesh Narredu trained Excellent Lass, easily the best performed horse in the feature, was backed with supreme confidence. Unfortunately for supporters, the mare gave a timid performance. Flat footed throughout, she never threatened at any stage. Ricardo enjoyed a dream passage in front and seemed set for glory before Kalamisti launched her late assault. Trevor`s forceful handling extracted the necessary response and Kalamisti snatched victory in the dying moments despite Ricardo rolling across under pressure and nearly inconveniencing the eventual winner. Excellent Lass finished third, with the entire field packed together closely enough to suggest the handicapper had finally enjoyed a productive afternoon.

The Dean Stephens Memorial Trophy carried an emotional undertone. Dean Stephens, a successful owner associated with several high class performers, passed away recently. Fittingly, a horse he likely would have owned had he been alive landed the prize. Siege Storm and The Archer dominated market support in the six furlong event for maiden three year olds. After Altman showed the way into the straight, Siege Storm shifted gears decisively and swept past the leader with dismissive ease. Trainer Prasanna Kumar`s ward stormed away under Akshay Kumar for a smashing victory. The Archer, despite generous public faith, searched for acceleration and could only finish third behind the battling Ashwa New York.

The lowest category races, meanwhile, continue to serve as racing`s version of Russian roulette. Punters poured money into Arjun Manglorkar trained Annabelle in the 1200 metres Dupont Plate until the filly was quoted around even money, which in such company requires either supreme confidence or temporary memory loss. Azhar Ali trained Jalwa gleefully tore up betting slips by rallying along the rails under apprentice Asirvatham to score a lucrative upset. Annabelle led early but drifted out alarmingly in the straight, with apprentice Aleemuddin unable to prevent the sideways excursion, and had to settle for second ahead of Razzmatazz.

Sulaiman Attaollahi trained Circle of Dreams joined the growing list of favourites that treated punters with all the warmth of an electricity bill. Backed to the exclusion of the opposition in the 1200 metres Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti Plate, the gelding found apprentice Pavan`s front running tactics on the winner too difficult to counter. Allowed an uncontested lead, the eventual winner slipped clear while Circle of Dreams gave chase in vain. Waitara finished third.

Darius Byramji trained Pledge justified market confidence. Settled around fifth at the bend, Pledge produced a fluent rally to collar the front running Assurances in the last 100 metres and win comfortably under Akshay Kumar. Favourite Alamgir struggled to quicken and faded into a tame third, proving yet again that public confidence and actual horsepower are not always close relatives.