Vittal Deshmukh trained Painted Apache won the 2000 metres Nawab Sultan Ali Khan Memorial Cup, a terms race for three-year-olds and over, the feature event of Sunday`s races held at Malakpet. Painted Apache benefitted from a dubious ride by jockey Sai Kumar on Karanveer who rode contrary to instructions, thus putting the horse at a great disadvantage, leading to its defeat in the end.

The Stewards were rather lenient in giving him just a six-day suspension despite the jockey totally disregarding the instructions of the trainer. Karanveer, in his only run on the track, had finished fourth in the Golconda Derby Stakes with a start-to-finish effort, losing the race by just 1.2 lengths.

Karanveer had been prepared for the race with the benefit of a mock race on the local track. The Bangalore-based horse from the yards of trainer Prithviraj has been known as a stout stayer and his last win was in Pune last year where he had won a mile and half race with a start-to-finish mission. He surely was a cut above the rest in the field for the fray. Tiger Mountain, the local stalwart was the favourite, with Karanveer in receipt of solid support in the ring.

The instructions of trainer Prithviraj to the jockey was to take Karanveer to the front or settle him in second position till the bend if some other horse showed tremendous speed to hit the front. However, the jockey disregarded the instructions and stayed glued to the rear. Painted Apache who was a little sluggish at the start, steadily moved up and was ready to take charge at the top of the straight. Though Sai Kumar alerted Karanveer to the task only after entering the straight and bringing it wide, the fancied runner began to devour ground. The jockey lost (?) the whip inside the final 300 metres and this further aggravated the mistakes the jockey had committed. Despite Karanveer finishing well, Painted Apache escaped to victory. Tiger Mountain was a well-beaten third.

The trainer reported the jockey to the Stewards for not following instructions and doing everything to lose the race. The jockey reportedly did not have an answer to the question as to why he made no attempt to follow instructions and why he was lackadaisical till the final turn. The Stewards were not happy with the explanation tendered by the jockey or his riding but let him off with a suspension of just six race days. The jockey must count himself lucky that he was dealt with so lightly in this matter.

The day`s first race also saw jockey B Nikhil riding a questionable race on favourite Silver Act which resulted in a 20 to 1 shot Ragnarök winning the 1100 metres Twin Cities Plate (Div I), a race for maiden three-year-olds. Silver Act led from the start and won unchallenged in the hands of jockey G Naresh. The jockey of Silver Act, B Nikhil, was not letting the favourite run on an even keel and his ``efforts`` ensured that Silver Act could only finish second best. Hoping Star was third. Nikhil was suspended by the Stewards for six race days for his lack of enterprise in his ride.

This season, there have been many questionable in and out running of horses which have not got the attention they deserved from the authorities. There have been also cases of horses either collapsing prior to a race or after the race. There is a need for a critical look into these cases, why they are happening and if there is anything amiss in the interest of the integrity of the sport.

The lower division of the Twin Cities Plate went the way of Laxman Singh trained Ruby Red who had the benefit of summering at Bangalore. The short-priced favourite was taken on a start-to-finish mission by jockey Suraj Narredu. Ruby Red did not face any competition en route to winning by a widening margin of four lengths. Maverick was second and he was more than six lengths ahead of Eminency.

Vittal Deshmukh trained Acrobat who was running after a longish gap of 272 days won the 1600 metres P V G Raju Memorial Cup, a race for horses rated 40 to 65 with a great deal of ease from favourite Detective. In the hands of apprentice jockey Kuldeep Singh, Acrobat moved with a flourish from the rear group and took over the running early in the homestretch to draw clear. When Suraj Narredu alerted Detective to his task the response was not great and the favourite plodded on to finish second behind the impressive winner Acrobat.

Divine Connection from the stables of trainer Satheesh had no problem in obliging expectations in the hands of apprentice jockey Md Ekram Alam in the 1200 metres Jatprole Cup, a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Divine Connection successfully accomplished the task with a start-to-finish mission and won comfortably despite veering out of a straight course in the final furlong. The well-backed D Minchu was sluggish at the start but did well to recover the lost ground but had nothing much to offer in the final stages of the race as she weakened to lose even the runner-up berth by a whisker to Delhi Heights.

Satheesh had another winner through Blissful who lasted out to win the race by a whisker in the 1200 metres Raja Saheb of Challapalli Memorial Cup, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Blissful led as is her wont from the start and had a good break going into the final furlong. The fancied Avancia closed with a rush in the hands of jockey Suraj Narredu only to miss the berth by a whisker. Dyanoosh rallied well in the straight to finish third.

Hilton Sequeira trained Anab E Shahi had no problem in justifying the strong support in the betting ring with an easy win in the 1400 metres Major General Nawab Khusru Jung Bahadur Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Anab E Shahi burst clear in the final furlong to win the race from D Right Time by more than four lengths. Sooryan Van was a long way third, more than nine lengths adrift of the runner-up.

Lesser fancied Ashwa Gajraj from the stables of trainer Shashikanth thwarted the spirited challenge of Encore to land the spoils in the 1400 metres Rock of Gibraltar Plate, a race for maiden three-year-olds. Ashwa Gajraj who led from the start looked vulnerable when Encore caught up with the front runner and even headed in the final furlong but the former rallied well in the hands of jockey Vivek G to eventually win by a length. Great Giver ran on to take the third slot.

Fancied Stunning Art gave a lot of problems to jockey Suraj Narredu before coming on even keel in the final stages of the race and then showed enough resolution to edge past the front-running Sacred Bond in the dying moments of the race to land the spoils in the 1600 metres S N Reddy Memorial Cup, a race for maiden three-year-olds. Veneno was third.