Easily the best older horse in the country, Pesi Shroff trained Zuccarelli was not required to stretch himself fully despite the sharpness of the trip as he won the Gr 3 A C Ardeshir Trophy, a terms race for three-year-olds and over, the feature event of the races held on Sunday. It was a day when punters struggled to spot winners except in those races where the favourites picked themselves.
Chairman of the Stewards of RWITC Ram Shroff must be complimented for being responsive to suggestions and criticisms. There were issues in last week`s telecast of races and it attracted harsh criticism. There was a quick response from him. The RWITC took steps to correct several pending issues with the telecast and removed the split screen for the last two furlongs of the race which had prevented an effective presentation of the races with its attendant excitement following several suggestions to the same effect. In a Twitter post, he also welcomed criticism even if it was negative and also suggestions so that correctives could be taken. Ram Shroff surely stands apart when compared to the functionaries of the club at other centres including in my own home centre Bangalore where criticism is anathema and the authorities would try to muzzle any criticism if it is not palatable to them.
Coming back to the feature event of the day, Zuccarelli was quoted at a short price as none in the field had the requisite credentials to put up a fight. Stablemate Northern Lights set a good pace in the front followed by Taimur, Flying Visit and Zuccarelli. Jockey Trevor Patel made his move after turning for home and the multi-classic winner cruised up and then was driven out with the use of the whip a couple of times to win by a widening margin of six lengths. Northern Lights held off Flying Visit to keep the runner-up berth while Taimur weakened to finish a faraway fourth.
The long-distance races in India are always subject to how the front-runner sets the pace and how the others react to it. Often the front-runner who gets an uncontested lead has gone on to win the race before the others in the field realise that the front-runner has gone too far in front. It proved so when last start winner Kamaria from the stables of trainer Karthik Ganapathy was not only neglected in the betting ring but also during the race. Jockey Neeraj Rawal was able to get an uncontested lead of more than 10 lengths even as the fancied runners jockeyed for position in the back group. Kamaria who also enjoyed the pull in the weights came to the stretch well clear and it was evident that none from the back would catch up with him. Kamaria easily won the race by about three lengths with Pesi Shroff trained Chamonix who was unbeaten during the last Mumbai season with a hat-trick of wins coming from way off the pace to take the second position ahead of Summer Night. Presidential who was sluggish at the start and favourite Exemplify failed to make any impression during the race.
Dallas Todywalla trained Ahead of My Time justified favouritism in the 1200 metres Seth Ramnath Daga Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Ahead of Time was hard-pressed to win by Lord Vader whose effort showed that he is more at home on the Mumbai track and that he would be a winner before long. Ahead of My Time was eased in the mid-group by Trevor Patel and the favourite easily overtook Pepper in the final furlong but was strongly challenged by Lord Vader. The favourite shook off the challenger close to home to win with a measure of comfort in the end. Spring Grove ran on to take the third position. After finishing second best on two successive occasions, Altaf Hussain trained Magileto asserted his supremacy on the Mumbai track where he had won impressively last season. After Esperanza led deep into the stretch, Magileto fought hard and got the measure of the front-runner inside the final 100 metres and then spurted ahead to win by three lengths in the hands of jockey Bhawani Singh, the lower division of the race. Northern Singer ran from behind to nose out favourite Lord And Master to get the second spot.
Nirad Karanjawalla trained Sandman overcame a sluggish start to get the measure of long-time front-running Jet Fire close to home to win the 1400 metres A Hoyt Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. The fancied trio of Sandman, Speculator and Periwinkle all took a slow start, with the speedy Jetfire leading from the start. Sandman who made good progress along the rails in the stretch in the hands of jockey Vishal Bunde, collared the front-runner in the closing stages of the race to win the race comfortably. Jetfire held off Tasman who was denied of a clear run in the final furlong.
Lesser fancied My Treasure from the stables of trainer Malesh Narredu edged out Dragonlord to win the 1800 metres Director General of Police Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Dragonlord jumped slowly from the gates but apprentice jockey Kritish Bhagat quickly moved on the wide outside to take charge. Dragonlord had a functional lead going into the final furlong but could not sustain the momentum as My Treasure gradually got the better of him in the shadow of the post. Kirkines was third.
M K Jadhav trained Moonshot brought off a big upset in the 1200 metres Ibrahim A Rahimtoola Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Moonshot was toiling in the rear at the final bend when the fancied Indian Crown enjoyed a healthy lead going into the final furlong. However, Moonshot finished with such a flourish that Indian Crown was easily sorted out as the front-running took its toll. Charlie ran on to take the third position ahead of last start winner Campaign who failed to build on his previous effort.
Karthik Ganapathy had a double for the day as the lesser fancied Sentinel who bounced ahead in the final furlong managed to stave off the strong bid of Spirit Bay and Tarzan to land the spoils in the 1000 metres V R Memon Plate, a race for horses belonging to the lowest category. Sentinel could pull through because apprentice jockey Saba was inadequate on Spirit Bay. Fancied Champers On Ice did not come out of the gate.
Credits : Racing Pulse
