FROM THE HORSES MOUTH - Article for Thursday 9th January, 2020 -By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 08 Jan 2020
FROM THE HORSES MOUTH - Article for Thursday 9th January, 2020 -
-By Cyrus Naterwalla
Race No. 1 :- The Anmol Preet Plate – Div. I – Class V – Distance :- 1000M
MAESTRO :- 6 year old gelding trained by Nazzak B. Chenoy and to be ridden by Neeraj Rawal who rode him to victory just last week. Winner of 2 of his 17 starts overall, he has been pretty consistent in similar contests since the Pune season, gaining his maiden success over 1200M on his opening run of the season and doing a quick encore last week when leading all the way again over 1200M and holding on by a whisker from Officer in Command. He is turned out again under a statutory penalty and remains in the same class so is being given a chance by the handicapper. He should not be troubled by the drop to the minimum trip and is expected to make a brave bid to repeat but may find this a bit harder as he is taking on younger horses today. In form though and given an each way chance.
RESOLUTE :- Well bred and unexposed 4 year old trained by Malesh Narredu who has had just 2 runs till date and looks open to plenty of improvement. He comes from a good family being a half brother to Satellite, winner of 7 of her 24 starts including the Kakatiya Million Gr.3, runner up in the BTC Anniversary Cup Gr.2 and 3rd in the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Cup Gr.3 and also runner up on 7 occasions. His other half brother Shaman was also a black type performer, winning 4 of his 14 starts an finishing runner up in the Calcutta 2000 Guineas and 3rd in the Calcutta Derby as well as 2nd in the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Cup Gr.3. Both Satellite and Shaman were by Burden of Proof while Resolute is by up and coming stallion Air Support. He returned from a long absence last time out to run a forward race over 1400M and kicking on to finish 4th behind Revelator and is sure to have improved considerably from that run. His workouts since the run suggest that he has improved again, the drop to the minimum trip looks likely to suit him and P. Trevor has been booked to ride. He looks to have an excellent chance to get off the mark today and most likely will start as a favourite. Strong contender.
SALTBAE :- 4 year old Chinese Whisper filly from the stable of Deepesh Narredu who has run 7 times so far, recording 1 success but not doing a great deal on the rest of her runs. She looked to be quite backward in 4 runs during her juvenile season but showed good improvement on her opening run in Pune when making all the running over 1200M and kicking on to score an unfancied maiden win over Queen’s Gate at odds of 20/1. Her 2 subsequent runs have also been over 1200M, she ran just once more in Pune when trying to follow up after her win but finishing in the ruck. Her opening run here was a little better about 3 weeks ago again over 1200M when running prominently and staying on to finish 4th behind Sasakwa. She should strip fitter for that run, is likely to appreciate the drop in trip and although she looks to be up against tough rivals, she can figure in the frame and looks a contender for one of the minor berths with A.S. Peter booked to ride.
SUMMER AIR :- Unexposed 4 year old Phoenix Tower gelding from the Altaf Hussain yard who is the first foal of Musical Note and like Resolute, has run twice so far and looks open to improvement. Making his debut on the final day of the Pune season over this trip he raced 4th practically throughout and kicked on to finish 4th behind Warrior Clan and ran at about the same level on his opening run this season when he was lesser fancied than owner mate Del Mar and was not given too hard a time, keeping on down the inside to finish a fair 5th. That run was 2 weeks ago so he is likely to have stripped fitter for it and should improve. S. Zervan who rode him last time out keeps the ride, he too has been eased in grade into the lower class and looks to be a strong each way contender with improvement likely.
JUDY BLUE EYES :- 4 year old daughter of Western Aristocrat trained by Nosher Cama who has a similar profile to some of the fancied 4 year olds, having run twice till date and finishing just outside the frame on both occasions. Both her runs have been well spaced, making her debut over this trip back in April and running promisingly to finish a close 5th to Whydah and then stepped up to 6 furlongs for her solitary run in Pune where she finished a faraway 5th to Enid Blyton. She has been brought along steadily since that run and given time to improve and will have fitness to prove as she races again after a 4 month break. P.S. Chouhan takes over in the saddle for the first time today, she makes her handicap debut off what looks a reasonable opening mark and she looks capable of running better than she has so far and is another who has the potential to be involved. Strong each way candidate but paddock check is advised.
DILBAR :- Maiden 4 year old filly who has done nothing of note in her 4 runs till date but hinted that she had speed on her opening two runs of the season when running a forward race on both occasions, leading until the bend before retiring. Those runs suggested that she was worth trying over the minimum trip and the yard recorded a good sprint double last week. She too has been eased in grade into Class V but has been unfortunate with the draw, being drawn widest in Stall 13. Stable jockey Hanumant Singh takes the ride and she is expected to give a good account of herself and appears to be an interesting outsider.
CONCLUSION :- Lots of promising and unexposed 4 year olds to choose from but I would go for the well bred Resolute who ran a forward race last time out and has been working well since. Summer Air was given an easy run last time out as his owner mate was strongly fancied and he looks to be the main danger while Judy Blue Eyes has been working well and is also considered although she may lack a bit of fitness returning from a break
Race No. 2 :- The Madras Race Club Trophy – Class I & II – Distance :- 1000M
CLYMENE :- Speedy and consistent 6 year old mare trained by Faisal Abbas who has a good overall record with 6 wins and 4 seconds from her 20 runs till date. She used to initially be more effective over 1000M though as she has matured she has shown a liking for 6 furlongs as well and scored over that trip on her penultimate run when battling on bravely to hold off Gazino and score by half a length. She is worse off with that rival though today and also finished behind two of today’s runners over this trip last time out so looks to be up against it. She is also unsuited by the Terms of the race and is conceding weight to both Intense Stylist and La Magnifique so looks completely out on the handicap. P. Trevor who rode her to victory returns to ride her again today and she is likely to be able to make the running in this small field. She looks to have a small chance to upset if able to control the gallop from the front but others appeal more.
INTENSE STYLIST :- Well performed 5 year old from the in form stable of S.K. Sunderji who has won 5 of his 12 starts till date and finished on board on every run except for the Indian 2000 Guineas where he ended up 6th to Sir Cecil. He initially made his mark as a 7 furlong specialist but dropped to sprinting from the beginning of the Pune season and showed that he had the speed, winning first over 6 furlongs and then down at this trip before running a respectable 3rd behind Iron Age and Clymene in the Dhunjibhoy Sprint Million. He needed a lung opener when finishing 4th behind Clymene and Gazino on his opening run of the season and is closely matched with Gazino on that running. He looked like he was ready to strike last time out when finishing on powerfully to be just a half length behind Iron Age in the Homi Mehta Sprint Challenge and should hold Clymene on that running. He looks to have maintained his form and fitness since the run, Nicky Mackay retains the ride and he has to be a leading contender to win this although he is 4 kilos worse off with La Magnifique at the weights.
GAZINO :- Tough and consistent 6 year old from the NosherCama stable who has won 5 of his 23 starts till date and worked his way up consistently to the higher class. He looks to be closely matched with Intense Stylist on his opening run of the season where he ran a cracker and just failed to catch Clymene but there is a concern about him dropping to this minimum trip as he has raced almost exclusively over 1200M throughout his career and is likely to find things happening a bit too quickly here. P.S. Chouhan as usual keeps the ride and he does come into consideration at the weights but has not raced over this trip since his juvenile days and may be found wanting for speed.
LA MAGNIFIQUE :- Classy 6 year old sprinter trained by Altamaash Ahmed who has won 4 of her 14 starts and looks to be working her way back into form after suffering a minor setback early in the Pune season. He finished last on his only run on the opening day of the Pune season and did not run again in Pune. She still looked out of sorts on her opening run of the season when finishing behind most of these but ran a lot more encouragingly last time out when finishing on well to be 3rd behind Intense Stylist over this trip last time out. She was 2 lengths behind him that day receiving 1 ½ kilos and is now in receipt of 7 ½ kilos so she looks to have 4 lengths in hand on the handicap and is also likely to progress again. Neeraj Rawal keeps the ride, she is expected to improve further and at least on paper, appears to have an excellent chance to get back to winning ways.
CONCLUSION :- La Magnifique looks to have a clear chance on paper to claim her 5th career success as she is 4 kilos better off than Intense Stylist on the last run and well clear of Clymene. She is expected to build on that last effort and score. Intense Stylist being a younger horse may be able to improve enough to offset the deficit but Clymene is well out on the handicap and Gazino is likely to find the trip too sharp
Race No. 3 :- The Vallabhdas H. Adwalia Trophy – Class IV & V – Distance :- 2000M
GOSHAWK :- Moody and unpredictable 6 year old gelding from the M.K. Jadhav stable who possesses a potent turn of foot and plenty of ability when he is on song but is also erratic and headstrong and not the easiest of rides. Although he has finished runner up on 5 occasions he has managed to win just once in his 16 starts, the win coming over this trip back in February 2018 with Sandesh in the saddle again that day. Since then though, he has mainly struggled and was off the track for a 6 month period after finishing runner up to Angels Touch and has been slowly working his way back in form since then. He showed signs of coming to hand last time out when making late headway over a mile to finish 5th behind Galloping Goldmine with a 5 kilo apprentice up and A. Sandesh now takes over in the saddle today. He looks capable of making an impression if progressing again but his overall profile is unreliable and he looks a good outsider who may be worth taking in the Jackpot Pool.
MORISEIKI :- Improving 4 year old colt who is held in high regard by his connections and comes from a yard that has been in very good form this season. Trained by Adhirajsingh Jodha and lightly raced having run just 5 times so far, he made a good impression on his racing debut back in February when finishing on strongly in a mile to be in a 3 way photo with Astounding Bay and Silver King but then ran poorly a month later in the Juvenile Colts Championship when 6th of 7 to Trouvaille. He was rested and given time to strengthen after that, reappearing in a 2000 Maiden race in Pune after a gap of 6 months and looking to have improved significantly when scoring an impressive 4 ¼ length win over Elation and Ithaca. His connections then thought it worth a shot to take a crack at the Pune Derby but he was again found wanting in that company ending up 6th albeit well clear of Justified who reopposes today. He was a hot favourite on his opening run of the season which was also his handicap debut but took a long time to get going and was putting in his best work in the closing stages when a fast finishing 4th to Nekhbet over a mile. He should be much fitter after that opening run and will also relish more galloping ground today so is expected to run much better and P. Trevor takes over in the saddle with Sandesh declared on Goshawk. He looks a leading contender to get back to winning ways and is sure to be strongly fancied.
JUSTIFIED :- Full brother to Secretive Force who is also very highly regarded by his connections but has not quite lived up to that billing yet and still seems to be coming into his own. He has a similar profile to Moriseiki with 1 win from his 5 starts so far, the win coming over 1800M on his 2nd run when finishing on strongly to get the better of Dumas close home and win drawing away. The form of that race has not worked out quite so well though and his subsequent runs have been disappointing. Given a lung opener in Pune over this trip, he finished 5th behind Tasawwur and connections opted to let him take his chance in the Derby but he ran dismally to finish last of the 8 runners, about 6 lengths behind Moriseiki. He was quietly fancied on his opening run of the season and began to stay on in the closing stages but still ended a distant 4th to Sea The Dream but may just have needed that run and should be fitter and sharper today. David Egan appears to be a worthy replacement to A. Sandesh, the yard looks to be in much better form of late and he has blinkers on for the first time today which may make a difference. He looks open to further improvement and could be dangerous to ignore although he still may need a bit more time. Dark horse.
KING SOLOMON :- Maiden 4 year old gelding from the Pesi Shroff yard who is also reputed to be one of the yard’s more highly regarded sorts and has been making steady improvement with his racing but appears to still need a little more time before he can be seen at his best. Making a belated debut in Pune over a mile, he finished 5th of the 6 runners to Seventh Mile and showed a little improvement upped to 1800M next time out when 4th to another better fancied stablemate Sea The Dream and he comes off 1 ½ lengths better than Justified on a line through that filly. He was well fancied on his seasonal debut here again over 1800M but still looked inexperienced and in spite of the assistance from Colm O’Donoghue, ended up a faraway 3rd to stable companion Akina Speed Star. That being his opening run of the season he is expected to improve for it, he has now been upped slightly in trip and also upped in grade but gets a significant drop in the weights as a result from 61.5 kilos to 50.5 kilos. Neeraj Rawal takes the ride today but he still looks vulnerable on what he has achieved so far and will need to make significant improvement if he is to win today. Each way player.
MIDNIGHT MOON :- Totally unexposed 4 year old filly from the stable of Altaf Hussain who comes from a good family, being a full sister to In My Dream, runner up in the Poonawalla Breeders’ MultiMillion Gr.1 and the Breeders Produce Stakes Gr.3 and 3rd in the F.D. Wadia Gr.2 as also Madagascar, winner of 2 of his 4 starts in a limited career with Pesi Shroff and certainly takes the eye on pedigree. She was given an educative run over 1000M on her racing debut in Pune, finishing 6th behind Chephirah and now takes a marked step up in trip. She is an unknown quantity who could unlock significant improvement over this new trip but her workouts suggest that she still may need a little more time and she is probably best watched today. S. Zervan has been booked to ride, she is likely to build significantly on what she does today and looks another interesting outsider.
TASMAN :- Maiden 4 year old gelding from the Sanjay Kolse yard who has run 4 times till date and does not appear to have been seriously tried just yet but has finished 4th on 3 of those 4 starts. He too looks to have an interesting pedigree, being a full brother to Dazzling Bay, winner of 4 races and 3rd in the Deccan Fillies Championship Gr.3 and a half brother to Star Carnation (by Excellent Art), also a winner of 4 races including runner up in the Bangalore Derby Gr.1 and 3rd in the Sprinters Trial Stakes Gr.2. He made a promising start to the season where he looked well in the paddock and ran a forward race to finish 4th behind Galloping Goldmine in race which has been working out well. He is likely to improve and strip fitter for that run and the switch from S.J. Sunil to N.S. Parmar is a positive one. He has also been working well since the beginning of the season and if able to build on that last effort then he looks to have a very strong chance to get off the mark and merits serious consideration.
CONCLUSION :- A competitive affair and at possibly long odds, it may be worth taking a chance on Tasman. He has a nice pedigree, has been working well for some time now and ran a forward race on his seasonal debut and should improve for that run. Although not certain to stay this longer trip, he has a better rider up today and could prove value at a price. Moriseiki was staying on last time out over a mile and shapes as a live danger while the highly rated Justified should also run well with a change of equipment possibly doing the trick
Race No. 4 :- The Perceived Value Plate – Class IV & V – Jockeys will not be permitted the use of whip – Distance :- 1200M
ANATAVEKA :- Well bred and lightly raced 5 year old from the Pesi Shroff yard who has won 2 of her 10 starts till date and made a promising return over 1200M on her seasonal debut, finishing on nicely with the same rider up to be 3rd to Palomar and she should strip fitter from that. She has been working well since that run, looks open to further improvement and from a good draw in Stall 2, she looks to have an excellent chance to get back to winning ways. Danger to all in spite of top weight.
FRIEZE :- 5 year old mare trained by Altaf Hussain who has a similar profile to Anatevka with 2 wins to her name from 9 starts. Her wins came from the first two starts of her career and since then she has mainly struggled and also been tried over a variety of different trips without success. Going by her past performances, this trip seems to be most suitable for her and she began the season with a good lung opener, finishing 5th behind Mzilikazi and should be fitter and sharper today. The handicapper has given her a chance by dropping her into the lower class, D.R. Shubham claims a handy 5 kilos in the saddle and she has been working quite well of late. All these factors would give her a strong each way chance and she is definitely one to consider here.
JETFIRE :- Exposed 5 year old gelding trained by A.M. Jadhav who has finished runner up on 7 occasions but has only managed 1 win in his 18 runs so far. The win though came recently a couple of starts ago in a similar contest when he comfortably beat Julio Cesaro by 3 lengths. He has had 2 starts already this season so should be fit enough and hinted that he was ready to progress again when running a good race over 1000M last week, ending up a close 4th to Untitled. He looks to be in good form at present, the extra furlong should be to his advantage and the switch from 5 kilo claimer K. Pranil to the more experienced K. Nazil suggests that connections are strong today. He looks to have a decent draw in Stall 6 and looks set to run a very big race and try and earn another bracket.
STICK TO THE PLAN :- Improving 5 year old gelding from the in form yard of S.K. Sunderji, he is relatively unexposed having run just 6 times till date and looks open to further improvement. He looked to have come to hand in the latter part of the Pune season, scoring his maiden success over this trip on his penultimate start and running well under a penalty when finishing a close 2nd to Articulate. He has had a lung opener this season to blow away the cobwebs which should put him spot on for this and 5 kilo claimer P. Shinde has been booked to ride. He has a wide draw in Stall 11 but looks open to further progress and is another who is likely to be involved in this competitive event.
TRISTAR :- Improving 4 year old filly from the Nosher Cama yard who has only competed in maiden so far running 6 times till date without a win. However, she did run a couple of forward races in Pune over slightly further, finishing runner up to Rainbow Trout over 1400M and looking a winner again over 1400M next time out before tiring late on and finishing a close 4th to Sunrise Ruby. She has had a run on the opening day to blow away the cobwebs and should be ideally suited by this 6 furlong trip. Her last couple of workouts have been encouraging and with A. Prakash a good front running rider and the rail draw in Stall 1, she is likely to attempt to win from end to end and looks a strong contender to shed her maiden tag today.
CONCLUSION :- A competitive event but the selection here is the 4 year old Tristar who ran some forward races in Pune, looks to be fit after a run already this season and has bagged the plum rail draw to boot. Top weighted Anatevka should also improve from her earlier run and looks the main danger while Frieze also looks to have a chance.
Race No. 5 :- The Rochester Trophy – Maiden 3 Year Olds – Distance :- 1200M
BENGHAZI :- One of the two runners in this field with prior experience which is a big plus among juveniles although his run came in Pune over 1000M, finishing 4th to Flameoftheforest and close up to the others, although the winner was well clear. He was gelding immediately after that run and has been given time to recover although his recent workouts suggest that he may be in need of this run. P. Trevor takes the ride today, he was an attractive pedigree, being a full brother to Questina and a half brother to Stormy Atlantic and Pacquaio and since the field that he is taking on does not appear to be a particularly strong one, he merits each way consideration and can be involved.
PERCIVALE :- Kingda Ka debutant from the stable of Altamaash Ahmed who looks an interesting sort with the mare High Days having thrown winners in Europe and he is the first foal to be racing on Indian shores. A paddock check is clearly advised to see his condition but he has moved quite sweetly in a couple of gate jumps and could be in forward condition. He has bagged the rail draw today, N.S. Parmar has been booked to ride and he is definitely one to consider in this field and could make the finish interesting.
WIND WHISTLER :- Out of Indian 1000 Guineas winner Alma Mater and a half brother to the well performed Prince Valiant – winner of 4 races from 7 starts in Hyderabad and he is the only one who has had a run this season, running well when finishing 5th to Royalty over course and distance. That race has already begun to throw up winners and looked a strong maiden and he is sure to have improved and stripped fitter. Nicky Mackay takes over in the saddle today replacing Neeraj Rawal, the yard has been in excellent form at present, and being the only runner with current experience, he looks to be the most likely winner here and is given a very strong chance.
GOLD CHARM :- Another speedy looking debutant from the stable of Adhirajsingh Jodha who’s youngsters have been running well and looks a smart sort on pedigree, being a half sister to Classic Remark, winner of 5 of her 12 starts in Hyderabad. She looks to have been reasonably well prepared first time out having done a couple of good gate jumps as well and Dashrath Singh has been booked to ride. Lady Lanette has already run well for the yard and this looks another promising sort who if looking well in the paddock, can definitely make her mark.
SEASON’S GREETINGS :- Very interesting looking got abroad debutant from the powerful Pesi Shroff yard who’s sire Mukhadram was a Multiple Group Race winner – winning the Gr. 1 Coral Eclipse, the Gr. 2 Skybet Stakes at York and the Gr. 3 Brigadier Gerard Stakes. She appears to have been given a decent amount of preparatory work and Leigh Roche is an encouraging Jockey booking first time out. A paddock check is clearly advised to ascertain her fitness but she could have the class to beat this lot without being fully wound up and merits very serious consideration here
CONCLUSION :- This should be between the experienced Wind Whistler who ran a promising race on debut and is the only one with prior experience on the Mumbai track and the attractively bred got abroad Season’s Greetings from the Pesi Shroff yard. It may be worth chancing the Shroff filly if she is available at a good price and looks well in the preliminaries.
Race No. 6 :- The Ramniwas Ramnarain Ruia Gold Cup (Grade 3) (Terms, 4 Years Old Only) – Distance :- 2000M
DADDY’S PRIDE :- 4 year old colt from the stable of Subhag Singh who’s half brother Contributor won 6 races in Mysore and who himself seems to be developing into a good performer for his small yard. He has performed with credit in his 6 races till date, winning 2 of them, beating Golden Guest in a 5 furlong maiden to get off the mark and then scoring a battling half length win over My Precious in a Class IV mile in Pune. He took his form to new heights however, when finishing a very creditable 3rd in the Pune Derby behind Trouvaille and Wizard of Stocks and made a good start to this season when going down fighting by ¾ lengths to Rhapsody who subsequently finished 3rd in the Bangalore Oaks. He should be fitter for that run and appears to be a strong staying type so will relish any step up in distance. T.S. Jodha who rode him in Pune returns to the saddle with P.S. Chouhan being unavailable and he looks likely to figure in the finish and although beating Trouvaille looks tough, he has a realistic chance to finish second.
MALWA :- Out station challenger from the stable of S.S. Attaollahi who has won 2 of his 10 starts so far but appears to be most effective up to a mile and has struggled both times that he has contested this mile and a quarter trip, in the Bangalore Derby in the Summer and also in the Mysore Derby. He finished 6th just behind Victorious Sermon in the 2000 Guineas but looks vulnerable at this longer trip and could be a useful outsider at best.
SULTAN SULEIMAN :- Highly rated 4 year old gelding trained by Altaf Hussain who looked a Classic contender after his first 2 runs but seems to have lost his way since then, running poorly on both starts in Mumbai and now looks to have something to prove. Well fancied but finishing a disappointing 3rd in the Morvi on his reappearance, he ran a shocker in the Indian 2000 Guineas next time out, looking under pressure before the bend and finishing a dismal 9th of the 10 runners well behind most of these. That run was too poor to be true and also the 2000M trip may be stretching his stamina. A. Sandesh is now replaced by David Egan in the saddle and he does look capable of bouncing back but it is hard to fancy him on his 2 Mumbai runs and he is probably best watched today.
TROUVAILLE :- Champion Colt of the centre and gallant winner of the Indian 2000 Guineas, coming with a rattling late run to just catch Alexei on the post in a thrilling finish. Prior to that he was a facile winner of the Pune Derby and this additional distance is likely to be right up his alley. He has ticks in all the right boxes, Nicky Mackay keeps the ride and he looks head and shoulders above these rivals and looks likely to win this convincingly before renewing his rivalry with Alexei in the Indian Derby. Racing certainty and should romp home barring a mishap.
VICTORIOUS SERMON :- 4 year old gelding trained by Vishal Gaikwad who has won 2 of his 7 starts till date, both wins coming on the Bangalore track and he made people sit up and take notice when hammering subsequent Indian 1000 Guineas winner Gift of Grace by 5 ½ lengths which made him start favourite for the S.A. Poonawalla Million in Pune. However, he finished well behind Sultan Suleiman and Trouvaille in that race and was only 4th in the Pune Derby. He made a promising reappearance in the Guineas when finishing on late to be 5th and might be better off over this longer trip. Colm O Donoghue is a good Jockey booking, he should stay this far and looks likely to battle it out with Daddy’s Pride for the runner up spot.
CONCLUSION :- Impossible to oppose Trouvaille against this opposition and he is expected to win this convincingly. Daddy’s Pride and Victorious Sermon should fight it out for the runner up spot
Race No. 7 :- The Anmol Preet Plate – Div. II – Class V – Distance :- 1000M
C’EST L’AMOUR :- Maiden 4 year old filly trained by Narendra Lagad who has run 13 times till date without success but has been quite consistent over 1200M in Pune and should not be troubled by the minimum trip. She has had 2 runs this season so should be fit and ready to go and has been eased in grade into the lowest class. She has bagged a good stall in draw 2, Dashrath Singh takes the ride and in this field, she looks to have an excellent chance to get off the mark and is a leading fancy.
GOLD MEMBER:-Unexposed and improving 4 year old filly trained by Adhirajsingh Jodha who did nothing of note in her first 3 starts but looked to have improved when coming to Mumbai, working quite well in her morning work and running a forward race last time out over 1400M before tiring in the closing stages. That run suggested that she would be suited by dropping down to this minimum trip, Nirmal Jodha takes over in the saddle from S.S. Baria and if building on that last effort and showing the speed for this minimum trip, she could very well be involved and looks to have a good chance to succeed.
PRINCESS AVIKA :- 4 year old filly from the small stable of C. Rajendra who has had 6 runs till date without success, running 4 times in Pune and managing to finish 3rd over this trip on 1 occasion, although quite far behind Sandman and God’s Decree. She did finish well beaten on the next 2 occasions but makes her handicap debut off a reasonable mark and H. Zeeshan is a rare booking for the yard. She is worth a look at in the paddock and can add some pep to the finish if looking fit and ready to go.
ANNIVERSARY GIRL :- Out of form and fully exposed 6 year old mare from the stable of Adil Dajee who has come down significantly in the weights and is starting to look very well handicapped at present. Her overall form does not inspire confidence having won just 1 of her 23 starts but she may have been freshened up by the 3 ½ month break and S.A. Amit has been booked to ride. There is no obvious reason to recommend her chances but she does look very well weighted on the pick of her old form and if she retains her old ability and is in a galloping mood then she can spring a surprise.
PERFECT SHINING :- Maiden 4 year old filly from the stable of S.S. Shah who comes from the family of Hidden Power and Spirit of Mercy, both of whom did well in Western India under the same trainer. She has run 8 times till date, 7 of those runs in maidens before making her handicap debut last time out and finishing mid division in Class IV. She has now been eased in grade into the lowest class and N.S. Parmar will take the ride. She does not appear to have been seriously tried until date and if having the speed for this minimum trip, she is another who looks to have each way claims.
CONCLUSION :- As usual a tricky finale with no clear cut selection but C’estL’Amourhas been running well enough to suggest that she can win a race of this nature and is taken to prevail from Gold Member and Perfect Shining who are both unexposed and capable of troubling her
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same).
