Six Speed lives up to expectations

BANGALORE

CALL IT an embarrassment of riches? Nearly 1,000 horses are in town and the Bangalore Turf Club, rather pathetically, could not stitch up a decent enough card for the opening day. This is not one off. This has been happening with monotonous, sickening regularity. This is Bangalore Winter's most familiar failing and the blame for it keeps shifting from the club to the trainers and back. Brinkmanship is such that the core issue is never quite addressed!. Club argues trainers ought to take the rap for poor entries. Trainers blame it on the ``system.'' A few races and meetings lost, the dust settles. All is forgotten if not forgiven. Another winter. Another sordid drama.

Sunday's nine-event card packed as much keen fare as pleasing, passing personal snippets. Darius Byramji's four-timer was the high point of the day. Six Speed's flawless dress rehearsal for the ``Winter Classics'' was another. So was Ganapathy's first day in office as a Private Trainer to Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy. A technical hitch hit Live Telecast of racing to other centres.

Six Speed's victory was never in doubt. But interestingly the running of the Abbey Falls Cup indeed was. That until the conditional scratching of Crystal Moment saved the event! The Placerville-Haunting Beauty chestnut filly was making her reappearance after that narrow defeat by Allaire in the Summer Derby. That she went over a sprint mattered little. So did the strength of the opposition. Coming from a break, she just needed a ``race'' simulation to reassure one and all that she is as perky as ever. Golden Fisher dutifully followed Six Speed home and Crystal Moment's run was indicative of the gelding's possible relish for a furlong or two more.

Golden Estate carried huge public investment to a comfortable victory in the opener. Another one of those veteran Mangalorkar specials, the connections had obviously plumped on Golden Estate with a good measure of confidence so well reflected in the flood of money. Krugar Park added an exciting element to the contest until Shakti Singh decisively worked out a couple of lengths advantage in the run-in.

A Mysore win behind her, Saffron Finch was marginalised in betting by both Gypsie's Wish and Barassie but the Darius Byramji filly raised the last chuckle. There is something inherently wrong with Barassie who was discernibly ill at ease throughout the race. Ganapathy was handed out a private trainer's licence a couple of weeks ago and Scenic was only the second horse he saddled. This well bred filly very nearly ticked his first winner. Running her best race for quite some time, Scenic held out a big enough threat before Saffron Finch produced a strong enough stretch run to settle the issue a few strides from home.

The cramped quote on Sendawar put the race in the right perspective. The sparingly raced Green Forest-Chaitanya Ratham gelding pulverised the opposition to bring in a cheery first winner for Ganapathy who later in the afternoon saddled Fantasy Flight to complete a double to mark the launch of his career.

B. Prakash stepped in for the indisposed Aslam Kader and made the most of his chance ride on Tresorie. Padmanabhan's charge had no qualms after driving into prominence half way up the straight. Ronson let go a challenge that cut no ice with Tresorie who may make his presence felt in the next class as well. Renzino's early bustle came to nought but the gelding did well enough to latch on to a remunerative berth.

When Argolis raised a fluent stretch run to overhaul Rumplestiltskin, there was heightened concern for Star Fantasy and Blushing Heart both of whom are rich pedigreed and highly thought of. While none could begrudge a resolute victory by Argolis, the rather poor performances of Star Fantasy, full sister to the celebrated Smart Chieftan and Blushing Heart who has a starry lineage, stunned analysts into graveyard silence. Waywardness has been a significant part of Blushing Heart, who is a difficult individual to handle but her recent work had greatly boosted confidence in her to the point that Aslam at least had expected her to do well. Padmanabhan said he wished he could say what went wrong with her. That sums up the frustrating experience. The well backed Alphabetic found the going real tough in a race where Fantasy Flight covered amazing ground in the straight to return an impressive winner. The Mujtahid filly is set to build on this spectacular bow. Winelight ran a good second and may assert himself in less exalted company. Daggers Drawn who was picking up momentum in the concluding stages clearly dropped a hint that a sprint is too sharp for his comfort. Daggers Drawn is likely to be packed off to Calcutta. Surfside was too strong and overbearing for Star Liner who led on sufferance.

The price on Allabreva eased out a point or two as the horses made it to the starting gate. The Stipes reportedly threw a word of caution at apprentice Amit who got the S. S. Pillay ward out of the gates quick and fast to establish a goodly lead into the turn. The grey was so full of running that the fate of the race had been decided a full furlong out. Full credit for Allabreva reaching this absolute fitness should go to S. S. Pillay for he had acquired the grey with a littany of physical problems. Obviously Allabreva had stripped a lot fitter after his run in Mysore which was his first in nearly a year and a half. Now that Allabreva has shown his true self another race should be an easy picking. Save The Day and Al Bashir had a bumping match with the result that both performed below par.

H. S. MANJUNATH

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