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Sport - Racing : Horse

MAM’s colours sweep to success

Anil Mukhi

— Photo: P. V. Sivakumar

CROWNING GLORY: Mr. M. A. M. Ramaswamy (right), owner of Sweeping Success, receiving the Indian Turf Invitation Cup from Mr. Cyrus S. Poonawalla (extreme left) and Mr. R. Surender Reddy.

HYDERABAD: Continuing the excellent run of Mr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy colours in the Indian Turf Invitation Cup, the “Gold, Brown belt” silks swept to victory here on Sunday to complete an unprecedented fifth consecutive win in India’s premier invitational event.

Appropriately enough, the heroine’s name was Sweeping Success (Placerville – Lady Moura), and like three of the four immediately preceding winners for Mr. Ramaswamy she was sent out by S. Ganapathy.

In 2007, Southern Empire had done the trick for the stable; he in turn followed in the footsteps of Mystical (2006), Southern Regent (2005), and Simply Supreme (2004).

Jockey B. Prakash gained ample recompense for missing out last year when he had to sit out the race due to injury.

One has to say that good fortune enabled Sweeping Success to score, for Kolkata’s Regal Connection was catching the leader hand over fist.

Had Christopher Alford alerted the imposing colt a little earlier, he would probably have managed to gain the day.

The story of the race is simply told: stablemate of the winner, Imperial View led them all at a decent gallop, and was still in front turning for home.

Sweeping Success, always well up, took over and held off the late charge of Regal Connection. The Hyderabad-based Ruby Queen finished on to be third.

Favourite Bourbon King, a stablemate of the winner, was in distress at half way and was pulled up at the end, while Hotstepper never figured at any stage and finished in the ruck.

Bred at the Poonawalla Group of Stud Farms, Sweeping Success completed a dozen winners for the Pune-based nursery in this rotating all-India championship.

Earlier, Diego Rivera prevailed in a fabulous finish to the Grade I Maj. P. K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile, just nosing out the dead-game Splendid Surprise in a finish worth going miles to see.

In the newly-instituted N. H. and Dolly Dhunjibhoy Million, Oasis Star repeated with another scintillating effort, trouncing her rivals while setting yet another track record.

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