M Bobby trained Distante Promise rallied from behind to get the better of front running Gunpowder to land the spoils in the 1400 metres S V Subramaniam Memorial Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 65, the main trophy event of Wednesday`s Mysore races. Capitano brought off a big upset in the lower division of the race at the expense of another long shot Anchal Beauty as the fancied duo put up a timid performance.

Gran Turismo was widely expected to win though the Zareer Darashah trainee hadn`t been a reliable sort of a horse. There was a noticeable support for Distant Promise. The speedy Flying Tricolour and Champion Star disputed the lead in front and cut the early fractions, with Gunpowder settled in third position while the fancied duo of Gran Turismo and Distant Promise were in the rear group. More than the fitness of jockey Srinath who was in the saddle after being absent for many months, Gran Turismo lacked speed and ability as he raced flat and was out of contention well before the race came on the boil. Distant Promise came home with a ground saving run, got all the spaces along the rails and by the final furlong, was ready to challenge the front running Gunpowder who had assumed control by then. Distant Promise easily measured Gunpowder and recorded a comfortable win, with Demanding Format who flashed on the scene late, taking the third slot. The lower division saw rank outsider Capitano down the front running Anchal Beauty inside the final 100 metres to bring off the biggest upset of the day. Overshadow who was the strong favourite and Robinhood Pandey who was well backed was not seen racing to advantage and eventually finished third and fourth respectively. There was lot of talk on Overshadow but with the declared jockey Shobhan Babu rendered hors de combat, the performance of the horse was in keeping with such a scenario.

Srinath guided Class Is Class to a narrow win over late finishing Precious Replica in the 1400 metres Koramangala Plate, a race for horses rated 60 and above. Despite carrying the top weight of 64 kgs, Class Is Class got strong in the final furlong and shot into the lead and then held off the spirited bid of Precious Replica. Catharsis was third.

The race programming for horses in higher class needs reforming. There is a tendency to do away with 80 and above category and have more races in 60 and above category. This places a big problem on real achievers who don`t get many races due to lop sided programming which caters to lower class horses. The system encourages those who give runs while those who win are only penalized. In such a scenario, higher ranked horses have to carry back breaking loads. The handicapper must plan races for 60 and above, 70 and above, 80 and above and even 100 and above. One can give a list of horses that have been confined to the stables thanks to unimaginative planning which makes achievers sit idle for want of a race because these horses have no scope in handicap races and may find themselves out of depth in terms races as they would lost their prime form. Some food for thought. The Mysore handicapper at least gives an ear to these problems unlike his counterpart at Bangalore who is very dogmatic in his beliefs. Nowadays the age of retirement has been increased in every walk of life but in racing, you can reach the level of incompetence very soon due to stiff penalties for each win with no races framed for the class you are in. There is every incentive for a poor horse to win by framing races for such horses but not for those who are achievers.

There was inspired support for Thundering Cruise who was backed down from higher quote to favouritism. The pre-race favourite Wilderness lost supporters close to race time and then was also withdrawn before being loaded because of her tantrums. Thundering Cruise shaped to win but was surprised by the strong rally of Ground Marshal who managed to nose out the front runner in the final stride of the race to win at fancy odds. Golden Steps saved place money.

Pratap Kamath trained Jamais Vu won the 1100 metres Mudigere Plate, a race for horses in the lowest class, in common canter, sprinting away from the rest in the run in for home. Mountain Glory chased the front runner without hope while Outer Space did not have the pedigree for the scurry and finished poorly. Outer Space has been a failure thus far but may strike if raced over a mile and beyond.

Narendra trained Dragon produced a winning effort in the final furlong despite going miles wide in the straight and got the better of front running Silver Prince in the 1200 metres Whitefield Plate, a race for three year old maidens. Invincible Wish ran green but nevertheless stayed on to finish third.

Breezo from the stables of Md Sajid was a facile winner of the 1800 metres Evita Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Breezo moved with raking strides from behind and left the field stranded in the final furlong to win in emphatic manner at nourishing odds. Odds on favourite Kolaveri D raced flat and could not even displace Yamas from the runner up berth.