The universal truth in horse racing is that whenever a stable runs two horses, invariably it is the one with longer odds that prevails though not always by design. This truth was hammered home yet again when lesser fancied Vijays Joy put in a speedy display to outsprint the opposition including the more strongly fancied Baahubali in the 1200 metres Madras Race Club Cup, a race for horses rated 74 and above, the feature event of Thursday`s Hyderabad races.

Netto trained Rahul`s Pet was backed down to strong favouritism with Baahubali being the next in demand. Apprentice jockey Rafique took Vijays Joy on a start to finish mission and the progeny of Stern Opinion stayed comfortably put in that position till passing the winning post. Baahubali tried hard but was unequal to the task. Baashagar rallied along the rails to nose out Rahul`s Pet for the third position. It was clear that Rahul`s Pet needed this run.

Like Rahul`s Pet, Netto`s another ward Vancouver went down by a whisker, the superior fitness of Paprika helping her to steal the race in the 1100 metres Pranahita Plate, a race for horses rated 26 to 46. Paprika swept into the lead from the wide outside draw and enjoyed a break of a few lengths going into the final furlong. At this stage, Vancouver had some leeway to cover and though the progeny of Mr Mellon finished with a rush, the filly fell short by the proverbial whisker. On The Fire edged out Celtic Queen and Asteria for the third position. Vancouver should recoup the losses next time out.

Another Netto horse to lose in a tight finish was Oh Dear in the Tintinnabulation Plate, a race for horses rated 42 to 62. Jockey Deepak Singh had Oh Dear lead from the start but was caught up with and passed by Green Image in the final stride of the race. Oh Dear should be better off for this run. Green Image made up for a poor ride by apprentice P K Gaddam who brought Green Image the widest and despite inadequate assistance, the five-year-old mare covered up for the jockey by her readiness to strike. Altruist headed Masti to grab the third place.

Satheesh trained Lavender looked to be well prepared to strike in the 1400 metres Look of Eagles Cup, a race for horses rated 26 to 46 and it was reflected in the confident way the horse was backed down in the betting ring. Strengthofbeauty was not inclined to give up her lead easily in front as she waged a resolute battle but in the end, Lavender asserted her superiority by drawing clear. Little Smart Heart finished on purposefully to relegate the long-time leader to the third position. White Gold was picking up momentum when the cause was lost but should be better off for this forward run.

There was an interesting piece of statistic about Sefarina, the winner of 1200 metres Ramappa Plate (Div II), a race for horses rated up to 30. Sefarina ran aggressively in front and comfortably won from Time To Climb and Abracos to record her maiden win in her 50th outing! However, Sefarina had always brought stake money most of the time and her total earnings were about Rs 20 lakhs without winning. Vittal Deshmukh trained Cash For Rank trounced the opposition with an easy win in the upper division of the race by taking command of the race from the word `go`. Back To Business who was sluggish at the start, circled around the field at the final bend and occupied the second place ahead of Ice Cave.

The fact that an apprentice was declared to ride Agilis in the Welcome Plate (Div I), a race for maiden three-year-olds where no allowance could be claimed perhaps was the reason why the three-year-old gelding ran at lucrative odds. Wild Wings who looked far from ready was made the favourite. Wild Wings shot ahead inside the final furlong but when Agilis found her way and made a powerful charge, the outcome of the race became clear. Vallee Peaks was third. Vittal Deshmukh trained New Port recorded an easy win in the lower division of the race. Heaven Can Wait attempted runaway tactics but slackened in the final furlong. New Port who had rallied from behind, picked up speed tremendously and was hailed a winner long way from home. Royal Green also overtook a tired Heaven Can Wait to take the runner-up berth.

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Vijays Joy (Rafique Sk. up) winner of The Madras Race Club Cup

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Agilis (Md Ismail up) winner of the Welcome Plate (Div-I)

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Paprika (R J Hannam up) winner of the Pranahita Plate

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Newport (R J Hannam up) winner of the Welcome Plate (Div-II)

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Green Image (Praveen Gaddam up) winner of the Tintinnabulation Plate

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Cash For Rank (Rafique Sk. up) winner of the Ramappa Plate (Div-I)

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Sefarina (Deepak Singh up) winner of the Ramappa Plate (Div-II)

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Lavender (Akshay Kumar up) winner of the Look Of Eagles Cup

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