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Leo D`Silva trained Chinese Thought overcame the inadequacies of apprentice jockey Jitendra Singh and provided him with the career`s first win in the 1100 metres Raja Narasimha Rao Memorial Cup (Div I), a race for horses rated 42 to 62, the feature event of Monday`s Hyderabad races. Chinese Thought travelled wide into the straight and Jitendra was unable to correct the drift but despite this, the horse had enough firepower to reach the post ahead of late-rallying Rose Eternal. Favourite Indian Dreams was withdrawn at the gates on veterinary grounds.
The start of the race was delayed after all the horses were loaded into the gates. There was some issue with Indian Dreams and the trainer of the horse Satyanarayana was summoned to the weighing room before announcing that the favourite would be a non-starter. Astra and Chinese Thought raced ahead of the field and the latter took the turn wide and was in danger of losing a winning opportunity. However, Chinese Thought produced a strong effort despite the hiccup and managed to surge ahead close home and then kept Rose Eternal at bay. Astra weakened to finish third.
Arjun Anne trained Prime Time brought off an upset in the lower division of the Narasimha Rao Memorial Cup. The speedy Prime Time was running after a long gap of 280 days, but her track work indicated that she was fit enough for the race. Apprentice jockey Md Ismail took Prime Time to the front from the start and the long shot stayed put there to keep the challenge of others at bay. Ikigai and Mandy made a strong challenge but fell short narrowly. Fancied Palisades Park and George Cross performed poorly.
Favourites took a back seat in the day`s proceedings. Trainer Vittal Deshmukh who was once a formidable force is struggling now, with his horses performing well below expectations. Rikki Tikki Tavi was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the 1400 metres Own Opinion Plate, a race for horses rated 42 to 62. But the favourite took a lethargic jump and was inclined to run out. He was out of the fray from the start. Inci led in front with Hailstorm in the chase. The two battled the length of the final furlong with the latter gaining the edge close home. Once More heightened the excitement when she came home with a big effort and looked like toppling the battling duo in front. Hailstorm held on to win by a whisker over Once More while Inci was another short head behind. Guiding Force was a close fourth while Rikki Tikki Tavi covered good ground to be within striking reach of those finishing in front. The favourite could have obliged with a level start from the gates.
Trainer Leo D`Silva had a treble for the day. Longshot Carnival Express won the 1400 metres Adolfito Plate, a race for horses rated 26 to 46 easily from My Windfall and Cash For Rank. Carnival Express took over the running on turning for home and sped clear to win the race with a great deal of ease. There was a lot of support for Charming Beauty to win but the favourite ran like a dud.
Jockey Kiran Naidu seems to be running into trouble with his horses when in sight of a possible win. On Sunday, he very nearly messed up on Titus by banging the rails inside the final 100 metres but barely scraped home. On favourite Palsy Walsy, shaped to win when he drew abreast of front-running Shimmers but the horse took an awkward jump possibly reacting to something which was not clear and this took away his winning chances. Last start winner Natasha who was handily placed then bounced clear to record an encore. London Bridge responded late to take the second spot ahead of Darshish.
The day`s proceedings ended with another long shot from the stables of trainer Srinivas Reddy Ashwa Arjun winning the 1600 metres Recommender Plate, a race for horses rated up to 30. Ashwa Arjun hit the front from the word `go` and was unchallenged when recording a comprehensive win in the hands of jockey Ashhad Asbar. Vallee Ikon finished second ahead of favourite Curcumin. Another fancied runner from Deshmukh`s stable Adoria barely completed the race.
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Carnival Express (C Umesh up) winner of The Adolfito Plate
Hailstorm (Neeraj Rawal up) winner of The Own Opinion Plate
Prime Time (Md Ismail up) winner of The Raja Narasimha Rao Memorial Cup (Div-II)
Natasha (C Umesh up) winner of The Sriram Sagar Cup
Chinese Thought (Jitendra Singh up) winner The Raja Narasimha Rao Memorial Cup (Div-I)
Ashwa Arjun (A Ashhad Asbar up) winner The Recommender Plate
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