Trainer Aashay Doctor‘s recently acquired six-year-old horse, Psychic Force (Suraj Narredu) scored a decisive victory in the prestigious Indian Champion Cup, a Grade I race that took the centre stage in Friday`s race card which was originally scheduled for Saturday but was advanced by a day for administrative reasons. The Multidimensional son paraded more impressively in the paddocks, compared to his odds on favourite rivals, Trafalgar (Y.S. Srinath), who also held a better classic record between the two, including the last edition of the Calcutta Derby.

Trafalgar, from trainer James McKeown`s stable, was also ridden in a long check as Psychic Force made most of the running, in view of the early pace cut by trainer Vikash Jaiswal`s Saggitarius (Vinay Jaiswal) being slow in the four-horse field. Psychic Force also grew stronger in the home stretch, leaving Trafalgar in a wild goose chase as he was spotted a winner, long way from home. Trafalgar may have needed the run and needs to kept in mind.

The trophy studded frame of seven also witnessed trainer Vijay Singh`s baby, Jake (Suraj) claiming the 1,400m Indian Champagne Stakes, the Win Legend son`s back-to-back triumph, having scored in his last assay, going from pillar-to-post, from his stable-mate, Galen. The story in the Alokanada Stakes was grossly different as the two horses played the reversed roles.

Galen (Hindu Singh) was in full command until; Jakes made a belaboured bid, inside the final furlong, to stump the long time leader at the post. It was an exciting finish but it was the 4kg pull at the weights against last the outing winner, having helped another Win Legend son come that much closer. Incidentally, the three big events like Indian Produce Stakes, the Champagne and the Million serve as a pointers to the next set of Classic that is to follow,

The superiority of the western India class was, once again in evidence, after the running of the 1,400m C. M. Varma Cup, a race for horses in upper classes that was won by Rainbow Trout (Hindu). Having posted a runaway victory and penalised 7-1/2kg, Rainbow Trout was again in the winner`s enclosure. It was an equally brilliant win in a ten-horse field. The five-year-old mare could do the trick again even after she is slapped another harsh penalty.
Trainer Harvinder Bath`s Nova (Suraj) was also expected to be home and dry in the 1,400 BOL Publication Cup but the Leitir Mor filly faltered in her last stride. Most likely because of bursting blood vessels during the race. She was in third, a box seat, inside the last 200m but fell short by a ‘nose` at the wire to the last outing runaway winner, Estrella Star (Neeraj Rawal), from Manvendra Singh`s stable.

Vijay had, however, also saddled Vallerysthal, ridden by A. Sandesh, in the Albert Piperno Memorial Cup. The Multidimensional mare was ridden in a long check, almost in rear of the 12-horse field but Sandesh did full justice to the 5/2 chance in the betting when he bisected the long time leader, Frieze (app. Sujit Paswan) and Manzoni (Neeraj) and the top-weighted Vallerysthal responded well inside the final furlong to score by a runaway victory. In the same race Aashay`s Atom (R.S. Bhati) was also a game second, after being in the company of back-benchers.

The concluding event witnessed another blows to Vijay`s winning chances on Om Shanti (Hindu) by Manvendra`s fancied runner, Wind Chaser (app P. Vikram) in the 1,400m Toroloco Handicap. Both runners were almost equally supported in the betting and also galloped in close attendance but the later accelerated far more powerfully in last 150m to score a decisive win while Om Shanti was hard-pressed to retain the second berth from her stable-mate Dothraki (Md Azharuddin).

The day`s opener, 1,100m Colombiana Handicap witnessed the least fancied two horses in the field of five runners – Namak Halaal (Rupal Singh) and Fool Proof (app Sujit Paswan) -- fighting out the finish, with the verdict going in favour the pillar-to-post trier, Namak Halaal.

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Namak Halaal (Rupal Singh up) winner of the Colombiana Handicap

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Vallerysthal (A Sandesh up) winner of the Albert Piperno Memorial Cup

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Estrella Star (Neeraj Rawal up) winner of the Bol Publication Cup

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Rainbow Trout (Hindu Singh up) winner of the C M Varma Memorial Cup

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Jake (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Indian Champagne Stakes (Gr.3)

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Psychic Force (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Indian Champion Cup (Gr.1)

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Wind Chaser (P Vikram up) winner of the The Toroloco Handicap

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