Mumbai based trained Rehanullah Khan finally broke the ice in Bangalore when his ward Queen Credible got up in nick of time to edge past Fair Game to land the spoils in the 1200 metres Dharmaprakasha L S Venkaji Rao Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 45 to 65, the feature event of Monday`s races. The trainer had seen several of his wards falling short but Queen Credible was spot on to the task and gave him some relief for his efforts.

Horses like Queen Credible who are late rallying types can win or lose in tight finishes. It all depends on whether the front-runner has established an unbridgeable lead or not. Silver Ikon who was returning to the track after a setback in training was obviously the very superior horse in the fray but the track workouts indicated that he was not put through aggressive workouts. As such he was bound to prove ring rusty. Queen Credible and Attorney General got more support in the ring as a result.

Silver Ikon, as is his wont, blazed away in front and looked capable of pulling it off. However, inside the final furlong, he began to slacken which gave a ray of hope to those coming from behind. Fair Game got the measure of the frontrunner in the shadow of the post. Queen Credible rallied from way off the pace and got his act right as she overhauled Fair Game in the closing strides of the race. The first three horses finished in close order. Attorney General was fourth. Silver Ikon should make amends next time out.

The 1200 metres Smart Chieftan Cup, a race for horses rated 30 to 50, should have gone the way of Dominic trained King`s Son if only he reproduced his last effort. However, this trainer`s horses rarely run consistently and it was so with King`s Son who after running prominently till entering the straight gradually faded out to finish poorly. Interesting who shot ahead in the final furlong but was snapped up by last start winner Black Swan in the dying moments of the race. Mint and Carolina were not far behind occupying the third and fourth positions. Streak Ahead ran a disappointing race being the first casualty to the marauding horses from behind.

Irfan Ghatala trained Alberetta was the firm favourite to win the 1400 metres Ministerial Cup, a race for maiden three-year-olds. Alberetta had all the chances but the filly lost her footing at the final bend and did not raise a fluent gallop and was a lost cause long way from home. Habanero also flopped. Neil Darashah trained As Time Goes By benefitted by the good forward run of last time and won impressively from Concept Win who finished on well to take the second place.

Fresh Start had performed above expectations and the belief that the six-year-old could come up with a similar performance was the reason why he was well backed to win the 1600 metres Jayant Shah Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 30 to 50. The race turned out to be anti-climax with the fancied runner flopping miserably. The quietly backed Saptajit bolted to the front and had a good break over the rest and had enough legs to sustain it to win in the hands of apprentice jockey Syed Imam. Only Super Smart gave a semblance of a fight but found the front-runner unrelenting. Courtship was third.

The odds drifted out on Leon and the betting was focussed on Princeazeem in the 1200 metres Sans Craintes Stud Stakes, a race for horses rated 15 to 35. In the race itself, Leon made no show. Game Guy hit the front from the wide outside draw and led into the final furlong. At this point, Princeazeem got into rhythm and measured the front-runner and won comfortably from late-rallying Irish Prince. Wise Guy weakened to finish third.

Tic Tac Toe is always known to go start to finish but this time out in the 1100 metres Confucious Stakes, a race for horses in the lowest class, the eight-year-old was kept way off the pace. Lesser fancied Anmol Hira bolted to the front and enjoyed an uncontested lead as the others chose to race behind without showing any intent. In the straight, Anmol Hira established an unbridgeable lead and won from Tic Tac Toe who finished with a flourish. Kanthaka appeared to be one-paced and plodded on to be third.

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Queen Credible (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Dharmaprakasha L. S. Venkaji Rao Memorial Trophy

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As Time Goes By (A Sandesh up) winner of the Ministerial Cup

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Black Swan (Dhanu Singh Deora up) winner of the Smart Chieftan Cup

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Saptajit (Syed Imran up) winner of the Jayant Shah Memorial Trophy

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Princeazeem (Dhanu Singh Deora up) winner of the Sans Craintes Stud Stakes

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