Padmanabhan could not have chosen a better horse to lead his march towards the coveted century of classics. The highest stake money earner in the history of Indian racing, Desert God who returned to India a few months ago after a failed mission at England, overcame his ring-rustiness and swamped the opposition in the Gr 2 Bangalore St Leger, the last classic of the season, in Bangalore on Sunday.

Desert God who showed out in the paddock parade, led all the way and outstayed the rest to win by a widening margin of four lengths over Sana in the hands of jockey Neeraj Rawal. Desert God was no doubt the outstanding horse in the fray but the reason why he was offered at big odds was because he had packed up in his last run after being prominent, but most chose to ignore the fact that it took a long while for him to recover from the ill-effects of the trip to Dubai and England and that he blew up because he needed a strong lung-opener. Salazaar who had won a race over nine furlongs in a smashing manner was quoted as an on-money favourite with Desert Gods at a nourishing 7 to 1. There was no doubt that if Desert God showed zest, the race would cease to be a contest.

Jockey Neeraj Rawal took Desert God on a start to finish mission, had the lesser fancied runner enjoyed his foray in front with a lead of about three to four lengths. Sana raced in the second position followed by Reunion, Salazaar and Romantic Star. Desert God was not hard-pressed to keep his lead in front and it was clear that he would be hard to catch up with once he did not show signs of weakening on turning for home. Desert God was travelling well within himself whereas Sana was hard-pressed to hold position while those coming from behind looked beaten. Desert God got stronger in the final furlong though he seemed to have missed a stride possibly due to a patch on the track, but he regained balance and sped away. San ran on to finish second ahead of Reunion. Salazaar ran a poor race. Romantic Star finished way down the field.

The withdrawal of Spiritous on veterinary grounds well before the paddock time, Charmed Life became the favourite for the Pronto Pronto Plate, a race for maiden three-year-olds. The surface form was not encouraging with Areca Angel who was the most experienced horse in the fray being ignored. The three-year-old maiden race thus sported an open look about it. The experience of Areca Angel stood in her good stand as the progeny of Burden of Proof showed swiftness of speed as she shot ahead with a run along the rails. Areca Angel broke clear and was in the safety of the winning post when favourite Charmed Life picked up steam and came home with a big effort.

Neil Darashah trained Mulholland recorded an encore, staving off a strong bid from Nanhipari in the 1400 metres Marilingaiah Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Nanhipari led from the start and it took a long while in the straight for Mulholland to assert her supremacy. Zafran saved place money in a tight finish from Torsoro and Great Tribute.

Sulaiman Attaollahi trained Charmaine came out of the maidens` ranks in the 1100 metres Mount Everest Plate. Charmaine asserted her supremacy in the final furlong to record an easy win over Wonder Blaze who had held the fort till displaced from that position. Jersey Storm was third.

Gregory Sandhu trained Ewandor obliged a big touch in the 1100 metres Aureole Plate, a race for horses rated 15 to 35. Ewandor came in for one-sided betting and true to market expectation, Ewandor came into prominence with a tremendous burst of speed down the final furlong to win the race from Camilla who found her rhythm rather late in the race. Breaking Away was third.

Lesser fancied Back of Beyond found the winning mark in the 1600 metres Kunigal Stud Plate, a race for horses rated 30 to 50. Back of Beyond produced a good burst speed inside the final furlong to stave off the bid of Erdemir who had made rapid ground along the rails. Stanley who led for a long while was relegated to the third place.

Arjun Mangalorkar trained Setaglow had no problem in disposing of the opposition in the 1600 metres Astronomic Plate, a race for horses rated 15 to 35. Setaglow assumed command approaching the final furlong and spurted clear to win with ease with from Gold Mist and Internal Affair.

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Areca Angel (Neeraj Rawal up) winner of the Pronto Pronto Stakes

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Charmaine (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Mount Everest Trophy

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Back Of Beyond (Mohd Asif Khan up) winner of the Kunigal Stud Plate

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Desert God (Neeraj Rawal up) winner of the Tetrasoft Inc. Bangalore St. Leger (Gr.2)

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Mulholland (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Marilingaiah Memorial Trophy

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Ewandor (T S Jodha up) winner of the Aureole Time Plate

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Setaglow (S John up) winner of the Astronomic Plate

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