Trainer Pesi Shroff’s five-year-old mare, Caribbean Queen, easily got the measure of her 10 rivals in the 1,200m Calcutta Champions’Sprint Trophy, on Saturday. The Steinbeck daughter was also given a peach of ride by the visiting jockey Stephane Pasquier, who utilised her short burst effectively in the stretch run to wear down El Tropico who was threatening to shape as a winner. In fact, the two horses were seen racing in close proximity, marginally ahead of Must Be Magic, River Star and Cayenne, till about 600m from home. It was El Tropico who made his move first on the far side. Still on wider out
was Caribbean Queen who accelerated and came with menacing run to make the opposition look pedestrians. The afternoon’s seven-event card was otherwise ruled by trainer Vijay Singh who notched up a treble, including a Trophy-double – the 1,600m S.S. Bala Memorial Trophy and the 1,400m Indian Champagne Stakes.

In the Champagne Stakes produced a champion youngster in Snowscape who had gone down narrowly to a filly named Silverina in his maiden effort. On this occasion, the grey colt, by China Visit out of Snow Tiger, simply pulverised the opposition, including Silverina who was conceding 4-1/2kg. Jockey Christopher Alford, who partnered the 7-10 hot favourite, had Snowscape settled in the mid-bunch behind Riverdown Empress, Abubble, Silverina and Charlemagne till the final turn and put in a strong gallop 250m from home to skate clear of the opposition for a five-length victory over his erstwhile conqueror. It may take a good one to beat him in the Calcutta Million.

Silver Fox won Vijay the Bala Memorial Trophy. The eight-year-old horse was ridden the way he relishes most – off the pace -- and jockey Neeraj Rawal did full justice to the Elusive Pimpernel son, while the fancied stablemate, Secrecy (Alford-up) was made a sacrificial goat as the youngster was driven to the front from the start of the race to upset the rhythm of the course favourite, Two In One. The strategy did pay off but at a price.

Social Network, another of Vijay’s hot-favourite, delivered the good in the hands of Alford, who rode the Black Cash colt well off the pace to cash in on his late reserves in the final 250m. Social Network wore down the 5-2 fancied runner, Arabica, who threatened to score with a two-length lead established nearing the halfway marker.

The racingpulse.in Trophy produced a thriller with three horses – trainers Harvinder Singh Bath’s Manhattan Rain, Bharath Singh’s Credit Ease and Vikash Jaiswal’s Schwarzenegger involved in a blanket-finish as they placed in the order named. Apprentice Shezad Khan, however, rode a powerful finish, and drove the 4-1 second favourite almost from the start of the race to the finish.

Trainer Darius Byramji’s Hadrian, who has been knocking at the door, finally managed to assert his superiority over his six rivals in the 1,600m Vijay Sicka Mermorial Trophy. The five-year-old, ridden by N.S. Parmar, allowed a fancied Apyrous to dictate terms till the home turn and took over to score comfortably over Girl Of Flower who looked slightly tucked in and yet performed courageously to edge out Lougherne for the second berth.
Hurricane Star, was the another youngster who showed a lot of promise in his maiden outing. The Bharath Singh-trained horse, with Suraj Narredu in the saddle, led by two lengths from the start and maintained the advantage throughout. The Hurricane State colt easily tackled the challenge of other improving youngsters like Hundred Pipers, Green Pasture.