Calcutta: Trainer Patrick Quinn’s Dubai Princess turned the day’s feature, the Calcutta Monsoon Sprint, into a one-horse show. Jockey Trevor Patel kept the filly relaxed at the rear before unleashing a dazzling burst in the straight. In a matter of strides, she swept past her rivals to register a commanding six-length victory over long-time leader Clifford (Neeraj Rawal).
Quinn struck again in style when Madras Cheque stormed home in the 1,400m Roubaix Handicap. With Akshay Kumar biding his time in fourth, the mare accelerated smartly to score emphatically. The race, however, was marred by misfortune as the favourite Go For The Moon broke down after being clipped from behind, his career now in doubt.
Jockey Antony Raj rode a confident race astride B. Mahesh trained King Of Mafia. The jockey drove the seven year old to a fluent win in the 1,200m Sprightly Handicap. Sky Force (P. Tejeshwar) finished an impressive second despite fly-jumping out of the gates and losing valuable ground. The favourite Roman Spirit was hopelessly blocked and finished a tame sixth.
The day also produced an upset when Aashay Doctor-trained outsider Zalia (R. Vaibhav) slipped through along the rails to snatch the Maid Of Athens Plate from favourite Rosalia (Trevor Patel), who, despite interference at the start and again around the bend, finished on strongly to take second berth.
Proceedings opened with Neil Darashah’s promising stayer Goodwill (Neeraj Rawal) outclassing his five rivals in the 2,000m Pickwick Handicap. The afternoon came to a close with Rutherford Alford’s gamble-clicking Rudra (Imran Chisty) getting the better of stablemate Swift Lady in the 1,400m Treasure Land Handicap.
Notable runners:
Sky Force, Rosalia, Stormy Ocean, Madras Cheque and Rudra.