Calcutta: On a pleasant Saturday afternoon at RCTC, Monsoon Derby winner Heart (Trevor Patel-up) kept her tryst with destiny storming home to claim the Calcutta 1000 Guineas, the first Classic of the season, in a pulsating showdown.
Trained by Deepesh Narredu, the Gusto filly showed grit and determination, outgunning the battling pair of Eleanora (Suraj Narredu) and Conjurer (Mukesh Kumar) in a thrilling three-way finish. With the 1000 Guineas now secured, Heart — a filly who thrives over longer trips — is set to be the hot favourite for the Calcutta Oaks on December 20.
The afternoon kicked off in style as Shabeel Shariff-trained Lineupandcollect (Vishal Bunde) produced a dazzling late burst along the rails, collaring Javed Khan-trained Memphis in the final 50 metres to score an impressive encore.
Vijay Singh announced his return to the city after a two-year stint down south with a resounding statement. His ward Whirlwind (Suraj Narredu) lived up to his name, sweeping past his rivals to clinch the upper division of the 1,600m Alice Springs Handicap with commanding authority.
The lower division saw Pesi Shroff’s Duesenberg (A. Prakash) justifing his short odds, cruising home ahead of Ksepiman (Mukesh Kumar), who nonetheless looks poised to shed his maiden status soon.
There was more drama as Patrick Quinn’s Aabushan (Hindu Singh), ignored in the betting, unleashed a scorching turn of foot from the rear to topple the well-backed Zarak to claim the1,600m Romintic Liason Handicap.
The curtain came down with yet another upset when Bharath Singh’s Salome (Mukesh Kumar) shocked the field, pulling off a confident pillar-to-post victory over favourite Enola Holmes (J. H. Arul) in the 1,100m Safari Handicap. It must be noted that the Neil Darashah’s ward was badly drawn, yet finished a creditable second .