Calcutta: Trainer Aashay Doctor’s Nomitsi (David Allan-up) trounced his three rivals to claim the season’s final and the longest classic, the 2,800m St. Leger, at the RCTC raceground on Thursday. The bay colt tracked Lady Sunshine (Trevor Patel) before surging ahead at the top of the straight and scored by over seven lengths from the course-favorite, Rise And Reign, ridden by Suraj Narredu. It then hardly came as a surprise when Lady Sunshine burst her blood vessel, having run the Oaks, Derby, and Leger — all within two months and finished last.
In the 1,600m Governor’s Cup, trainer B.R. Reddy’s Vincent Van Gogh (Vishal Bunde) notched up a hat-trick of wins, with a commanding pillar-to-post effort in a four-horse field. The fancied runner won by over a length from the odd-on favorite, A Star Is Born (Suraj Narredu), whose recent performances suggest that age may be catching up with him.
The victory of the three-year-old filly Eleanora (Suraj Narredu) from Rajesh Narredu’s yard, was the most impressive one. Her winning efforts in the 1,600m Grand Annual Mile, helped the Narredu brothers secure a fine double. Earlier, they had claimed the 1,400m Voltige Handicap when their ward Super Sapphire, easily overhauled the longtime leader Sabar (Trevor Patel).
Trainer Bharath Singh’s Norwegian Wood bagged the 1,600m Sports Book Plate under Trevor, thanks to Suraj’s even-money favorite, Sensational, being never in contention. In the same race, trainer Vikash JaiswaL’s Clever Hans (Varun) finished a promising second. Watch out for him in the coming weeks.
Jaiswal’s day had begun with the victory of his Sporting Trainer (Varun) in the 1,400m Belligerent Handicap. The winner was seen fighing a close battle to beat Msg Fantasy (Ashhad Asbar) and I Smell The Danger (Vishal Bunde).
Trainer Javed Khan too led in a winner, Toussaint (R. Vaibhav-up). The 5/1 shot scored a decisive win in the 2,000m Best Winner Market Plate, defeating the favourite The Presence (J. Arul) by over two lengths.
Saturday, 26 April 2025