Calcutta: The master craftsman Suraj Narredu lit up New Year’s Day racing at the RCTC here on Thursday with a breathtaking exhibition of riding brilliance, producing a performance that will long be remembered by racing enthusiasts.
In a display of sheer dominance, the champion jockey enjoyed a perfect 100 per cent strike rate, steering home all six of his mounts to emerge as the undisputed star of the afternoon. Narredu’s golden touch also enabled trainer Neil Darashah to record a memorable treble, underlining a hugely successful day for the stable, and setting the tone for an action-packed eleven-race card.
The crowning glory came in the day’s feature event, the 1,200m Deepak Khaitan Memorial Indian Produce Stakes, where Darashah’s promising youngster Luther produced a scintillating late surge to upstage the piping-hot favourite Cosmology in the shadows of the post. Displaying courage and acceleration in equal measure, Luther responded gamely to Narredu’s urgings, and the combined efforts of horse and horseman sent the massive January 1 crowd into raptures.
Neil’s other two well backed winners were Epic Play and Ghirardelli.Both of them won their races rather easily.
Suraj’s brilliance was on full display earlier in the afternoon when he partnered Deepesh Narredu-trained Romping Home to victory from the jaws of defeat. It was a perfectly timed run, showcasing his uncanny race sense and coolness under pressure. The maestro then added polish to his remarkable day aboard the much-touted ‘best bet’ Resplendence, cleverly controlling the pace from the front before digging deep to prevail in a thrilling three-way finish.
In between, trainers Aashay Doctor and B.R. Reddy kept their scoreboards ticking combining with Mukesh Kumar and Gaurav Singh, scoring a double apiece. Live It Love It (Mukesh Kumar) set the ball rolling for Aashay in the opener, winning with consummate ease in a moderate set. Mukesh then had to pull out all stops on Polka Dot to score a thrilling victory over Anigraha and Blinky Bill.
Reddy’s well backed, Aperol gave a clinical start to finish display to score an easy victory, while Gaurav Singh was seen at his brilliant best on Golden Glow to upstage favourite Shine in a close finish.
The supporting feature, the 2,200m Bookmakers’ Association RCTC Gold Vase, threw up a major surprise as Arti Doctor-trained Main Street (M.S. Deora up) rose to the occasion to cause a stunning last to first effort.
The concluding event witnessed Vijay Singh’s Lavish Girl (Suraj-up) holding off the challenge of Princess Peach with a barrier-to-finish effort, rounding off a day that had everything — a huge New Year’s day crowd, the drama, the quality of racing, and a masterclass from one of the finest jockeys in the world, without any guess Suraj Narredu.
Runs to Remember:
Enola Holmes, Surprise Fantasy, Blinky Bill.
Ignore the run of:
Memphis and Blue God.