Calcutta: B.R. Reddy-trained Vincent Van Gogh (Vishal Bunde-up) delivered a breathtaking performance to clinch the 1,400m, Mysore Race Club Cup, the feature event here on Wednesday. In the process of his dominant victory, the six-year-old also justified the overwhelming support from punters.
Bunde had the six-year-old Multidimensional gelding perfectly poised behind Sea Lion until the home turn. The moment the brakes were off, the response was electrifying! In the blink of an eye, Vincent Van Gogh exploded forward, leaving his rivals reeling in his wake.
The battle for the minor places was fierce, with Sea Lion (app. S. Saba) gamely holding off Buckley (Yash Narredu) and Supreme Grandeur (app. Sonu Mishra) in a thrilling finish. Despite the penalty, Vincent Van Gogh may well complete a hat-trick of wins if placed wisely.
The afternoon was also dominated by the Narredus, as each of the two professionals --trainer Rajesh Narredu and jockey Suraj Narredu — combined well to notch up a lucrative double with Good Deeds and Dance Along.
Good Deeds completed a well-deserved hat-trick of wins over longer trips, bagging the 2,400m JSK1 High Odds Plate with start-to-finish effort. Suraj controlled the pace brilliantly. The runner-up No Worry (Imran Chisty) remained in touch with the winner but failed to accelerate when needed.
In the concluding event, the Mauritius Belle Handicap, Suraj tracked the pace-setter Blue Chip until the home turn before slipping through the rails on Dance Along for an impressive victory. The one to watch out for the future is Blue Chip, who finished a half-hearted second, while favorite Dubai Station was never in contention.
The afternoon began with leading trainer Aashay Doctor’s filly, Annette (Yash Narredu-up), an ‘on-money’ favorite, easily accounted for her three rivals with a clinical start-to-finish victory in the 1,600m Network Handicap. Javed Khan’s Toussaint (R. Vaibhav) moved from the rear to finish a creditable second. The change in riding tactics and the addition of blinkers proved beneficial for Annette.
The 1,100m JSK1 Gaming Trophy was secured by Thousand Words, a consistent performer trained by Rutherford Alford. He dominated the race from start to finish under Imran Chisty, while favourite Outlander ran a lackluster race. Eleven-year-old Gazino (app. Ankush) edged out the ever-consistent Liban (Ashhad Asbar) for the runner-up berth.
In the JSK1 Predict & Win Plate, Kerry Gold, a good looking three-year-old filly from Neil Darashah’s yard, showcased her talent with a start-to-finish victory under jockey Trevor Patel. In the same race, the course-favourite Simran’s Star could only manage third berth, while runner-up Keitaro looked poised to find the winning post soon.