Calcutta: Trainer B.R. Reddy’s Black Eagle (app. Prasanth Thapa-up) scored a brilliant start-to-finish victory in the 1,200m Star Superior Cup here on Thursday. Carrying top weight, the showy Excellent Art gelding jumped out smartly to seize the initiative in the hands of Thapa and drew away in the straight to register an effortless victory, giving the apprentice a confidence-boosting maiden win. In the same race, favourite Pluto failed to raise a serious challenge in the straight and was outclassed by the winner.
Earlier, the 1,100m Bountiful Treasure Handicap produced a thrilling finish. Suraj Narredu conjured up a powerful late run aboard Javed Khan-trained favourite, Outlander, who recovered from a tardy start. Sweeping past most of runners, thereafter, the winner collared La Dominate, who was shaping as a winner at the distance post.
Hindu Singh excelled in the saddle astride Vijay Singh-trained Anigraha,while winning the 1,400m Miss X O Lence Handicap. Using his whip effectively, Hindu guided the gelding through the centre of the track to record a spectacular victory that relegated the hot-favourite, This Is Gold, to second berth. However, the runner-up was not a disgrace in defeat as the small-made filly was conceding chunks of weight to the winner.
Close finishes were the hallmark of the afternoon. Trainer Rutherford Alford’s Made In Heaven (Mukesh Kumar) edged out Macchiato in the opener, with Vishal Bunde appearing to leave his challenge on the beaten runner a trifle late. Bunde made amends in the 1,200m Aladancer Handicap, steering Sabeel Shariff-trained Cashaban to a confident pillar-to-post victory in a no-whips race. Make a note of first timer Surprise Fantasy, who finished on impressively.
The absorbing day concluded with Neil Darashah-trained Sea Eagle (J.H. Arul) narrowly defeating favourite Cortado in the 1,400m Spats Colombo Handicap.