Calcutta: Trainer Vittal Deshmukh’s friendless runner, Tintinnabulation, won the 2,400m Indian Turf Invitation Cup, with authority, in front of a big race crowd, on Sunday. In doing so, the Hazara stud bred four-year-old horse, by Intikhab out of Tourmalet, became the first horse, to win the event, in its new format — a weight for age race, without penalties — framed on the lines of France’s richest and the most popular event, the Arc de Tromphe. Incidentally, the four horses who placed behind Tintinnabulation, who claimed the winner’s purse of Rs 1 crore plus a trophy valued at Rs 3 lakh, were older horses like Onassis, Ocean And Beyond and Dandified. The Indian Derby winner, Hemisphere, was fifth in the field of 14 runners. Jockey Pradip Chauhan partnered the winner, barely an hour after he was presented the most successful jockey of the year award.
It may be recalled that Tintinnabulation was drubbed by the city challenger, Snowscape, in the Calcutta Derby but the horse’s form indicated turnaround, barely a fortnight later when he trounced the field in the Golconda Derby.
Incidentally, Tintinnabutation is the first horse from Hyderabad to have won the Invitation Cup, after Chaitanya Chakram claimed the race about a quarter of century ago.
Tintinnabulation’s victory also uplifted the moral of those who were beginning to believe that the four-year-olds would prove no match for the older horses, in the Invitation Cup, and the Classic crop would prefer to avoid the race. In fact, the inaugural running of the race, after the changed format, is sure inspire the regional Derby winners, and also runner-ups, to take a tilt at the race. It may be just a matter of time that the Invitation Cup stakes, would not only match the Indian Derby-purse but would also take the race to the new heights.
The Maj. P.K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile Cup brought some solace to the host centre after trainer Vijay Singh’s old and trusted galloper, Arktouros (Christopher Alford-up), won the trophy, from Ranthambhore.
RESULTS
1. Hoverplane Cup, Div-II 1,200m: (1-6-5-3) Alacrity (Chisty) 1, Hurricane Andrew (Henrique) 2, Piaffe (Kamlesh) 3, Rappadan Glory (Allan) 4. Won by: 1-1/2, 1-1/4, 2-3/4; (1-13.56). Tote: Win Rs 91; Place: 17, 26, 12; Quinella: 516; Shp: 94; Tanala: 2,167.Fav: Piaffe (2). Winner trained by Vikash.
2. Sans Craintes Cup 1,200m: (4-6-3-1) Cynosure (Sreekanth) 1, Luck Luck Lucky (Dashrath) 2, Conquest (Chisty) 3, Self Directed (Shailesh) 4. Won by: 3-1/4, 1/2, 3/4; (1-13.11). Tote: Win Rs 26; Place: 14, 66, 27; Quinella: 438; Shp: 219; Tanala: 6,389. Fav: Cynosure (4). Winner trained by Daniel.
3. Hoverplane Cup, Div-I 1,200m: (6-2-7-3) Secret Gloss (V. Tamang) 1, Fankaar (Mohit) 2, Ijlal 3 (Z. Alam), Don Magnifico (Azharuddin) 4. Won by: 2, 2, Nk; (1-14.16). Tote: Win Rs 50; Place: 17, 13, 18; Quinella: 57; Shp: 42; Tanala: 472. Fav: Fankaar (2). Winner trained by Bath.
4. Rohan Lifescapes Cup 1,600m: (7-3-2-9) Rembrandt (Sreekanth) 1, Combined Operation (Dashrath)) 2, Stiling Veil (C. Alford) 3, Classical Romance (Sandesh) 4. Won by: 1/2, 2-1/4, 1/2; (1-41.7). Tote: Win Rs 32; Place: 14, 18, 32; Quinella: 72; Shp: 38; Tanala: 1,161. Fav: Rembrandt (7). Winner trained by Daniel.
5. In The Spotlight Cup 1,200m: (14-8-6-2) Wild Card (Kamlesh) 1, Sreedhan (Shailesh) 2, Fireback (Dwyer) 3, Iverness (Hughes) 4. Won by: Hd, Hd, 2; (1-12.19). Tote: Win Rs 112; Place: 29, 64, 37; Quinella: 1,368; Shp: 214; Tanala: 25,676. Fav: Iverness (2). Winner trained by Arti.
6. Maj P.K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile Cup 1,600m: (2-6-4-8) Arktouros (C. Alford) 1, Ranthambhore (Fortune) 2, Immense (John) 3, Chase The Sun (Allan) 4. Won by: Nk, 3/4, 3/4; (1-37.27). Tote: Win Rs 101; Place: 25, 14, 24; Quinella: 161; Shp: 56; Tanala: 2,494. Fav: Ranthambhore (6). Winner trained by Vijay.
7. Suresh Mahindra Multi-Million Trophy 1,400m: (10-6-1-11) Klipspringer (Dwyer) 1, Plenipotent (Chauhan) 2, Optimus Prime (John) 3, Sovetskaya (Trevor) 4. Won by: Lnk, 1-1/4, 2-1/2; (1-23.45-record). Tote: Win Rs 185; Place: 40, 23, 16; Quinella: 473; Shp: 67; Tanala: 11,224. Fav: Coccinella (9). Winner trained by Padmanabhan.
8. Indian Turf Invitation Cup 2,400m: (12-2-3-1) Tintinnabulation (Chauhan) 1, Ocean And Beyond (Chsity) 2, Onassis (Zervan) 3, Dandified (C. Alford) 4. Won by: 1-1/2, Shd, 1-1/2; (2-30.6). Tote: Win Rs 154; Place: 35, 38, 80; Quinella: 941; Shp: 181; Tanala: 84,441. Fav: Toroloco (4). Winner trained by Deshmukh.
9. Sentouki Cup 1,400m: (11-1-9-5) Serena (Trevor) 1, Snow Princess (Dwyer) 2, Haddock (Chisty) 3, Legends Order (Valdir) 4. Not run: Incanto Bliss (14). Won by: Snk, 2, Nk; (1-25.72). Tote: Win Rs 62; Place: 19, 16, 19; Quinella: 63; Shp: 46; Tanala: 592. Fav: Snow Princess (1). Winner trained by Bharath.
Jackpot: Rs 7,59,301; (C) Rs 1,33,994. Treble: (i) Rs 992; (ii) Rs 5,374; (iii) Rs 22,806.
