By Punters Mind
Lack of Enthusiasm Among Punters
Saturday’s six-race card held on the eve of the prestigious Fillies Championship Stakes turned out to be a dull affair, attracting very little interest from racegoers. The ongoing trend of fewer entries every week at this top racing centre is hard to understand. The summer season had already started on a discouraging note, with only six races on the opening day.
When journalists raised this issue during a press conference just before the season began, the BTC stewards, including chairman Manjunath Ramesh, seemed hesitant to give clear answers. Instead, they defended the trainers and owners, saying it was just the beginning of the season and things would improve.
No Real Progress So Far
Unfortunately, there has been no visible change. The situation remains the same. Rather than taking strong steps to fix the problem, the club’s authorities appear to be going along with it. It’s disappointing that BTC cannot even organise a proper day of eight races in summer. This reflects poorly on the managing committee and suggests that they lack the leadership skills to bring all members of the Karnataka Trainers Association (KTA) together. Instead of taking control, the club officials seem to be at the mercy of a few powerful individuals who are running the show their way.
Alamgir Wins the Feature Race with Authority
The main event of the day, the World Blood Donors Day Cup (run over a mile), was won in style by Alamgir, trained by Irfan Ghatala. He was the only winning favourite of the day, offering some relief to the loyal punters. Jockey Suraj Narredu took the colt to the front as soon as the gates opened and maintained the lead throughout to earn his first career win.
Pristine Glory, trained by Karthik Ganapathy, had plenty of supporters but couldn’t keep up with Alamgir and had to settle for second place. The race was run on soft ground due to two quick showers after the first race. Darrington, Alamgir’s stablemate, finished third, just ahead of Edmonton.
Ricardo Holds Off Imperial Blue in the Meydan Plate
The Meydan Plate (run over a sprint) had a tight betting market. Kalamitsi (trained by Sulaiman), Ricardo (from Arjun Manglorkar’s stable), and Berrettini (from Imran Khan’s yard) were all strongly backed.
Ricardo, with Trevor Patel in the saddle, narrowly defeated Imperial Blue—the horse who had beaten him in their previous meeting. The difference was only a nose. Meanwhile, both Kalamitsi and Berrettini disappointed their followers. Uchchaihshravas, well-handicapped in this race, ran a commendable third.
Ebotse Beats Favourite Smile Of Beauty in the Sir Cecil Plate
Earlier, trainer Arjun Manglorkar celebrated a win with Ebotse in the Sir Cecil Plate, a sprint event. Smile Of Beauty, who was promoted after a solid run in a better category last time, was the favourite. She tried to lead from start to finish under apprentice jockey Ramswarup but failed to finish strongly.
That gave a golden opportunity to Ebotse and apprentice Aleemuddin (claiming five kilos), who made no mistake and surged forward near the post to win. Augusto finished a brave third. The Strikingly, who had won her previous race by six lengths, was nowhere to be seen as jockey Sai Kiran kept her at the back throughout.
Refreshment Impresses in the Opening Race
The first race of the day was the Kranji Plate over 2000 metres. Only four horses took part, with three of them receiving equal betting support—Refreshment (Prasanna Kumar), Gold Empire (Rajesh Narredu), and Amazing Stride (Padmanabhan).
In the end, it was Refreshment, guided by jockey G Vivek, who was too good for the rest. He pulled away nicely in the straight to win by three lengths over Amazing Stride, while Gold Empire disappointed, finishing a distant third. Carat Love came in last. Based on this strong win, Refreshment is one to keep an eye on for his next race.
Diablo Stuns Don Carlos in a Photo Finish
Don Carlos, a recent winner, was expected to do well in the Justice P Medapa Memorial Trophy (a sprint). Another well-backed runner was Densetsu from Chennai, trained by James McKeown. However, Densetsu failed to deliver and ended up down the field.
Don Carlos, with Trevor Patel aboard, came flying late but couldn’t catch the rank outsider Diablo, trained by Prasad Raju and ridden aggressively by Sai Kumar. The two horses crossed the finish line together, but the photo finish declared Diablo the narrow winner. Don Carlos was unlucky to lose, as he looked likely to win in another stride—but as they say in racing, it’s that final stride that decides everything.
Pole Star Upsets El Rey in the Final Race
The day ended with the Royal Command Plate (a sprint) where El Rey, trained by Padmanabhan, opened as the favourite at 6/4. But as race time neared, his odds drifted to 5/2, which raised eyebrows. Meanwhile, Pole Star from Prasanna Kumar’s yard stayed steady at 7/2.
Those who sensed something odd and switched to Pole Star were rewarded, as the second favourite stormed to the front in the final furlong and sealed the win easily. Jockey Darshan, another 5-kilo claimer, rode a strong race. Basilica finished second after closing well, ahead of Sienna Princess. As for El Rey, he struggled and didn’t even manage to place.
🐎 Horses to Follow / For the Punters’ Notebook
Here are the standout horses from the day who should be kept in your notebook for future races:
- Alamgir – Strong front-runner, maiden win in style. Will improve further.
- Pristine Glory – Good second behind a classy winner, worth watching.
- Ricardo – Fought hard to win; remains in good shape.
- Uchchaihshravas – Finished well despite competition; value each-way bet next time.
- Ebotse – Smart win under a claiming apprentice; shows potential.
- Refreshment – Easy winner over 2000m; likely to strike again.
- Don Carlos – Huge late finish, unlucky loser; one to be on next time.
- Pole Star – Stylish victory, can win again if placed right.
- Basilica – Eye-catching run from behind; ready to score soon.
