By Punters Mind
Time And Tide: The Sprint King Shows Off Again
Time and Tide The Unstoppables Replicate In The Race Track
Call it a breeze, a gallop, or just another day at the office—Time And Tide made the Bangalore City Sprint Championship Gold Cup look like a morning workout. Trained by Adhirajsingh Jodha and ridden by Sandesh, the superstar sprinter jumped ahead and never looked back. Sandesh barely had to nudge him. Such was the superiority that the race turned into a one-horse exhibition.
The crowd had no doubts—this was the best sprinter in the country right now. Imperial Blue, Aldgate, and Crown Drive fought over what was left behind. With wins like this, Time And Tide continues to prove that he’s not just fast—he’s untouchable.
Don Carlos Stuns in the Lt. Col. Gaunt Memorial
No one saw it coming, except maybe trainer Sulaiman Attaollahi. His ward Don Carlos, who had disappointed in his previous start by missing the break entirely, turned the tables in spectacular style. At long odds, Don Carlos tracked the pace before storming ahead to beat the hot favourite Perfect Legend and the well-fancied Gloriousness.
Jockey G. Vivek, hungry for the Champion Jockey title, rode with purpose and made it count. Don Carlos flew past the tiring leaders and won with ease, giving punters a shock and Sulaiman his second winner of the day.
Double Scotch Opens the Day with Ease
In a rather low-key opening race, the Brave Dancer Plate, it was Double Scotch who poured class into the three-horse contest. Trained by Shoban Babu and partnered by Antony Raj, the colt settled behind early leader Highland Dream before surging past and sealing the win with minimum fuss.
Sea Diamond finished ahead of the tiring Highland Dream, while Royal Whisper was withdrawn at the gates. With only three runners, this race felt more like a backyard duel than a stadium showdown—but Double Scotch made sure he was the only one to take it seriously.
Efficacy Finally Arrives
After two mysterious withdrawals—once for colic and once for an unexplained gate refusal—Efficacy finally lived up to the hype in the Red Divine Plate, a maiden race for three-year-olds. With Shreyas Singh in the saddle and trained by Sulaiman, Efficacy led from the start and pulled away to win by a wide margin.
The favourite barely broke a sweat, leaving My Honey, Midnight Blue, and White Secret trailing. After all the false starts, this victory felt like a long-awaited sigh of relief. Keep an eye on him—he could bloom further in the Mysore season.
Double Vision Sees It Through for Shoban and Vivek
Shoban Babu scored his second win of the day with Double Vision, a filly that didn’t just win the Honey Day Plate—she dominated it. Well-backed in the betting ring, she took charge when asked and left the rest behind.
Able One tried hard for second while Super Kind, a last-start winner, seemed flat. Favourite Gandolfini didn’t raise a gallop. With G. Vivek again in the saddle, this win also kept the jockey championship battle alive and fiery.
Defence Counsel Makes His Case
After a stable switch, Defence Counsel clearly found new motivation. The Lumbini Stud Plate saw him claim back-to-back victories under a confident ride from Vivek. Knotty Scotty set the early pace and looked like the winner halfway through, but Defence Counsel had the last word in a dramatic finish.
Storm Shadow ran a steady third, while Corinthian, another top fancy, just couldn’t keep up and was never in contention. The race, although competitive, belonged to a horse that is clearly on the rise with a point to prove.
Kiss Of Grey Floats to Victory
In the Xisca Plate, run over an unusual 1500 metres, Kiss Of Grey from Satish Narredu’s yard turned it into a solo flight. Ridden confidently by Suraj Narredu, the filly grabbed the lead early and opened up a commanding six-length margin at the finish.
Sunlit Path came flying late to grab second ahead of Thrill Of Brazil, while Hyperdrive seemed out of his depth at this extended trip. The grey filly’s commanding win lit up the grandstand—and rightly so.
Championship Heat: Trainer and Jockey Titles on Fire
As the summer season nears its close, the contests for Champion Jockey and Champion Trainer are heating up. G. Vivek’s double brought him within one point of Trevor Patel, making every ride in the next three meetings critical.
Among trainers, Sulaiman Attaollahi and Prasanna Kumar are now tied at 14 winners each, with Shoban Babu not far behind. With such tight margins, every race from here on could decide the season’s final bragging rights.Horses to Follow (For the Punter’s Notebook)
Summary
Saturday at Bangalore turned out to be a thrilling chapter in this summer’s racing season. With just three meetings left, the fight for the Champion Jockey and Champion Trainer titles has reached boiling point. G. Vivek, in search of his maiden crown, closed in on Trevor Patel’s lead, while trainers Sulaiman Attaollahi and Shoban Babu tightened their grip on the top slot. But the races themselves? A rollercoaster. From Time And Tide’s effortless win to Don Carlos’s surprise knockout, from Kiss Of Grey’s runaway show to Efficacy’s maiden breakthrough, the day had everything—speed, shocks, and some classic heartbreaks for punters.
Horses to Follow (For the Punter’s Notebook)
- Time And Tide – Still the best sprinter in the country; a safe bet until proven otherwise
- Efficacy – Now that he’s broken through, expect stronger runs next season
- Don Carlos – Unpredictable at the gates, but dangerous when focused
- Defence Counsel – Improving rapidly; in form and thriving
- Double Vision – Quick turn of foot and consistent; deserves respect
- Kiss Of Grey – Powerful filly with a strong front-running style
- Double Scotch – Smart colt who handles short fields with composure
- G. Vivek (jockey) – In top form and motivated; watch all his rides closely
