Results – Kolkata

MILLENIUM FALCON (App R S Bhati) was fractious in its stall. The Veterinary Officer reported that MILLENIUM FALCON returned bleeding from both nostrils. Tr. Sarfaraz Khan was informed not to accept with his charge until certified fit by the Veterinary Officer. An enquiry has been opened into the running and riding of WORDS, trained by Mr. Sarfaraz Khan and ridden by Afzal Khan. Tr. Sarfaraz Khan was advised to get his charge examined by the Veterinary Officer and report ailment, if any.

ATHEIST (Md Islam), THUNDER ON (App Ranidan Singh) and ROYAL BRUTE (App R S Bhati) were slow to begin. When afforded an opportunity to explain the running of his mount LUCKY STREAK which raced poorly, Jockey C Alford stated that he was well positioned during the early and middle stages of the race and in spite of him having a clear run in the final stages, his mount failed to respond to his urgings. On being questioned Tr. Aashay Doctor stated that :- a) This was the first start with “Blinkers” on. b) The pace of the race being fast was not suitable to the horse. c) His charge had not won a race for nearly a year. d) In its previous victories the horse had shown that he gallops more freely on the outside, however, being drawn 1, he was unable to make his run from the outside. The Stipendiary Stewards noted his explanation.

TIBERON (Hindu Singh) was fractious while being stalled. Soon after the start ALSHAFA (A Imran Khan, drawn 8) and XLITE (Sk Zaffar Riaz, drawn 7) were squeezed for room when BE A STAR (App Ranidan Singh, drawn 9) and CHITTAGONG (Sk Israil, drawn 6) jumped awkwardly ‘inwards’ and ‘outwards’ respectively. Jockeys Ranidan Singh and Sk Israil were shown the CCTV replay of the race and were strongly advised to exercise greater control over their mounts. COMMITTED (Afzal Khan) finished off the race detached from the field. Tr. Shafiq Khan was advised not to accept with his charge until it was capable of a better performance. The filly was examined by the Veterinary Officer who reported that no ailment was noticed.

COCOANUT (Afzal Khan, drawn 4) fly jumped ‘out’ from the gates and soon after made contact with AQUITANIA (Md Islam, drawn 5).

EL CID (Akash Rajput) arrived late to the start. Tr. Vikash Jaiswal was advised to ensure that his charge arrives on time to the start in future. When afforded an opportunity to explain the running of his mount KING’S CROWN which raced poorly, Jockey C Alford stated that he was instructed to go to the front of the field from the very start. However, in spite of exiting the gates well he was out paced in the early stages and had to settle his mount behind the early leader and on entering the straight in spite of having a clear run the gelding failed to respond to his urgings. On being questioned Tr. Raunak Banerji corroborated the Jockey’s statements and was of the opinion that the gelding just “blew up”. He further stated that his charge had always performed well when raced over a seven furlong trip. However, he was disappointed with the performance of his charge as he had fancied its chances. The Stipendiary Stewards while appreciating that the horses were racing after a long summer break, advised Tr. Raunak Banerji to accept with his horses only when he was sure that they had achieved an acceptable degree of fitness.

b f ABABEEL, a declared starter in the above race, was examined by the Veterinary Officer at 3.50 p.m. and found to have sustained cut injuries on right fore. Under the circumstances the filly was permitted to be withdrawn on veterinary grounds. Tr. Patrick Quinn was informed not to accept with the filly until certified fit by the Veterinary Officer. For failing to produce the registered colours at the scale in respect of his charge RACHMANINOFF, Tr. Bharath Singh was fined a sum of Rs. 500/-. Subsequently the emergency colour ‘ALL BLACK’ was permitted to be used. TOUGH ENOUGH (B Mahesh) which was fractious while being stalled was slow to begin. Jockey Akash Rajput, the rider of JESTER and Jockey Hindu Singh, the rider of MIDNIGHT MAGIC, were fined a sum of Rs. 3,000/- each for excessive use of the whip (1st offence).