Indian Pharaoh (David Allan astride) gave trainer S. Padmanabhan his 100th classic win by taking the Golconda Derby Stakes, the third classic of the season, here on Sunday (Jan. 27).
The winner is owned by M/s. Radiant Bloodstock Pvt. Ltd. rep. by Mrs. Sharmila Padmanabhan & Mr. S. Padmanabhan and M/s. Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Pvt. Ltd. rep. by Mr. Byram N. Jeejeebhoy. Trainer Faisal Hassan saddled three winners on the day.
Indian Pharaoh, who jumped out smartly, settled down to race fourth till the final turn, when Allan, who ran a well-judged race, skilfully manoeuvred the mount in the straight. The colt accelerated in the last 150m mark to gallop past Bradfield College and take the honours comfortably. An objection by Neeraj, the rider of Bradfield College, that he was obstructed was over-ruled.
Happy coincidence
It was a day to remember for Padmanabhan as he completed a memorable century with his win in the Derby. The veteran trainer had won his maiden classic through Golden Fantasy in the 1000 Guineas at Mysuru in 1991.
However, his first Derby win had come via Dynamic Dancer here in 1992 and on that occasion the trophy was presented by Mr. Surender Reddy. Mr. Reddy wished Padmanabhan would continue to saddle more winners, while the latter, on his part, thanked all those who were responsible for the feat.
1. ROCKY PLATE (1,200m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to 46 (Cat. II): PALSY WALSY (Rohit Kumar) 1, Running Fire (Kiran Naidu) 2, Handsome Duo (Ashhad Asbar) 3 and Shimmers (P. Trevor) 4. 4-1/4, shd and 1/2. 1m, 14.60s. ₹22 (w), 10, 9 and 23 (p), SHP: 25, FP: 125, Q: 68, Tla: 1,834. Favourite: Shimmers. Owners: M/s. K. Balamukunda Das, Krishnan Kamesh, K. Shashabindu Das & T.N. Mehta. Trainer: D. Netto.
2. ALLEZ VITE PLATE (1,200m), (Cat. II), maiden 3-y-o only (Terms): VERSALLIES (Suraj Narredu) 1, Shivalik Valley (Kuldeep Singh) 2, Flamboyant Lady (Akshay Kumar) 3 and Paso Robles (C. Umesh) 4. Not run: Royal Girl. 1, hd and 2-1/2. 1m, 14.27s. ₹18 (w), 7, 9 and 7 (p), SHP: 20, FP: 109, Q: 59, Tla: 210. Favourite: Flamboyant Lady. Owners: M/s. K. Balamukunda Das, K. Shashabindu Das & Krishnan Kamesh. Trainer: D. Netto.
3. SHARVAN KUMAR MEMORIAL CUP (1,800m), 4-y-o & over, rated 42 to 62 (Cat. II): THAT’S MY MAGIC (Md. Ismail) 1, King Maker (A. Sandesh) 2, Ace Ace Ace (Akshay Kumar) 3 and On My Way (Rafique Sk.) 4. 3/4, 1-1/4 and nk. 1m, 57.01s. ₹58 (w), 15, 10 and 6 (p), SHP: 26, FP: 342, Q: 156, Tla: 1,012. Favourite: Ace Ace Ace. Owners: M/s. Mohammed Rasheed Ali Khan, Aziz Ahmed Khan, K. Rama Krishna & Mirza Ayub Khan. Trainer: Faisal Hassan.
4. MOTHER’S BOY PLATE (1,100m), 4-y-o & over, rated 42 to 62 (Cat. II): VALLEE BLOOMER (A.A. Vikrant) 1, Trump Girl (Koushik) 2, Lightning Fin (R.S. Jodha) 3 and Royal Green (Gaurav Singh) 4. Nk, 2-3/4 and shd. 1m, 8.03s. ₹319 (w), 62, 7 and 40 (p), SHP: 21, FP: 3,090, Q: 901, Tla: 70,557. Favourite: Trump Girl. Owners: Mr. V. Narendra Reddy & Mr. Gurpal Singh. Trainer: Faisal Hassan.
5. TELANGANA CUP (1,400m), 5-y-o & over, rated 58 to 78 (Cat. II): BE SURE (Nakhat Singh) 1, Ashwa Bahula (David Allan) 2, Sea Castle (Kiran Naidu) 3 and Scooby Dooby Doo (Srinath) 4. Not run: Clarisa. 2-3/4, 2-1/2 and 1/2. 1m, 28.16s. ₹15 (w), 7, 7 and 15 (p), SHP: 19, FP: 37, Q: 18, Tla: 314. Favourite: Ashwa Bahula. Owner: Mr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy Chettiar of Chettinad Charitable Trust rep. by Mr. A.C. Muthiah. Trainer: Satheesh.
6. BHAGMATI CUP (1,600m), 4-y-o & over, rated 26 to 46 (Cat. III): ASHWA ARJUN (Gaurav Singh) 1, Nathu La (P. Trevor ) 2, Yogastha (B.R. Kumar) 3 and His Excellency (A. Sandesh) 4. 2, 2-1/4 and shd. 1m, 43.55s. ₹38 (w), 12, 7 and 16 (p), SHP: 21, FP: 221, Q: 84, Tla: 2,388. Favourite: Buttonwood. Owner: Mrs. Anita Chauhan. Trainer: M. Srinivas Reddy.
7. SECRETARIAT CUP (1,400m), (Cat. I), 4-y-o & over (Terms): HIGHLY ACCLAIMED (Surya Prakash) 1, Phenomenal Cruise (Tanwar) 2, That’s My Class (Md. Ismail) 3 and Starlight (G. Naresh) 4. Not run: Chase Your Dreams. Shd, 3/4 and 1-3/4. 1m, 28.20s. ₹32 (w), 9, 8 and 8 (p), SHP: 23, FP: 143, Q: 84, Tla: 473. Favourite: Prospero. Owner: Mr. Ahmed Alam Khan. Trainer: Deshmukh.
8. GOLCONDA DERBY STAKES (2,400m), 4-y-o only (Terms): INDIAN PHARAOH (Excellent Art- Running Flame) David Allan 1, BRADFIELD COLLEGE (Teofilo-Luminous One) Neeraj 2, RIKI TIKKI TAVI (Excellent Art-Stravella) Robbie Downey 3 and ULYSSES (Saamidd-Aldiora) Zervan 4. 1-3/4, nose and 3. 2m, 38.28s. ₹10 (w), 6, 18 and 9 (p), SHP: 81, FP: 144, Q: 111, Tla: 916. Favourite: Indian Pharaoh. Owners: M/s. Radiant Bloodstock Pvt. Ltd. rep. by Mrs. Sharmila Padmanabhan & Mr. S. Padmanabhan and M/s. Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Pvt. Ltd. rep. by Mr. Byram N. Jeejeebhoy. Trainer: Padmanabhan.
9. ARMAGNAC PLATE (1,400m), 5-y-o & over, rated 26 to 46 (Cat. III) GOLDEN HOPE (A.A. Vikrant) 1, Charlie Brown (Koushik) 2, Humaaghar (Deepak Singh) 3 and Big Flash (Rohit Kumar) 4. Not run: Market Leader and Escobar. 1, hd and 1/2. 1m, 30.91s. ₹118 (w), 21, 13 and 14 (p), SHP: 50, FP: 2,578, Q: 1,094, Tla: 39,453. Favourite: Freedom Fire. Owners: M/s. Mohammed Rasheed Ali Khan, Aziz Ahmed Khan, K. Mallikarjuna Rao & Mirza Ayub Baig. Trainer: Faisal Hassan.
10. PRINCE PRADEEP PLATE (1,400m), 4-y-o & over, rated upto 30 (Cat. III): ROYAL STYLE (Akshay Kumar) 1, Sisco (Deep Shanker) 2, Delphina (Ashhad Asbar) 3 and Dippy Dip (Deepak Singh) 4. 1-3/4, 1 and 2-1/2. 1m, 31.68s. ₹19 (w), 8, 18 and 9 (p), SHP: 79, FP: 551, Q: 334, Tla: 2,593. Favourite: Symbol Of Star’s. Owner: Mrs. Junaid Ali Khan. Trainer: Ravinder Singh.
Jackpot (i): ₹1,93,954 (C/o), Runner-up: 83,123 (one tkt.); Jackpot (ii): 76,669 (14 tkts.), Runner-up: 7,666 (60 tkts.); Treble (i): 15,943 (four tkts.), (ii): 3,250 (35 tkts.), (iii): 786 (265 tkts.).
