Machine Gun Kelly triumphs

BANGALORE

THOUGH MACHINE Gun Kelly was the centre-piece of last week's one- day racing, intense public interest revolved around Desert Lord.

Obviously Machine Gun Kelly's nowhere in the 2,000 Guineas had been passed up in preference to his proven mettle in handicaps. Well weighed when taking on a seasoned bunch of campaigners, Eshwer's ward proved a notch too good for Azilian who is fast catching up with lost form.

Paul Eddery positioned himself so well for the ``shoot'' from this chance ride that the fate of the race had been well defined a long way from home. Azilian made the finish a jot more lively in holding off Mr. Confident who ran true to his present form.

While Kelly garnered utmost support, a portion of money was plumped on Scenic Star who had also gone unnoticed in that Guineas run. From the word go, Scenic Star found himself at a distinct disadvantage since he could barely eke out from the solid early pace a free running berth of his choice up front. Having been forced to work for it, the gelding was a spent force.

For two reasons, Desert Lord went to the post as an object of curiosity. The Placerville-Divine Light gelding had been a late starter, the early part of his adolescence having been taken away in moulding him to good racing shape. When the gelding, who has had several preparatory mock races, made a sensational racing debut, he was almost instantly pencilled as a bright prospect. So when Eshwer's charge took on a small but by no means weak field over a challenging distance of 2,000 metres, the eyes of the world for good reason turned on him.

There was this nagging fear that the penalty had been too stiff and the elevation in class too demanding. Very few horses have defied such a huge ``ask'' in recent memory and it was thus no surprise Desert Lord failed. Yet the effort should go down as encouraging solely because Desert Lord is still far from smoothly conversant in the art of racing. It would be wiser to allow a margin for Desert Lord's relative inexperience.

Summer Mood made a start to finish affair of it in the hands of apprentice Koch, who has good reason to remember this day for posterity. Koch emerged with a lucrative double, the highpoint of which was the two distinct styles he was to display. If he was sensible enough in alternating Summer Mood's pace to get the best out of Byramji's trainee, he was equally resilient in finding that ray of winning light on Sinister Minister quite literally at the end of a tunnel.

Any one who had a chance to spot Sinister Minister at the home turn would have laughed off the five year old gelding's chances in the race as a ``joke''. In parts though, Arjun Mangalorkar's ward was blessed with a stroke of fortune. Firstly there was this inviting gap along the rails, Sinister Minister managed to get. Secondly, two of the prime fancies were frothing failures.

The sight of Richard Hughes going for the whip long before the heads turned for home must have given followers of Premier Princess a jolt or two. Then there was this alarming drift out of a straight course by Lion of Judah. Curiously enough London Bells tried to adopt a kind of front running tactics he has never been seen doing. But the most significant help for Sinister Minister came in the form of that slight shift away from the rails by London Bells at crunch time.

It was this piece of generosity which eventually helped Sinister Minister, though it must be said to his credit that he was easily the fastest moving at the time even as London Bells was being weighed down by the effort of making all the running. If this win is an indication that Sinister Minister has successfully fought back into racing realism from several past niggles, then it is hard to ignore his claim once more.

Of the two juvenile races billed for the afternoon, Kimono's win in the opener was lot more impressive than Whitehall's in the upper division.

In his lean and fit looks, Kimono would have gone well with an expert eye but Ponnappa's charge was certainly not among the first three preferences when it came to the punting section which follows the direction of money. Access All Areas had a greater measure of support, needless to say, the filly's breeding commanded as much respect as her solid morning work.

It seemed a question of time when the big-built Access All Areas raised one good gallop to come within sniffing distance of the free running Kimono. That is when the crowd at large took the favourite's win for granted only to ruefully switch over to the sight of Kimono gamely kicking clear.

With a run to help him along, Whitehall's win turned out to be less dramatic despite the fact that Carnival Craze at one stage was threatening to make a race of it. The most notable effort was Clyde Barrow's. The Steinbeck gelding's second had a pleasing tone about it.

Regal Wind brought about a whiff of refreshing change for trainer Lokanath Gowda. Rakesh's decision to make his own running pace was surprising in nature given Regal Wind's general liking for lying off the pace. Yet it was a rewarding one. For long Decorated Hero shadowed Regal Wind before letting Placid Ark do the hard chasing.

If Stella Blue's last run was a guide, the five-year-old mare had as good a chance as any. Hanumant Singh lost no time in grabbing the early initiative on the Taraporvala trainee. It was this advantage which neutralised Something Fishy's determined bid.

The price drift on King's Common may have diluted his chances, leaving this inescapable feeling that he is lot better than his performance here indicates.Ruzzan rode a forceful finish to steer Andretti to a comfortable win in a race which by its very composition presented a look normally minefields present.

As if to drive home the point, friendless Omnipresence threw a scare till the time Ruzzan managed to free himself on Andretti and let the grey gelding have its say. Naked eye perhaps would have plumped for Omnipresence in his fight against Power Extreme.

Very few would have bargained for a dead heat. When the judge announced one, there was this understandable humdrum in the stands.

H. S. MANJUNATH

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