Mr. Majestic will face tougher times
Sri Lanka’s oldest sports event and the most hallowed horse racing event off all, the 143rd Governor’s Cup, will be staged on April 15, a day following the Sinhala and Hindu New Year at the Race Course in Nuwara Eliya.
Mr. Majestic, the reigning champion of the coveted trophy will face tougher times in this year’s edition with the inclusion of three new contenders. Interestingly these three horses are been brought down from India specifically for the Governor’s Cup and will be ridden by Indian jockeys.
The nine furlong race for Class I thoroughbred horses will be the main race of the day which includes seven runs. Mr. Majestic, ridden by Saddam Iqbal and trained by former champion jockey S.D. Lalith, will come under tremendous pressure from other horses who have won the main event earlier.
The horse from the I. Dassanayake Stables will be definitely challenged by former winner Café Coffee, from the Jayaratne Stables, and Exquisite Delight, owned by C.R. Rajapaksha. Exquisite Delight won the Queen’s Cup last year in the same event. Among other contenders eyeing for the big plum are the old favourite Spark of Gold, Third World and the mysterious Gazaki.
Spark of Gold, trained by former jockey turned trainer S.V. Mathialagan, a winner of the Governor’s Cup both as a rider and a trainer. The horse is a stayer, making him the ideal candidate to complete a distance of 1800metres or nine furlongs, without much hassle. His closest rival will be reining champion Mr. Majestic, a speedy mare.
The surprise package of the main race is the three top runners from India. Among them are two top league Indian runners Aristos and Atlantus, who will go head to head in what is expected to be a thriller race, both just brought down from India. According to available information Aristos prefers to run in the front with the pacemakers while Atlantus settles behind the runners. Aristos, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Rienzie Edwards, is ridden by Ravikumar Vibhav. Suleiman Attollahi is the trainer. K. Anil will ride Atlantus owned by Hasaranga Jayaratne and trained by Mohammed Sajid. The third horse from India, Spearhead, is a classy stayer and can be a threat to other contenders with one of India’s top jockeys Suraj Narredu handling it. This will be the second horse trained by Attollahi in the race.
The second race most followed next to the Governor’s Cup will be the Queen’s Cup, the longest race of the day, which includes 10 Furlongs. This race will have eight contenders, out of which two horses will be running for the first time in Sri Lanka. With last year’s winner Exquisite Delight, being promoted to compete in the main race, the Governor’s Cup, Storm Ahead, last year’s runner-up will have a better chance of snatching the win.
But the horse from I. Dassanayake Stable can expect some sort of challenge from the unknown duo from Jayaratne Stables, Indian Epic and Altira. Arabian Gold and Sussex Down are two surprise inclusions to the lineup. Enchantment is an experienced horse on this track.
Besides these two races, five more races will complete the day’s agenda. The first of them will be for the Janashakthi Cup which is the curtain raiser race schedule to begin at 10.30am. Prior to the main race the races for Mobitel Cup and Mayor’s Cup will be held. After the completion of the Governor’s Cup and the Queen’s Cup, the race for the Grand Hotel Cup will be held. The race for the Janashakthi Cup at 1.45pm will bring down the curtains on the 143rd Governor’s Cup.
| Race 1: Janashakthi Cup (7 Furlongs/Thoroughbred Class III) 1. Sandstorm (Deepthika Jayakody), S.D. Mahesh (J), Ranjeet Shinde (T) 2. Shyam Sunder (I. Dassanayake), Saddam Iqbal (J), S.D. Lalith (T) 3. Pancho Pete (Chamari Jayaratne), Melvyn Maseyk (J), Mohammed Sajid (T) Race 2: Mobitel Cup (7 Furlongs/Thoroughbred Class IV) 1. Beautiful Lankan (Nishara Jayaratne), S. Suganthan (J), V. Mathialagan (T) 2. Game Face (Sunhill Group), Melvyn Maseyk (J), Mohammed Sajid (T) 3. Icelandic (Hasaranga Jayaratne), R. Selvaraj (J), V. Mathialagan (T) 4. Viking Doctor (I. Dassanayake), Saddam Iqbal (J), S.D. Lalith(T) Race 3: Mayor’s Cup (5 Furlongs/Thoroughbred Class V) 1. Royal Oak (Jayaratne Stud and Agricultural Farms), K. Anil (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 2. Bolzano (Irugal Bandara), P. Dinesh Kumar (J), Jayantha Wijesinghe (T) 3. Don Hasa (Hasanga Jayaratne), Melvyn Maseyk (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 4. Silver Street (Manusha Weeraratne), V. Yogaraj (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) Race 4: Governor’s Cup (7 Furlongs/Thoroughbred Class I) 1. Aristos (Mr. & Mrs. Rienzie Edwards), Ravikumar Vibhav (J), Suleiman Attollahi (T) 2. Atlantus (Hasanga Jayaratne), K. Anil (J), Mohammed Sajid (T) 3. Café Coffee (Nishara Jayaratne), Melvyn Maseyk (J), Mohammed Sajid (T) 4. Exquisite Delight (C.R. Rajapaksha), V.R. Jagadeesh (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 5. Mr. Majestic (I. Dassanayake), Saddam Iqbal (J), S.D. Lalith (T) 6. Spark of Gold (Anura Delgoda), R. Selvaraj (J), V. Mathialagan (T) 7. Spearhead (Mr. & Mrs. Rienzie Edwards), Suraj Narredu (J), Suleiman Attollahi (T) 8. Third World (I. Dassanayake), P.M. Bopanna (J), S.D. Lalith (T) 9. Gazaki (Deepthika Jayakody), B. Mahesh (J), Ranjeet Shinde (T) Race 5: Queen’s Cup (10 Furlongs/ Thoroughbred Class II) 1. Ice Mint (I. Dassanayake), Saddam Iqbal (J), S.D. Lalith (T) 2. India Epic (Hasanga Jayaratne), R. Selvaraj (J), V. Mathianagan (T) 3. Storm Ahead (I. Dassanayake), P.M. Bopanna (J), S.D. Lalith (T) 4. Altira (Nishara Jayaratne), Melvyn Maseyk (J), Ranjeet Shinde (T) 5. Arabian Gold (Mr. & Mrs. Rienzie Edwards), Suraj Narredu (J), Ranjeet Shinde (T) 6. Enchantment (Hasanga Jayaratne), K. Anil (J), Mohammed Sajid (T) 7. Pride of Ash (Anita Dorai & Ashritha Dorai), V.R. Jagadeesh (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 8. Sussex Downs (Mr. & Mrs. Rienzie Edwards), B. Mahesh (J), Ranjeet Shinde (T). Race 6: Grand Hotel Cup (5 Furlongs/Sri Lankan ¾ Bred) 1. Airborne II (Jayaratne Stud & Agricultural Farms), V. Yograj (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 2. Legasi (Ananda Bandara), S. Pradeep (J), Jayantha Wijesinghe (T) 3. Re Birth (Mrs. Renuka), S. Suganthan (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 4. Wildfire (Jayaratne Stud & Agricultural Farms), M. Mohanraj (J), Sridher Selvaratna J) Race 7: Janashakthi Cup (5 Furlongs/Sri Lankan ½ Bred) 1. Arundathi (Mr. Periyasamy), V. Vogaraj (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 2. Kangaroo Princess (Mr. Dhanaraj), M. Mohanraj (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 3. Silver Right (Ananda Bandara), S. Pradeep (J), Jayantha Wijesinghe (T) 4. Black Stallion (Mrs. Wasanthi), S. Niranjan (J), Sridher Selvaratnam (T) 5. Rock and Rolls (Anura Delgoda), S. Sanjeewan (J), V. Mathialagan (T) (J-Jockey, T-Trainer) |