Alcazaba Queen of ‘Little England’
'Alcazaba' (8) pips 'Meheran' (in the background) to win the SriLankan Airlines-RTC Magic Million Trophy - Pix courtesy RTC
Alcazaba’, pinup girl of the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse, kept her date with the SriLankan Airlines-RTC Magic Million last Sunday in ‘Little England’. But this time, the darling of the local turf, owned by Deepthika Jayakody and Purni Edwards, had to really produce magic to conjure up a hard fought victory.
National Carrier SriLankan Airlines could not have asked for a better way to wing into the Horse-racing scene, as corporate sponsors of the season’s richest Horse-race- the ‘SriLankan Airlines-RTC Magic Million’.
The crowds that thronged the Racecourse were on their feet, as the 8-year-old chestnut mare ‘Alcazaba’, ridden by Irvan Singh, fought it out against the 7-year-old bay gelding ‘Meheran’, ridden by Imran Khan, in an epic battle, the likes of which the picturesque Nuwara Eliya has not seen.
“I always make sure to interact with the horse I ride, and ‘Alcazaba’ is one of the tamest runners I have come across. She is a darling in the stables and a fierce fighter on the track. I have been associated with ‘Alcazaba’ for some years now, and we have that bond that makes a race easy to finish,” the soft spoken Indian jockey, Irvan Singh said after the gallant win.
David Anthony receiving the Shivantha Thambiayah Memorial Trophy after his horse 'Areca Wonder' stole the show
After 1,800 metres, on a soft track, a mere neck was all that separated the pair and, while the mare managed to prevail, ‘Meheran’, owned by Hasanga Jayaratne, was gallant in defeat. ‘Celestial Fire’, owned by Fearless Stables and ridden by A. Vishwanath, finished 3rd.
“The track was soft, unlike other days I have competed earlier, probably due to overnight rain. But ‘Alcazaba’, being a champion horse, made sure she completed the 1,800-metre course victorious. I did what I do normally as a jockey, and the understanding I have with the mare made the victory a special one,” Singh added.
It was a colourful day at the Royal Turf Club (RTC) as New Year revellers enjoyed the sunshine, and a card of 6 Horse-races gave both purists and the novices a day to remember. The Shivantha Thambiayah Memorial Magic Million was the other major attraction on the cards, and this too, produced a real scorcher. A 10-Horse field whittled down to 8, after two horses were withdrawn on veterinary grounds. But the race still produced a thrilling finish, with the 6-year-old ‘Areca Wonder’ owned by David Anthony and ridden by A. Ramu, led from start to finish, over the 1800-metre circuit, to peg back ‘Charlemagne’, who came with raking strides, but found the winning post so close but yet so far. ‘Charlemagne’, owned by Praveen Shinde, was ridden by James Mathew. Jockey S. Suganthan rode ‘Aventus’, owned by J.R. Irugalbandara, to 3rd place.
The day started off with the Sunday Times Cup, a 1,000-metre race for the Half-bred Handicaps, which was won by ‘City Shot’ ridden by L. Ravi Kumar and owned by M. Loganathan. ‘Sarura Boy’, ridden by S. Pradeep and owned by Sudaghar followed after a limp, while ‘Arundathi’ ridden by K. Sanjeewan and owned by Periya Swamy, finished a close 3rd.
Purni Edwards, owner of 'Alcazaba' receiving the SriLankan Airlines-RTC Magic Million Trophy
Frenchman Charles Perkins made a memorable debut at Nuwara Eliya, by riding ‘Krabi’ to victory in the 1,400-metre Class 5 Handicap Race for the Dedigama Group Challenge Cup. Perkins, an experienced jockey who has competed in racecourses worlwide, showed his professionalism by coming from behind to lead the Dhanawardene Guruge owned horse.
“It was a wonderful experience to earn a debut win. The track can be rated as international standard, though it was softer on the day. I have ridden on tracks in France, Australia, Hong Kong and in other parts of the world, and the racecourse here is second to none in the world. I definitely would look forward to record more wins in the coming races,” Perkins, who was slotted in 4 of the 6 races of the day, stated.
‘Krabi’ beat ‘Zulu Fantasy’, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Edwards and ridden by L. Dayalan to 2nd place and ‘Waiting for Glory’, owned by Hasanga Jayaratne and ridden by K. Sanjeewan, to 3rd place.
The Sporting Times Cup, a 1,400-metres for Class 4 Handicaps race, was clinched by ‘Another Ace’ ridden by Imran Khan and owned by Hasanga Jayaratne. Jockey Khan proved his ability as a professional competitor in the race to follow, by almost taking ‘Meheran’ closer to a mega win, and here he outsmarted Anura Delgoda’s ‘Torpedo’, ridden by Praveen Shinde, to 2nd and ‘Honourious’ owned by Fearless Stables and ridden by A. Vishwanath, to 3rd.
Jockey Vishwanath, who was craving for a win, finally got his moment of joy by guiding ‘Spirited Touch’, owned by Fearless Stables, in the 1400-metre Sporting Star Cup for Class 3 Handicaps. French jockey Perkins finished 2nd on ‘Gazaki’, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, while ‘Charming Grey’ ridden by Dinesh and owned by Deepthika Jayakody, came in 3rd.
The RTC will wind up its April Holiday Season Racedays with The Governors Cup, next Saturday (28) at the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse.