It was the day of the chestnut mare ‘Alcazaba’
Alcazaba, the cover girl in local horse racing came from behind to clinch the RTC Governor's Cup for yet another year - Pic by Shanuka Aravinda
Keeping her continuous winning spree intact, ‘Alcazaba’, the chestnut mare, who earned the title ‘Queen of Nuwara Eliya’, clinched the RTC Governor’s Cup 2018 in style at the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse yesterday.
The 1400metre race had all the excitement that horse racing could offer with 12 runners bidding for the century old coveted trophy. Owned by Deepthika Jayakody and Purni Edwards, Indian jockey Kuldeep Singh guided ‘Alcazaba’ from behind to gradually gain momentum in finish off with a clear distance from close challengers ‘Meheran’ and ‘Charlemagne’.
Officials had to put a great effort to push in ‘Charlemagne’ into the starter, which indicated that it was all ready to push for the win. The eventual winner ‘Alcazaba’ was nowhere in the front bunch as ‘Meheran’ took over the lead from ‘Charlemagne’ after the halfway mark.
‘Alcazaba’s’ winning spree was at stake with just 600metres left in the all-important Governor’s Cup race, and her gradual advance from the outer stretch was unseen by the other runners. ‘Meheran’ was visibly reaching the winning post but to the delight of many, ‘Alcazaba’ took the lead with almost a furlong left in the race and finished off with a clear lead.
Just as a fortnight ago at the ‘RTC-SriLankan Airlines Magic Million Cup’ race, ‘Meheran’, ridden by Imran Khan and owned by Hasanga Jayaratne, had to settle in at second place while Praveen Shinde guided ‘Charlemagne’, owned by James Mathews, to prove its worth with a gallant effort to claim the third slot.
“Alcazaba virtually gallops on her own, which makes the task of the jockey very easy. I have ridden her so many times and I could rate her as the best filly existing out of the current lot. The beginning was tough, but as I said earlier ‘Alcazaba’ is used to this kind of race and length and she knows how to finish off with a win. It was a wonderful race at the end and winning out of 12 runners is a great feat, despite the condition and the day,” winning jockey Kuldeep Singh told the Sunday Times after the race.
Out of the owners Hasanga Jayarante emerged as one of the successful with two wins and two second places in four appearances. Jayaratne’s ‘Another Ace’ ridden by Imran Khan, won the RTC Queen’s Cup 2018, a 2000m race and the Grand Hotel Cup, a Class 5 1400metre race, after Praveen Shinde guided ‘Waiting for Glory’ to an exciting win. Jayaratne’s Class 5 horse, Scarlet Prince’ ridden by Imran Khan was placed second in the DailyMirror Cup, a 1400metre race, which was won by ‘Krabi’ ridden by Frenchman Charles Perkins and owned by Dhanawardene Guruge.
The Edwards had success with place finishes in two races besides their triumph at the RTC-Governor’s Cup 2018. Mr and Mrs Rienzie Edwards’ ‘Gazaki’ was placed second to ‘Go Green’, ridden by A. Ramu and owned by David Anthony, that won the second race of the day, the Mayor’s Cup.
The Royal Turf Club finishes off its Spring Season races with the completion of yesterday’s mega race, which was sponsored by Edwards Collection.
Results:
Race 1: DailyMirror Cup – 1400m for Class 5 Handicap horses
1: Krabi (Charles Perkins/Dhanawardene Guruge)
2: Scarlet Prince (Imran Khan/Hasanga Jayaratne)
3: Stormy Petrel (Ravi Kumar/James Mathews)
Race 2: Mayor’s Cup – 1400m for Class 3 and 4 Handicap horses
1: Go Green (A. Ramu/David Anthony)
2: Gazaki (Charles Perkins/Mr and Mrs Rienzie Edwards)
3: Torpedo (Praveen Shinde/Anura Delgoda)
Race 3: RTC Queen’s Cup – 2000m for 6-year-olds and over horses
1: Another Ace (Imran Khan/Hasanga Jayaratne)
2: Celestial Fire (A. Vishwanath/Fearless Stables)
3: Colorato (Kuldeep Singh/Mr and Mrs Rienzie Edwards)
Race 4: RTC Governor’s Cup – 1400m for 6-year-olds and over horses
1: Alcazaba (Kuldeep Singh/Deepthika Jayakody and Purni Edwards)
2: Meheran (Imran Khan/Hasanga Jayaratne)
3: Charlemagne (Praveen Shinde/James Mathews)
Race 5: Grand Hotel Cup — 1400m for Class 5 Handicap horses
1: Waiting for Glory (Praveen Shinde/Hasanga Jayaratne)
2: Cosmopolitan (A. Vishwanath/Anuka Soza)
3: Miss Ivory (Ravi Kumar/David Anthony)