Can Alcazaba complete a rare hat-trick?
Alcazaba completed a double last April and sits on a hat-trick
Alcazaba, the 9-year-old, seasoned mare owned by Deepthika Jayakody and Purni Edwards, will be eying a rare hat-trick at the Royal Turf Club (RTC) Governor’s Cup 2019, on Monday (15), at the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse. Alcazaba was rested for the RTC Spring & Summer Raceday Cup on March 31, on medical advice, but has been included in the lineup of 12 Class 1 thoroughbred horses for the 1600-metre race.
Referred to as the ‘Queen of Nuwara Eliya’, Alcazaba, however, will not be given easy access to equal the feat by ‘Ludo’, who claimed a hat-trick in 1898, 1899 and 1900. Ludo was guided to the hat-trick by Payne Gallwey, who incidentally owned the horse in partnership with Arthur Gallwey, while Indian jockey Irvan Singh, guided by trainer S.D. Mahesh, will ride Alcazaba, who has remained unbeaten over the past few seasons.
Joining from the same stable will be Silver Streak ridden by S.D. Janaka, but the real threat will be Spirited Touch, owned by Fearless Stables and ridden by jockey Aneel, with S.V. Mathialagan as the trainer. The stable will unleash their second challenger Chul Bul Panday, but Parushram owned by David Anthony and ridden by Ajeet Kumar, could pose a greater threat to the bunch.
Santos, owned by Purni Edwards and ridden by Nikhil Parmar, claimed a thriller after a photo-finish on March 31 against Baashagar, owned by Gamini Jayaratne. It has the potential to create an upset. Baashagar too would be eager to finish off this important race in style, as redemption of what it missed a fortnight ago.
Albertino, ridden by R.P. Shinde is the second challenger to represent the Jayaratne Stables, as Another Ace, owned by Manishraj Sethi, Hasanga Jayaratne and Ranbir Singh and ridden by A. Ajinkya, has gained attention like never before from other contenders. Areca Wonder, owned by David Anthony and ridden by S. Suganthan, has had a good record in the recent past, as Brilliant Cut, owned by Ajantha de Soyza and ridden by Mohan Raj and Carlton, owned by Anita Dorai and K. Sanjeewan. The 12 runners will cover 1600 metres for the coveted RTC Governor’s Cup, which is scheduled as the 5th and final race at 1.20 pm, of an exciting day.
Prior to the main race, at 12.45pm, the RTC Queen’s Cup will be run with 5 Class 2 horses, covering a distance of 2000 metres. The runners lined up for the second most anticipated race of the day are, namely Roswald, Star Scholar, Stormont, Celestial Fire and Star Ace.
The Class 4, 1400-metre race for the Sporting Star Challenge Cup will have 5 runners — Tuscano, Torpedo, Honourious, Night King and Legal Legecy, while the 1600-metres Mayor’s Cup for Class 3 horses will be a challenge among 6 runners, namely Olive, Glittering, Bouquet, Vigorous, Maracana and Charming Grey.
The RTC Governor’s Cup Raceday will kick off at 10.45 am with the 1070-metres Class 5 race for the Emanuel Woehrl Memorial Trophy, for which 11 runners are in line, namely Crimson Quest, Zulu Fantasy, Krabi, Scarlet Prince, Waiting for Glory, Miss Ivory, Goldie Girl, Aries, Cosmopolitan, Salsa Dancer and Tender Mist.
In addition to the 5 exciting races, the RTC has lined up exciting activities, including entertainment, competitions for spectators and an eventful day for holidaymakers visiting Nuwara Eliya for the April season.
Following the Raceday, the RTC Magic Million Cup will be held on April 21, where winners are expected to walk away with grand prizes. The RTC events for the Holiday Season are sponsored by Colombo Hilton, Blackpool Hotel Nuwara Eliya, Alpine Hotel, The Hill Club, Red FM, Mosh and Chereux.