Another Ace claims RTC Governor’s Cup, Royal Crystal wins Queen’s Cup
View(s):RTC Governor’s Cup 2023 powered by Nippon Paint
Another Ace with jockey K. Sai Kiran up, survived the challenge from a competitive field to snatch the RTC Governor’s Cup powered by Nippon Paint, while Royal Crystal, ridden by jockey Nikhil Parmar claimed the Queen’s Cup, as Sri Lanka’s blue riband horseracing event concluded in a grand manner at the Racecourse in Nuwara Eliya this weekend.
Continuing its winning form from the last raceday, Another Ace, with the winning connection of jockey K. Sai Kiran, trainer S.V. Mathialagan and owner Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne won the prestigious RTC Governor’s Cup powered by Nippon Paint.
Minister of Tourism and Land, Mr. Harin Fernando, presenting the RTC Queen's Cup powered by Nippon Paint to the winning combination of Royal Crystal - jockey Nikhil Parmar, trainer S.D. Mahesh and owner Mrs.Poorni Edwards of the Edwards Stables
The start was exciting and enthralling, as all runners were locked on a spread field in the terms race for horses rated above 60 run on a distance of 1600 metres. But as the race progressed, the battle became a four-way affair between Mauritania, Legendary Princess, Western Wind and Another Ace, who eventually triumphed with a close finish.
Stablemate Western Wind, ridden by K. Vivek, trained by S.V. Mathialagan and owned by Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne and Mrs. Paba Jayaratne, finished close at second. Legendary Princess, ridden by Nikhil Parmar, trained by S.D. Mahesh and owned by Mrs. Dagmar Woehrl, completed close behind at third, pushing back Mauritania, ridden by P. Ajeeth Kumar, trained by S.D. Mahesh and owned by Edwards Stables to fourth.
Royal Crystal with jockey Nikhil Parmar up finishing ahead of Here and Now to win the RTC Queen's Cup
This win recorded by the Jayaratne Stables, marks the sixth Governor’s Cup title in their 24-year horseracing journey. Founded in 1999, Jayaratne Stables has been one of the formidable players in the industry since its inception. The passion for horseracing commenced when Mr. Gamini Jayaratne, the founder of the stables, and his son Hasanga attended a race in April 1999 and were immediately captivated by the sport. From there, they have invested in the industry, including bringing down the first starting stalls to Sri Lanka in 2004, after facing difficulties with unfair starts.
Jayaratne Stables, headed by Gamini Jayaratne in the early 2000’s has been a strength for horseracing in Sri Lanka, even at a time when many had given up on the sport. Jayaratne Stables won their first Governor’s Cup with the horse ‘Crowning Star’, ridden by jockey Sharat Kumar. They rcorded back-to-back victories in 2011 and 2012 with Café Coffee, and then again in 2014 with Atlantus. In 2021, Western Wind, ridden by Indian jockey K. Vivek, brought victory over the distance of 1800m, beating previous winners of the Governor’s Cup.
Another Ace, the recent winner of the Governor’s Cup, has previously won the Queen’s Cup three times in 2018, 2021, and 2022, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most exclusive races run over a challenging distance of 2000m. Hasanga Jayaratne now oversees the entire horse racing operation.
In the opening event of the day, oyal Crystal proved that it is destined to become the next champion in line at the Nuwara Eliya Racecourse, with a start-to-finish run to claim the RTC Queen’s Cup, powered by Nippon Paint in the Terms Race for horses rated above 60, with a distance of 2000 metres.
Experienced Indian jockey Nikhil Parmar proved his might by making a fine start to take an early lead, which was held right throughout the entire 2000 metre run. Royal Crystal, owned by the Edwards Stables, was trained by S.D. Mahesh.
Trainer S.D. Mahesh had a top three finish with Here and Now, with local jockey L. Ravi Kumar up, coming in at second and Cosmic Feeling, ridden by P. Ajeeth Kumar and owned by S.L.N. Infrastructures finishing at third.
Admiral Nelson, ridden by Indian jockey K. Vivek and trained by S.V. Mathialagan, won the Sporting Times Challenge Trophy, in the handicap race for horses rated 20 to 45 with a distance of 1400 metres.
Glittering, ridden by local jockey L. Ravi Kumar and trained by S.D. Mahesh took an early lead right from the takeoff, but halfway through the two runners of Jayaratne Stables – Street Cat and Admiral Nelson – advanced pace to challenge the leader.
By the final 400 metres, the competition became fierce with Krabi making a late charge, but Admiral Nelson crossed the winning post giving Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne and Mrs. Paba Jayaratne their first win of the day. Street Cat, ridden by K. Sai Kiran, trained by Prasanna Niroshan and owned by Mr. Gamini Jayaratne and Mr. J.R.S. Irugalbandara, finished close at second while Krabi, ridden by N.S. Parmar, trained by S.D. Mahesh and owned by Edwards Stables, finished third.
In the second event, local jockey L. Ravi Kumar, trained by S.D. Mahesh and owned by Mrs. Dagmar Woehrl, made a brilliant late surge to outrun the rest and win the Sporting Star Challenge Trophy, the handicap race of 1070 metres for horses rated 41 to 61.
Vigorous, with jockey G. Pugan up and trained by Jayantha Wijesinghe, led the initial stages but during the final straight the battle was clearly between Queen’s Hall, Crack of Dawn and Godsword. However local star L. Ravi Kumar used his experience to guide Crack of Dawn ahead of the rest and record a stunning win, to claim his fifth win in 11 runs.
Queen’s Hall, ridden by K. Sai Kiran, trained by S.V. Mathialagan and owned by Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne and Mrs. Paba Jayaratne finished almost two lengths behind at second, while Godsword, ridden by P. Ajeeth Kumar, trained by S.D. Mahesh, and owned by Edwards Stables finished at third.
In the final event of the day, Fancy Face, with jockey M. Isahan up, claimed the Nippon Super Challenge Cup, the terms race with penalties for 3/4 breed horses run on a distance of 1000 metres. Trained by Prasanna Niroshan and owned by Mr. Naveen Madawa and Mr. Sanjaya Kumarasinghe, Fancy Face outrun the rest to record a win by almost three lengths ahead of Malee and Crown Fried.
Another Ace with jockey K. Sai Kiran up, going ahead of Western Wind and Legendary Princess to win the RTC Goernor's Cup powered by Nippon Paint
Malee, who finished second, was ridden by G. Pugan, trained by Jayantha Wijesinghe and owned by Mr. R.M.A. Jayatissa. Ridden by H. Siva Kumar and trained by Prasanna Niroshan, the third placed Crown Fried is owned by Mr. Niranji Sivakumar.
Local jockey L. Ravi Kumar won the award for the Best Jockey of the Season after his impressive record in the ongoing season. He had won five times, placed second four times and was placed third once after a total run of 12 starts in four outings.
The winning combination of Another Ace - jockey K. Sai Kiran, trainer S.V. Mathialagan and owner Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne
S.D. Mahesh was named the Best Trainer of the Season with a record of 10 wins, nine second places and 10 third places after 42 starts. The award for the Best Stable of the Season was won by the Edwards Stables, who had many wins and placings after the completion of four racedays.
The RTC Governor’s Cup 2023 was sponsored by Nippon Paint, while Edwards Collection Luxury Boutique Villas are the season sponsors of the RTC VisitSriLanka Horseracing Season 2023, including Sri Lanka’s most prestigious event. Minister of Tourism and Land, Mr. Harin Fernando graced the occasion as the chief guest, while Parliamentarian Mr. Dayasiri Jayasekara and Mr. Nemantha Abeyratne, the General Manager of Nippon Paint, joined in as special guests.
Royal Turf Club will conclude its RTC VisitSriLanka Horseracing Season 2023 with the running of the RTC Magic Million Cup Raceday on April 23rd, Sunday at the legendary Racecourse in Nuwara Eliya.
Results
The Sporting Times Challenge Trophy
(Horses rated 20 to 45 Handicap – Distance 1400m)
1: Admiral Nelson (K. Vivek/S.V. Mathialagan/Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne and Mrs. Paba Jayaratne)
2: Street Cat (K. Sai Kiran/L.M. Prasanna Niroshan/Mr. Gamini Jayaratne and Mr. J.R.S. Irugalbandara)
3: Krabi (Nikhil Parmar/S.D. Mahesh/Edwards Stables)
The Sporting Star Challenge Trophy
(Horses rated 41 to 61 Handicap – Distance 1070m)
1: Crack of Dawn (L. Ravi Kumar/S.D. Mahesh/Mrs. Dagmar Woehrl)
2: Queen’s Hall (K. Sai Kiran/S.V. Mathialagan/Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne and Mrs. Paba Jayaratne)
3: Godsword (P. Ajeeth Kumar/S.D. Mahesh/Edwards Stables)
The RTC Queen’s Cup powered by Nippon Paint
(Terms race for horses rated above 60 – Distance 2000m)
1: Royal Crystal (Nikhil Parmar/S.D. Mahesh/Edwards Stables)
2: Here and Now (L. Ravi Kumar/S.D. Mahesh/Mr. S.N. Harish)
3: Cosmic Feeling (P. Ajeeth Kumar/S.D. Mahesh/S.L.N. Infrastructures)
The RTC Governor’s Cup powered by Nippon Paint
(Terms race for horses above 60 – Distance 1600m)
1: Another Ace (K. Sai Kiran/S.V. Mathioalangan/Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne)
2: Western Wind (K. Vivek/S.V. Mathialagan/Mr. Hasanga Jayaratne and Mrs. Paba Jayaratne)
3: Legendary Princess (Nikhil Parmar/S.D. Mahesh/Mrs. Dagmar Woehrl)
The Nippon Super Challenge Cup
(Terms race with penalties for 3/4 breed horses – 1000m)
1: Fancy Face (M. Isahan/L.M. Prasanna Niroshan/Mr. Naveen Madawa and Mr. Sanjaya Kumarasinghe)
2: Malee (G. Pugan/Jayantha Wijesinghe/Mr. R.M.A. Jayatissa)
3: Crown Fried (H. Siva Kumar/L.M. Prasanna Niroshan/Mr. Niranji Sivakumar)