Horse racing: Top jockeys hog limelight

Trevor Patel and Sandesh, the two ace jockeys who are locked in a fierce battle for the Mumbai championship crown, won two races each during the six-race Sunday card at the Mahalaxmi racetrack. Presently, Sandesh has a narrow lead of only two points over Trevor in the championship tally.

Mixed success
Trevor Patel opened the day's proceedings with a comfortable two-length victory for the Faisal Abbas-trained Cormorant over the Sandesh-ridden Dance The Dream to win the Manyatta Plate for four-year-old class IV horses, but thereafter failed to earn even place money for his next three mounts.

However, in the last race, the upper division of the Sprint Star Plate, he gave a copybook ride to the Vishal Gaikwad-trained Night Hunt who, racing as a hot, popular choice, outclassed his rivals to win by three lengths.

Vigorous ride
Sandesh, on the other hand, bagged the J D & Peggy Banatwalla Trophy, the day's feature event with favourite Mishka's Pride who surprisingly needed rather vigorous handling by the top jockey to justify her on-money status. Mishka's Pride was trained by Imtiaz Sait.

The feature race winner gave Sandesh a back-to-back double as in the earlier race he had powered the Adhirajsingh Jodha-schooled His Master's Vice to an easy victory over Romanesque (Neeraj Rawal up).

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