The Indian Turf Invitation Cup (Grade I) race here at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club on Sunday followed the path of the Indian Derby held last month in Mumbai, throwing up a surprise winner from a star-studded field.
Dark horse Tintinnabulation, ridden by PS Chouhan and trained by Deshmukh, lived up to its giant-killing prowess, scoring a splendid victory in the 2400-metre long race to bring joy on the Hyderabad camp that had pinned its hopes heavily on the gelding. Tintinnabulation and it connections were richer by Rs one crore.
The prestigious Invitation Cup triumph earned the gelding Champion Of Champions tag.
Chouhan also astride Tintinnabulation to victory in the Golconda Derby Stakes (Grade I) at the start of the year.
Having finished second in the Calcutta Derby Stakes in mid-January, the four-year-old used its experience of the track to the hilt, finishing a commanding length and a half ahead of Ocean And Beyond (I Chisty up) in a time of 2:30.06.
Onassis, piloted by S Zervan, came in third, a short head behind Ocean And Beyond, while Dandified finished fourth. It was a tremendous show by Tintinnabulation, with its burst of speed in the final stages proving too much for its rivals. It also scored a point for the four-year-old horses by finishing ahead of older horses.
Fancied Toroloco and Super Storm -- both Bangalore horses -- sadly came a cropper.
Toroloco (P Mulrennan astride) could only manage a seventh place finish while Indian Derby winner Super Storm failed to get going from the beginning, ending a spot behind Toroloco.
The results: 1. Hoverplane Cup (Div II) 1200M: Alacrity (I Chisty) 1; Hurricane Andrew (C Henrique) 2; Piaffe (P Kamlesh) 3; Rappadan Glory (David Allan) 4; WB: 1-1/2, 1-1/4, 2-3/4L; T: 1:13.56; TB: Vikash J; Fav: Piaffe.
2. Sans Craintes Cup 1200M: Cynosure (B Sreekanth) 1; Luck Luck Lucky (Dashrath S) 2; Conquest (I Chisty) 3; Self Directed (Shailesh) 4; WB: 3-1/4, 1/2, 3/4L; T: 1:13.11; TB: D David; Fav: Cynosure.
3. Hoverplane Cup (Div I) 1200M: Secret Gloss (Vikas Tamang) 1; Fankaar (Mohit Singh) 2; Ijlal (Zarar Alam) 3; Don Magnifico (Md Azharuddin) 4; WB: 2, 2, Nk; T: 1:14.16; TB: Bath; Fav: Fankaar.
4. Rohan Lifescapes Cup 1600M: Rembrandt (B Sreekanth) 1; Combined Operation (Dashrath S) 2; Stiling Veil (C Alford) 3; Classical Romance (A Sandesh) 4; WB: 1/2, 2-1/4, 1/2L; T: 1:41.07; TB: D David; Fav: Rembrandt.
5. In The Spotlight Cup 1200M: Wild Card (P Kamlesh) 1; Sreedhan (Shailesh) 2; Fireback (M Dwyer) 3; Iverness (R Hughes) 4; WB: Hd, Hd, 2L; T: 1:12.19; TB: A Doctor; Fav: Iverness.
6. Maj PK Mehra Memorial Super Mile Cup (Grade I) 1600M: Arktouros (C Alford) 1; Ranthambore (J Fortune) 2; Immense (S John) 3; Chase The Sun (David Allan) 4; WB: Nk, 3/4, 3/4L; T: 1:37.27; TB: Vijay Singh; Fav: Ranthambore.
7. Suresh Mahindra Multi-Million Trophy (Grade III) 1400M: Klipspringer (M Dwyer) 1; Plenipotent (PS Chouhan) 2; Optimus Prime (S John) 3; Sovetskaya (P Trevor) 4; WB: Lnk, 1-1/4, 2-1/2L; T: 1:23.45; TB: Padmanabhan; Fav: Klipspringer.
8. Indian Turf Invitation Cup (Grade I) 2400M: Tintinnabulation (PS Chouhan) 1; Ocean And Beyond (I Chisty) 2; Onassis (S Zervan) 3; Dandified (C Alford) 4; WB: 1-1/2, Shd, 1-1/2L; T: 2:30.06; TB: Deshmukh; Fav: Toroloco.
9. Sentouki Cup 1400M: Serena (P Trevor) 1; Snow Princess (M Dwyer) 2; Haddock (I Chisty) 3; Legends Order (VR DeSousa) 4; Not run: Incanto Bliss; WB: Snk, 2, Nk; T: 1;25.72; TB: Bharath Singh; Fav: Snow Princess.
Bangalore dividends: I race: Rs 94w, Rs 22, Rs 27, Rs 12p; Fc: Rs 292; Q: Rs 197; SHP: Rs 80; Tri: Rs 775 and Rs 240; Exp: Rs 4,042 and Rs 1,732.
II race: Rs 24w, Rs 13, Rs 89, Rs 41p; Fc: Rs 797; Q: Rs 759; SHP: Rs 357; Tri: Rs 2,045 and Rs 1,168; Tri: Rs 81,729 and Rs 35,026. III race: Rs 66w, Rs 22, Rs 12, Rs 22p; Fc: Rs 142; Q: Rs 50; SHP: Rs 42; Tri: Rs 403 and Rs 176; Exp: Rs 2,096 and Rs 793. IV race: Rs 35w, Rs 15, Rs 18, Rs 31p; Fc: Rs 149; Q: Rs 67; SHP: Rs 56; Tri: Rs 610 and Rs 216; Exp: Rs 3,910 and Rs 1,552.
V race: Rs 127w, Rs 32, Rs 60, Rs 39p; Fc: Rs 10,158; Q: Rs 789; SHP: Rs 212; Exp: Rs 1,07,096 and Rs 45,898.
VI race: Rs 92w, Rs 27, Rs 16, Rs 24p; Fc: Rs 280; Q: Rs 152; SHP: Rs 47; Tri: Rs 1,095 and Rs 594; Exp: Rs 3,109 and Rs 1,332. VII race: Rs 213w, Rs 48, Rs 21, Rs 18p; Fc: Rs 1,650; Q: Rs 637; SHP: Rs 61; Tri: Rs 5,897 and Rs 2,527; Exp: Rs 25,383 and Rs 43,514.
VIII race: Rs 116w, Rs 37, Rs 59, Rs 92p; Fc: Rs 4,536; Q: Rs 3,774; SHP: Rs 214. IX race: Rs 71w, Rs 24, Rs 14, Rs 20p; Fc: Rs 89; Q: Rs 55; SHP: Rs 45; Tri: Rs 344 and Rs 142; Exp: Rs 3,010 and Rs 1,967.
Jackpot: Rs 3,02,422 (c/o). Mini-jackpot: Rs 54,476 (c/o). I treble: Rs 1,122 (13). II treble: Rs 3,026 (7). III treble: Rs 45,012 (1). Tri: Rs 56,862 (c/o). Exp: Rs 1,64,885 (c/o).