<p>Bengaluru: That Jamari would win the Winter Derby was a foregone conclusion. She did. That Madam Rich would finish a close second at the Bangalore Turf Club on Friday wasn't. She did. </p>.<p>In the midst of all chaos which typifies the venue on the day of a Derby, a race which was supposed to play out in cohesion with the odds, didn't. Well, not entirely at least.</p>.<p>Jamari, the Mumbai-based filly in a love affair with BTC over the years, extended her dominance by winning her fourth Classic here. One of those Classics happened to be the Summer Derby, and this was the perfect accoutrement to that burgeoning trophy cabinet. </p>.<p>That said, it was not as straightforward as P Trevor would have hoped to be. The expert jockey found himself in a bit of a fix after exiting the gates as the others tried to box the young filly in. </p>.<p>Jamari, who rarely looked perturbed during the walk-in or during the gate-loading process, showed the same level of calm in the face of the challenge. </p>.<p>Trevor let the race come to him, and Jamari fed off of that energy to ease into the 2400-metre endurance tester.</p>.<p>Slowly, though, she found her way out of the muddle and hung behind Something Royal, and in front of Fast Pace.</p>.<p>Tehani, the filly best expected to push Jamari, was stuck in a jam of sorts and by the time she veered away from it and took the outside lane, it was too late for her. </p>.<p>A similar strategy was adopted by S Saqlain astride Madam Rich, but there was more wiggle room for him to execute this maneuver. And so he got away from the pack - drafting be damned - and the filly had Jamari in her sights. </p>.<p>By now, Jamari had taken up the lead role in the race. Clearly, she had the lungs to push when it mattered. It was a concern Pesi Shroff alluded to earlier, but it was hardly so when the stage lights came on. </p>.<p>Something Royal's push, evidently, was premature as the filly started losing ground and fast. The same fate was met by Fast Pace. </p>.<p>With those two out of the way, Jamari's coast was clear, or so she thought until she sensed some unexpected movement on her far left. </p>.<p>Madam Rich was being ridden with the passion of a pursuer, and she got rather close to upstaging the favourite. But it's in Jamari's pedigree to close out. She did.</p>.<p>Madam Rich was feeling the effects of stretching herself thin as soon as the race was done, and Prana, the third-placed colt, was looking just as dazed.</p>.<p>Jamari, though, was a picture of poise even at the end as she was corralled by anyone and everyone who stand next to the horse which is going to earn the tag of being one of the best ever at the BTC. </p>.<p>And given the fickle position the Club finds itself in regarding the venue, she could well be the last one to achieve such a double-Derby-win feat here. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: That Jamari would win the Winter Derby was a foregone conclusion. She did. That Madam Rich would finish a close second at the Bangalore Turf Club on Friday wasn't. She did. </p>.<p>In the midst of all chaos which typifies the venue on the day of a Derby, a race which was supposed to play out in cohesion with the odds, didn't. Well, not entirely at least.</p>.<p>Jamari, the Mumbai-based filly in a love affair with BTC over the years, extended her dominance by winning her fourth Classic here. One of those Classics happened to be the Summer Derby, and this was the perfect accoutrement to that burgeoning trophy cabinet. </p>.<p>That said, it was not as straightforward as P Trevor would have hoped to be. The expert jockey found himself in a bit of a fix after exiting the gates as the others tried to box the young filly in. </p>.<p>Jamari, who rarely looked perturbed during the walk-in or during the gate-loading process, showed the same level of calm in the face of the challenge. </p>.<p>Trevor let the race come to him, and Jamari fed off of that energy to ease into the 2400-metre endurance tester.</p>.<p>Slowly, though, she found her way out of the muddle and hung behind Something Royal, and in front of Fast Pace.</p>.<p>Tehani, the filly best expected to push Jamari, was stuck in a jam of sorts and by the time she veered away from it and took the outside lane, it was too late for her. </p>.<p>A similar strategy was adopted by S Saqlain astride Madam Rich, but there was more wiggle room for him to execute this maneuver. And so he got away from the pack - drafting be damned - and the filly had Jamari in her sights. </p>.<p>By now, Jamari had taken up the lead role in the race. Clearly, she had the lungs to push when it mattered. It was a concern Pesi Shroff alluded to earlier, but it was hardly so when the stage lights came on. </p>.<p>Something Royal's push, evidently, was premature as the filly started losing ground and fast. The same fate was met by Fast Pace. </p>.<p>With those two out of the way, Jamari's coast was clear, or so she thought until she sensed some unexpected movement on her far left. </p>.<p>Madam Rich was being ridden with the passion of a pursuer, and she got rather close to upstaging the favourite. But it's in Jamari's pedigree to close out. She did.</p>.<p>Madam Rich was feeling the effects of stretching herself thin as soon as the race was done, and Prana, the third-placed colt, was looking just as dazed.</p>.<p>Jamari, though, was a picture of poise even at the end as she was corralled by anyone and everyone who stand next to the horse which is going to earn the tag of being one of the best ever at the BTC. </p>.<p>And given the fickle position the Club finds itself in regarding the venue, she could well be the last one to achieve such a double-Derby-win feat here. </p>