THE INVADER SHOCKS THE OPPOSITION IN THE BANGALORE 2000 GUINEAS, GR.2

When up against better bred horses and sterner opposition The Invader (Total Gallery-Dajolie) was totally neglected in the betting ring. His low rating was probably responsible for him not being considered a threat for the coveted prize. Unperturbed by these conditions, his trainer G Nityanand and jockey P Trevor had confidence that The Invader was in strong contention and had been well prepared for the task at hand. He had won over the 7f trip, had got exposure to the mile trip in preparation for the Manjri Stud Bangalore 2000 Guineas, Gr.2, even though he could not win that race.

In a field of nine runners, he was rated at 49, with the favourite Knotty Ash rated at 77. Another theory goes down in ashes, for his preparation and his heart took him to success. As the gates opened and the horses maneuvered round the first turn, it was the extremely well bred Sea Quest who took to the lead, followed by Psychic Force who was running a bit erratic with Knotty Ash on his outside. They were followed by Air Command and Valegro, behind them The Invader, Salvador Dali, Mr Handsome and last of all New Moon. Sea Quest continued to lead into the home stretch with Psychic Force and Knotty Ash getting ready to challenge the leader on either side. Valegro was set in motion three-wide with Mr Handsome, Salvador Dali, New Moon and The Invader in full throttle. Valegro was in the lead with The Invader in hot chase as they began to pull away. The Invader managed to get the better of Valegro and began to increase the distance when Mr Handsome came to challenge, but it was all over with The Invader passing the post 4 lengths ahead in victory. Valegro managed to hold on to third, 1¾ lengths away and a similar distance behind was New Moon in fourth. Timing for the race was 1:36.35secs.

A Classic in the kitty, the connections wished the top two colts well as they fought it out at Mahalaxmi, for if either one had remained in Bangalore for this Classic, victory might have just been a pipe dream. Glory was well earned, as The Invader fought it out well with horses that had more impressive reputations than himself. So, none of that mattered in the end.