ALEXANDRIA Strikes Smartly in The Raza Ali Plate at Mumbai

The opening Mumbai race result 12 February set the tone for an absorbing afternoon as ALEXANDRIA produced a polished front-running display to land Race No.1, The Raza Ali Plate, at 2:30 PM on Thursday. Run over 1400 metres, the Class V handicap for Indian horses rated 1 to 26 saw the Altamaash A. Ahmed-trained mare assert her authority in 1:24:780. Sporting the colours of Mr Gaurav Sethi, Mr K H Vachha, Mr Shantanu Sharma & Mr Vishal K Doctor rep Deciding Factor LLP, ALEXANDRIA justified strong support with a decisive and well-measured victory under S. Siddharth.

Breaking alertly from the gates, ALEXANDRIA quickly secured a prominent position, travelling comfortably just off the early pace before taking command approaching the home turn. Siddharth rode with confidence, timing his challenge to perfection as the field straightened for the final run-in. Once asked to quicken, the mare lengthened her stride impressively, putting daylight between herself and her pursuers inside the final furlong. It was a performance built on tactical awareness and a telling turn of foot at the business end.

LUMINOSITY, ridden by Bharat Singh for trainer Nirad Karanjawala, chased gamely and finished second after attempting to bridge the gap late on, while WE STILL BELIEVE (J: B. Nikhil, T: S. Waheed) stayed on steadily to claim third. The margins told the story of a competitive handicap, though the winner always appeared to have matters under control once she struck the front.

With the curtain-raiser complete, attention now shifts to The M. D. Mehta Trophy at 3:00 PM, where the tempo of the Mumbai meeting is expected to rise another notch.