With another quality afternoon of flat racing on the calendar, the prestigious Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) will welcome horses, trainers and jockeys for a competitive nine-race programme on Friday, 31 July. Racing will begin at 1:00 PM and continue through to 5:00 PM, featuring contests across Class I, Class IV and Class V company. The afternoon will be highlighted by the Zavaray S. Poonawalla Bangalore St. Leger, while a balanced supporting card will include maiden, handicap and sprint events with prize money ranging from Rs.4,50,000 to Rs.25,00,000.
Bangalore Race Cards 31 July
The afternoon will begin with The Champion Trainer Trophy Div II at 1:00 PM. The opening Class V contest for horses rated 00 to 25 will be run over 1600 metres and will carry total prize money of Rs.4,50,000. The mile event will provide the first opportunity for lower-rated runners to make an early impression on the day’s programme, with several improving performers expected to contest the opening race.
Attention will then shift to The Champion Jockey Cup Div III, scheduled for 1:30 PM. Run over 1200 metres, the Class IV sprint for horses rated 20 to 45 will offer a purse of Rs.5,10,000. The race will bring together a competitive group of sprinters, with the sharp six-furlong trip expected to reward speed, consistency and a strong finish.
The programme will continue with The Champion Trainer Trophy Div I at 2:00 PM. Another Class V event for horses rated 00 to 25, the contest will be run over 1600 metres with total prize money of Rs.4,50,000. The race will provide another valuable opportunity for progressive handicap performers to make their mark over the mile distance.
Midway through the afternoon, The Racing Officials Cup will take centre stage at 2:30 PM. The 1400-metre Class IV handicap for horses rated 20 to 45 will carry a total stake of Rs.5,10,000 and is expected to produce another closely contested race. The combination of distance and class conditions should ensure an evenly matched contest among experienced campaigners.
One of the day’s principal supporting contests will be The Leading Stud Cup at 3:00 PM. Open to Class I horses rated 80 and above, the 1400-metre event will be worth Rs.11,00,000. The contest will showcase some of the highest-rated runners on the card and will provide an ideal lead-in to the afternoon’s feature race.
The highlight of the meeting will come in The Zavaray S. Poonawalla Bangalore St. Leger, scheduled for 3:30 PM. The prestigious staying contest for horses aged four years and above will be contested over 2800 metres and will carry total prize money of Rs.25,00,000. The expected field will include Duke of Tuscany (Vivek G.), DYF (Yash Narredu), Golden Thunder (C. Umesh), Ramiel (Antony Raj S.), Redefined (Akshay Kumar), Victor Hugo (L. Alex Rozario), Gold Empire (Darshan R.N.), Pyrite (Neeraj Rawal), Star of Night (B. R. Kumar) and Caccini (P. Trevor). With an accomplished field of stayers set to line up, the feature race will provide the centrepiece of Friday’s programme and one of the most significant contests of the Bangalore season.
Following the feature race, The Karnataka Governor’s Trophy will be staged at 4:00 PM. The 1600-metre maiden contest for three-year-old horses will carry total prize money of Rs.11,00,000 and will provide lightly raced runners with an excellent opportunity to register their first career success against rivals of similar experience.
The penultimate event on the card will be The Champion Jockey Cup Div I at 4:30 PM. The 1200-metre Class IV sprint for horses rated 20 to 45 will offer Rs.5,10,000 in prize money and is expected to attract another evenly matched field as the meeting moves into its closing stages.
The meeting will conclude with The Champion Jockey Cup Div II at 5:00 PM. Also run over 1200 metres for Class IV horses rated 20 to 45, the closing contest will carry a total purse of Rs.5,10,000. The final race will provide one last competitive opportunity for horses and connections before Friday’s programme comes to a close.
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