Trainer Padmanabhan's Borsalino put up a heroic show on a soft track while cantering away with The Kingfisher Derby Bangalore (Grade I) on Sunday. He displayed great speed, as well as deep reserves of stamina, while dismissing his dozen rivals. The maturity with which he handled the going and revelled over the mile and a quarter ,are both hallmarks of a real champion. He deserved every accolade that he recieved after this smashing performance. Thirteen runners had accepted to start in this race. Since most of them had already raced against each other, it had the makings of a real potboiler. As he had won the Colts Championship, Deshmukh's Machiavellianism was the first choice of the punters. He had travelled wide for most of the way, and still managed to get up in time while finishing ahead of Shivalik Hero, Silver Birch, Borsalino and Hachiko. The fact that Machiavellianism had come from behind added to the lustre as it was felt that the extra quarter mile in the Derby was well within his compass. Since Shivalik Hero and Silver Birch had made early moves that day, it was felt that with a better timed run, either of them could turn the tables on their vanquisher. With heavy overnight showers, the Bangalore track was rendered soft. It somehow ensured that only a gutsy performer would be able to land this priceless trophy. Borsalino did more than that while pocketing the rich prize on offer. The colt, bred at the Kunigal Stud Farm ,gave his young partner the pleasure of winning the first classic in his short career.
