| Sports |
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| 'Court
of Appeal' grabs Governor's Cup As expected the crowd was there to make this event a success. They also enjoyed the many programmes that the sponsors and the organizers had arranged for the day. Added to that the weather gods were also grateful though at times it loked as if the rains would come down at any moment. Remnicense of a big horse racing event like the Royal Ascot or the Epsom Derby in England springs to mind with the gents and ladies attired in their Sunday best and sporting hats of different styles. The prizes too were handsome with a return air ticket to Hong Kong being offered to the lucky jockey who was going to be on board the winning horse. Of course the owners of the horses too were in the hunt for prestige to get their names etched in the Governor's Cup winning owners' list. There were the big names such as Dr. M.S. Noohu and Nigel Austin past winners of the Governor's Cup being challenged by some new and prospective owners. Prominent Indian jockey Aslam Kader who has won all the nine main classics in India and taking the Indian Derby on three occasions and the Calcutta Derby on five occasions was there too to give the local boys the much needed challenge along with his fellow jockeys R.B. Shinde and V. Gharat who rode the 2001 Governor's Cup winner. The locals had Ashok Kumar, V. Mathialagan, S.D. Mahesh and V. Punthiraj among the leading jockeys capable of warding off the challenge by the Indians. At the end of the day’s racing, trainer Anurath Abeyratne's stable finished on a high note with a back to back win which included the race of the day - the Governor's Cup (fourth race) and the fifth race. The stable completed a treble winning the last race for Malani Abeyratne (Anurath's wife). A happy Anurath speaking after the event stated that it is only three years since he had been involved with horses. A few years back he was only a spectator at these races. "It was L.S.B. Perera and Mrs. Shantha de Zoysa who got me into this sport," said Anurath. Proprietor of a company called Korean Spa which is situated in Panadura, Anurath says, his wife Malini is another ardent supporter and that he is greateful to his stable boys Morgan, Mathialagan, Selvaraja and others who have been working tirelessly. He has over ten horses in his stable. Now that he is producing winners he wants to bring in more horses. He also revealed some future plans where they hope to send a jockey and a trainer to India to study the finer points of horse racing. He further said that they are also making arrangements to put up another race course in the Colombo district, most probably in Battaramulla. This will be, specially for night races or evening meets as they have in England, Nad Al Sheba and the Abu Dhabi race courses. They have been promised a 105 acre land and are negotiating with the Urban Development Authority. He also said that at the moment everything is in place at the Nuwara Eliya race course the only shortcoming being a Automatic Starting Gate which is essential to start a horse event. This will also be fulfilled in the near future, he said. More confirmation regarding this issue was given by Peter Hill the CEO of the SriLankan Airlines when he mentioned after awarding the Governor's Cup that SriLankan Airlines will undertake the installation of starting stalls. The Governor's Cup racing programme for the day began with the 'Paris Cup' event where six horses lined up for the eight furlong race. Nuclear Power with S. Rajesh on board came off a clear two and half length winner from Battle Call. The second event which was the 'London Cup' sprint event saw S. Selvaratnam saddled Hi Gorgeous cruising through to an easy eight length winner which was his third win from stablemate Spending Spree. 'Tokyo Cup', the third event of the day run over a distance of seven furlongs, went to top weight Nicodamus ridden by Indian V. Gharat who won the race in the final furlong from Orange King. The Governor's Cup, the event that spectators were eagerly waiting to witness and run over nine furlongs, got off to a flying start with favourite Pickpocket ridden by R.B. Shinde from the Abeyratne's stable taking an early lead. He kept up the pace till the seventh furlong chased by pacemaker Court of Appeal from the same stables and ridden by V. Mathialagan. With one furlong to go Court of Appeal took the lead and maintained it to win by two lengths from Pickpocket followed by Crowning Star. The Abeyratne's pocketed the remaining two races which was for the 'Kochi Cup' on Singing Melody ridden by R. Selvaraj and the 'Frankfurt Cup' on Korean Dancer ridden by R.B. Shinde. Jockey V. Mathialagan was the lucky recipient of a return air ticket to Hong Kong. A special award was also presented to Rajan Sellamuttu by the horse owners association for a job well done. Results: Captains
on the chopping block Through ups and downs, the good times and the bad, the Jayasuriya/Whatmore combination weathered the storm for four years. In the end the test was stiff with tours to South Africa, Australia and then the World Cup in South Africa. To succeed through such rigorous tours players have to be technically sound for the conditions, totally disciplined, mentally very tough and physically absolutely fit. Sri Lanka fell short in all four departments by some distance. Experiences and lessons to be learnt from in the future. But, let us not forget that the team reached the semi final of a World Cup. Back to 1999 when only two Captains from the then test playing nations survived. They were the two Steves -Stephen Waugh and Stephen Fleming. Waugh fell by the wayside with a year to go for the 2003 tournament. The ruthless Aussie selectors decided it was time to move on. In that part of the world job security is never guaranteed! Fleming aged 29 was the sole survivor. He has displayed sound leadership both on and off the field. He is also maturing with every experience. Should his batting form not desert him, being there in 2007 looks very possible. Then Fleming will be in the company of the legendary Clive Lloyd. Alec Stewart, Mohamed Azharuddin and Arjuna Ranatunga were gone within a few weeks after the finals at Lords. In the months that followed Brian Lara, Wasim Akram and Alistair Campbell also fell from grace. Then, amidst controversy and shock came the downfall of Hansie Cronje. Sadly to be the last world cup he played in or witnessed. Now, Waqar Younis and Shaun Pollock have been shown the door and successors appointed. Rashid Latiff may be a quick fix move. In January he stated that he could not continue playing five-day cricket due to an injured vertebra in his neck. He has been
warned that he could paralyze his left side should he continue to
play. Nassar Hussein has indicated that he will only be available for the long game. As their season dawns the Englishmen will have to decide on their new man soon. Brian Lara is back leading the West Indies, while Sourav Ganguly and Heath Streak hold on their jobs at present. It is a long road ahead for all three. Fifty-fifty is best of how their chances of survival for four years would be described. The problems faced by Bangladesh are too numerous. The captainís role is just one of them. How they get out of this maze is anybody’s guess! Ricky Ponting sits on top of the pile. He has shown real flair for captaincy since being given the job. The once naughty boy has a bright future in the leadership sector. The test will come when McGrath, Bevan, Lehmann, Martyn, Hayden, Gilchrist, Bichel, all go over the hill at around the same period of time. Preparation will have to be the name of the game. |
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