AROUND THE WORLD: Russia: Big win for son of former Hills inmate.

Byline: ROBERT CARTER 

Russian racing may be the poorest in Europe, but a big day still attracts plenty of interest. Four runners from Pyatigorsk were joined by the Chechen-owned Bargon and Ratnitsa from Tatarstan in a field of 12 for the Grand All Russian Prize (Derby) at Moscow on the Sunday before last.

As so often, it was Voskhod Stud that took the honours. Both the stud's trainers, Alexander Chuguevets and Sergey Peredery, ran two. Motoblok and Perevodchik, the Peredery pair, shared the early lead, but were caught first by Bargon and then by the Chuguevets-trained Atran, who had been expected to make the pace for the favourite, Bor.

A son of the former Barry Hills-trained Observation Post, Bor took over two furlongs out and, though pressed by the winner of the Pyatigorsk Derby, Arendator, he kept on for a length.win.

Ipel, the second favourite, finished seven lengths back in third. He was ridden by Andrey Ivanskoy, who was brought in from Rostov-on-Don after the Chechens had poached Ipel's regular jockey, Sergey Petin, a week before the race.

Vladimir Melekhov, who rode Bor, also won the Moscow Prize on the Oaks winner Artura, and the Grand Prize for two-year-olds on Rigodon, both owned by Voskhod and trained by Chuguevets.

The Prize in Honour of the President of the Tatarstan Republic M S Shaimiev, a handicap over one and a quarter miles, was won by last year's Derby winner, Arkanzas, owned by the same Mentemir Shaimiev.