Lesser jockeys worked to the advantage of horses who had managed to conceal form over the weeks and Saturday proved to be happy hunting ground for those in the know. Jayaashva and Argolis kicked off the game in the opening events leaving Excellent Striker to draw curtains at the end of the day. In-between, the likes of Earl Greys, Romantic Notes and Dancing Dreams had found their form, and their pull at the weights, to giving them marginal edge over their rivals making the finishes exciting in the three events framed for the day. Needless to say turfites were kept on their toes as one close finish followed the other. 

It was the Acorn Stakes that produced biggest nail-biting thriller. The race was won by the second favourite, Romantic Notes, from Star Selection, the 4-6 hot public-choice seeking advantage by way of a win in the second leg of the ‘Triple Tiara,’ a triple crown for the young fillies. It was a proverbial whisker that separated the two young ladies of the turf but, certainly, most disappointing for trainer Daniel David who had easily won the first leg, the Alokananda Stakes on the Derby Day, through the Green Forest-Classic Story daughter. The fillies’ Trial Stakes during the forthcoming monsoon season will be the final destination for those aspiring the bonus money of Rs one lakh, but a clean sweep in the three events marked would have entitled the triple crown winner a four-fold sum.

The old racing adage that ‘even a good young horse finds it hard to concede weight to another decent horse’ was there to justify the saying. Yes, Nick Connorton on Star Selection looked good 100 metres from the wire but knuckled under the statutary winning penalty the filly had earned as Cristopher just managed to secure the verdict virtually at the post. It was, however a slow run race as jockey Saran Singh upfront on Daniel’s dsebutante River Melody never appeared to be doing justice towards the role assigned to him.

The advantage gained by Cristopher in the Acorn Stakes hardly boosted the confidence of Cristopher as the champion jockey lost the 1,100-metre Mossy Bear Cup to Dancing Dreams in another close finish. It was Endless Surprise who failed to do a Romantic Notes, thanks to a two-length lead established on Dancing Dream in the home-stretch by the visiting Mumbaio-jockey Aadesh Kumar. Cristopher was, perhaps, following a well-drawn strategy -- to utmost stretch Dancing Dream, a 9-4 favourite, who had burst blood vessel under simlar conditions, albeit after nearing the winning-post.

The stable’s faith, Richard Alford’s, that the Mumbai migrant would not bleed this time and last case being an odd one was fully justified by the five-year-old mare who had build up a winning lead 800 metres from home. Arctic Fancy and Sky Command, the third and fourth placed horses, still need to come down at the weight scale but fifth placed Pearl Dragon could be expected to do better in his next start. The four-year-old has the age on his side and could improve.

The 2-1 second favourite Earl Grey in the 1,600-metre Madras Race Club Cup defied his poor paddock looks as he carved a smart victory in the hands of apprentice Rutherford Alford. The support of blinkers seems to have done the trick for the winner. Incidentally, Rutherford will be representing the country in the forthcoming Apprentice Jockey’s Invitational meet in Macau on May 12. With 36 winners already in his kitty, the young lad may have to be watchful about picking and choosing his rides. It was, however, Estocade who could have spoiled the stable’s party had the nine-year-old been ridden by a stronger rider than Brij Shaw who is still a maiden. Coming from way back, the aged horse finished within three parts of a length of the stable-mate. Lockers Park could do no better than finishing third. The Bharath Singh-trainee, too, needed a stronger jockey than apprentice Islam. Acceptor, the 7-4 favourite found his weight a stopper and finished fifth.

Bharath, nevertheless, notched up a back-to-back win through Brave Show in the Philosphor Handicap. In fact, jockey S. Rabani hardly needed to press the seven-year-old for a victory, though the half-a-length verdict between him and the 8-10 favourite Odyssey does not tell the whole tale. The favourite, nevertheless, looked to be under presure from the top of the straight and Aadesh Kumar tried his utmost but to no avail.

Daniel’s Argolis, too, was far more convincing than his one-length-plus victory in the 2,000 metre Baqlava Cup. The expanding odds of Ace of Spades, from 7-10 to 14-10, did indicate that something was amiss and the seven-year-old did show it when he returned bleeding from his nostrils. Well in at the weights Jayaashva and Excellent Striker walked away with their respective events following loads of money coming in their direction.