Guest Connections (Placerville-Crown Collection) followed Scarsdale and Thundering Power into the straight where the latter took charge of the running. C. Rajendra drove Thundering Power but B. Prakash had Guest Connections breathing down her neck. Both horses went stride for stride but Guest Connections caught up with Thundering Power just a couple of strides before the wire. Last-outing winner So Prefect's challenge had petered out even before the race took a serious and it was Perfect Attraction who moved up to finish third.

Rajendra had earlier been humiliated astride the on-money favourite Cine Star in the second race where Hormuz Antia finally got to open his account this season. Oscar Star (Alnasr Alwasheek-Star Role) slipped through the inner rails and Nirmal Jodha drove the mare fiercely to gain the advantage from Fire God and stablemate Blazing Speed. Cine Star ran off the board.

Altaf Hussain trained Much Faster (Libor-Antartica) overcame a tardy start and then found his way around five horses in the straight when Delhi-based rider Ramandeep Bal decided to make his bid. The young lad was lucky in that he didn't cause any interference to the horses he overtook. Julpha ran on late to finish third ahead of Out To Win. 

Highland Path (Dark Nile-Highland Fling) earned her corn bill after jockey S. S. Baria punished her to collar barnmate Pure For Sure opposite the stands. Favourite Black Warrior found the scurry a bit sharp yet found his way to the runner-up berth. The rest also ran. 

Ishtar (Mischevious Music-Bruges) finally found her way to the winner's enclosure but it was lesser fancied Mazan who seemed to be in sight of victory. T. S. Jodha couldn't thwart the resolute bid of Malcolm Kharadi when he brought the Hosidar Daji ward into contention. Born To Lead with Rajendra in the seat was prominent till the turn and failed to accelerate thereafter and ended third with favourite Arma running a disappointing fourth. 

S. N. Chavan ridden Kiss of Luck (Diffident-Pasta) was another filly to have achieved a hat-trick this season. The Narendra Lagad trainee was at cramped odds but ran true to the expectations and won well from Major Roberts and Arabian Lady. The same jockey-trainer combination had another piping hot favourite Here Comes The Don in the last race who obliged but was stripped of the race in the Stewards room. Earlier, there was intense drama both in the bookie's ring and then on the racetrack. 

Here Comes The Don opened on-money but his odds saw a curious shift to almost double his opening price before the Starter's flag came down. Second favourite Band of Gold on the other hand was slammed by those in the know from 10`s to 4 to 1. 

Living up to his name, Here Comes The Don moved with a swagger to join the issue at the turn with Band of Gold, who also made her move precisely at the same juncture. Chavan in his zeal to win the race forgot to keep control of his horse, something unexpected from a jockey of his experience and standing, and bumped Band of Gold and took her ground before going on to win. It was a forgone conclusion that D. K. Ashish would lodge his protest against the winner. 

The Stewards didn't have to deliberate much to give the decision in favour of Band of Gold though there was a section that felt that Here Comes The Don shouldn't have been deprived of the race. On the flip side, there were some who, citing the drift in the odds against Here Comes The Don followed by the enthusiastic support received by Band of Gold, harboured grave doubts about the final outcome. Was the act of the losing jockey to interfere with the runner-up a deliberate one and was it enacted to throw the authorities off the trail was the question that kept nagging them even as they made their way back home that evening.