Kolkata champion Christopher Alford stole the limelight by winning astride all four mounts that he had been declared to ride on Saturday at Bangalore. On an afternoon that was disrupted regularly by heavy rainfall, he displayed immaculate judgement and timing while scoring these victories. After some early morning drizzle, the weather seemed to have settled down and we had a normal start to the day's proceedings. The timings recorded in the first few races were fairly good, but the moment we neared the day's feature, the rain began to fall. The last couple of races were held in poor conditions and the horses were literally crawling at the end of the day. Alford rode his first three winners by timing his challenges to perfection, but the moment he saw the heavy downpour, he changed his tactics. Giving the best chance to a friendless Mountain Of Joy, he tore away to the front and did not look back till they were well past the winning post. This victory completed a superb quadruple for the talented jockey.

The HB Gundappa Gowda Memorial Cup, a sprint handicap for horses in the highest class was slated as the day's feature. A small group of seven acceptors faced the starter. Having won similar races in recent months, it was the trio of Successor, Lady Duff and Sirono that had been handicapped at the top in this race. They were conceding weight to Clear Mandate and Lad's Gladiator. Trainer Dhariwal chose to lighten the burden on Clear Mandate by declaring apprentice Vaibhav astride this runner. The four-year-old had made all the running over a slightly longer trip in his only start this season, and had ended a good third behind Immense and Hatsuhana. The latter had franked that form by winning subsequently. With a light impost on his back, Clear Mandate was a clear favourite in this race. The ever-consistent Sirono had blotted her copybook by running pathetically last month. One had to ignore that particular run to give her a realistic chance today. There were many who chose to do so, and backed her with confidence. Clear Mandate and Sirono were equally fancied as the runners reached the starting gates.

Wanting to make the early running, Vaibhav took Clear Mandate to the front and set a strong pace ahead of Lady Duff, Sirono and Tanzanite. Lad's Gladiator (Royal Gladiator – Acquest) stuck to the rails while Still Will and Successor brought up the rear. With the rain beginning to intensify, the inexperienced Vaibhav continued to push the leader. The two of them were almost four lengths ahead of Sirono and Lady Duff at the top of the straight. With the chasing pair running out of steam, it seemed as though Clear Mandate would lift the day's feature. However, that was not to be. Top-weighted Successor began his charge through the middle, while Lad's Gladiator moved menacingly on the wide outside. It was quite evident that we were in for a thrilling finish. Having chosen the best ground on the outer strip of track, and also being able to use a stick against a couple of whipless apprentices, Alford roused Lad's Gladiator to join the issue. A tired Clear Mandate, the late-finishing Successor and a flying Lad's Gladiator were besides each other at the wire. The judge confirmed that the Warren Singh-trained Lad's Gladiator had managed to beat Clear Mandate and Successor. A neck and a nose was the official verdict between the three of them. The most pleasing performance in this race came from Neil Darashah's Successor. The six-year-old has struck a fine partnership with apprentice Prabhakaran, and despite a back-breaking impost, Successor was literally "flying" at the end.

Alford started the day with a workmanlike performance astride Darius Byramji's even-money favourite Araceli (Chineur – Rippling). The filly had shown an ability to tackle the seven-furlong trip by finishing close behind Esmeraldo in her previous start. Her job became marginally easier with the withdrawal of Castro at the starting gates. Araceli tracked Stadium Of Light and Hatchet Harry till the top of the bend, before Alford released his brakes. She bounded away to score fluently from a late-finishing Blue Star. The others led by a tired Stadium Of Light managed to finish a distance behind the two of them.

He rode a pair of winners for the Arjun Mangalorkar stable. The recently demoted Ailsa (Hurricane State – Muir Of Ord) was running against mediocre opposition. Prithviraj's Royal Nature garnered some spirited betting and was an odds-on choice in this race. The dark bay was touted as a "good thing" in the day's card. Those who expected him to confirm this belief were in for a surprise. Royal Nature showed early speed to lead into the straight, but the moment he was challenged by Ailsa, he looked exhausted. He stopped in his tracks to end a very poor fourth. Ailsa hit the front in the final furlong and sailed away from Chhota Bheem and Blue Origin. The got-abroad colt Mountain Of Joy (Invincible Spirit – Aquila Oculus) showed a lot of improvement over his earlier form by running away from a group of fancied horses. Pedigree Nick and Challenger carried the hopes of their respective connections. In a race run in blinding rain, Alford stormed out of his wide draw and showed the way to the others. Rank outsider Mountain Of Joy accelerated in the straight and sprinted away from a late-finishing Challenger and Pedigree Nick. The winner has the makings of a good horse and is bound to improve from his present mark.

The Kumararajah MAM Muthiah Cup was the added attraction in the day's card. Irfan Ghatala's highly regarded Zultanite was a frontline contender to lift this trophy. An unlucky accident on Saturday morning saw the colt being withdrawn from this race. The recently gelded Ben Ten (Emerald Cat – Canadian) shared favouritism with Migrolino and Cristiano. Cristiano ran prominently in the early stages and led into the final furlong. Unable to handle his top weight in slushy going, the three-year-old came to a grinding halt. This allowed Ben Ten to come rushing from behind and assume charge of the proceedings. Under some relentless riding from Ashish, Darius-trained Ben Ten hung-on to his advantage ahead of Migrolino and Jaldi. The last named was seen making up much ground in the final stages of this race. She can be earmarked for an early success when pitched against horses in her own age group.

The Tippu Sultan Cup, a scurry for maiden three-year-olds, witnessed the closest finish of the day. Heavily backed Thoughts N Actions tried to make both ends meet, but his bid was thwarted at the post. John made free use of the whalebone astride this horse. Ladjadj Stephane persisted with Neil Darashah's Cinnamon Rush (Gaswar – Speed Mistress), and the small-made filly got up on the last stride to nail the leader. Equally fancied Bavaria faded from the scene to end a poor third. The runner-up looks capable of scoring in a similar set in the future.

B Puttanna's Tribal Queen (Mr Mellon – Emerald Creek) loved the underfoot conditions while winning the concluding race of the day. The filly was seen racing at the tail end of the pack as the field turned for home. Public choice Good Gift had done most of the running and was a couple of lengths clear of Son Of The Sun and She's A Lady at this stage. Not finding any room on the inside, Trevor produced Tribal Queen towards the outer strip of the track. The filly increased her momentum and came charging towards the leader. It was quite evident that she was moving the best of the lot. Her lengthening strides enabled her to overhaul Good Gift much before the final post.