The controversial defeat of Runaway Queen on Tuesday in circumstances that can be described as most unfortunate, was the talking point during the mid-week races held here. Runaway Queen was the obvious choice to win the A. Geddis Plate, the last race in the card of nine. The Altaf Hussain-saddled filly owned by the Poonwallas’ had every reason to go out as the odds-on favourite. She had the pedigree, the requisite form and moreover, the best available jockey (C. Rajendra) in the circuit to guide her. But as fate would have it, Runaway Queen lost.

What raised many eyebrows even before the race had begun was the continuous surge in the price of Runaway Queen in the betting ring here. As the odds opened for the last race, Runaway Queen was quoted at even-money by the bookies here and the official record maintained by the RWITC substantiates this fact. Eventually, the closing odds offered for the filly were at 2 to 1 against after a steady climb. The punters, who found something fishy in this generosity of the bookies, refrained from betting. The naïve ones who could not resist the tempting odds burnt their fingers. 

There was nothing hanky-panky detected in C. Rajendra’s motives till the race took a serious turn. When the field skirted the wide false-rails, there was ample room on the outside for Rajendra to make his move. Instead, he opted to go towards the inner rails where danger was lurking in the form of front-runners who were dropping back. Rajendra was certainly asking for trouble. One of those horses, That’s Momentum, shifted in and in the process, Runaway Queen received a bad check. The gallant filly came with a second run, but Stardotcom had hit the wire till then. The verdict: a mere length between Stardotcom and Runaway Queen. 

Punters were not the only ones to sulk after Runaway Queen’s defeat. Frustration was writ large on Dr Cyrus Poonawalla’s face, for, his reputation as a sporting owner was at stake. Subsequent to a report appearing in The Asian Age on Thursday, the RWITC stipes swung into action by calling both the jockey and trainer to seek their explanation into this matter. The outcome of it will be known shortly. 

At the start of the day’s proceedings, Pesi Shroff judged the pace of the mile trip to a nicety that ensured a comfortable win for Dallas Todywalla-trained Running Royal. Pesi settled the joint-property of Ranjit V. Bhat and Bhagwan C. Thadani behind Flamebird and Mariazella and swooped on them past the grand stands. It was plain sailing thereafter for the top-weighted Running Royal.

Pleasures made the entire running for the Rajpipla Trophy in the hands of Niall McCullagh and was never in any danger of being caught by both Placid and Leit Motif. There was some enthusiastic support for the latter but the Sir Bruce mare found it tough to match strides with the winner. Placid was not disgraced when taking the runner-up berth and should be better off with this run. 

Defying her ugly looks in the paddock, half-money favourite Fleurissimo (Don’t Forget Me-Pasta) made short work of her six rivals when embarking on a successful start to finish mission. Rajendra took off smartly with Fleurissimo from the gates and her supremacy was never threatened by Fluency who was in futile chase throughout the home stretch. 

Making his debut at the age of five, Dios Mios from the yards Rehanullah Khan and ridden by Ikram Khan, left the punters in a daze with his unpredictable run. Finishing on from the wrong end of the field, Dios Mios unleashed a terrific run to stun well-fancied Twinkling Star close home. Doctor No also finished with a flourish but could not overhaul the winner. Favourite Seventh Fleet burst her blood vessels during the race and ended bad last. 

A consistent performer throughout her brief career, Essesspemess (White Crown-Print Press) was tuned to the moment by trainer Magansingh Jodha for the Maharashtra & Gujarat Area Trophy. The filly produced a devastating run in the straight to bring the runaway scheme of Silverita to an abrupt halt. There was another success for Magansingh in the form of Henki later in the day. The lead established by Henki after being flagged off held her in good stead when Piece of Art tried to topple him. 

The brief hiatus from the tracks appeared to have done a world of good for Cozumel as the daughter of Alnasr Alwasheek sped away to maiden glory in the sprint event. Wings of Fire flattered to deceive till her blood vessels gave way and ended second. 

P. Kamlesh-piloted San Vitale’s long-stretched run to pip Winnington and Josh King in the Air Force Trophy ended as a wasted effort as runner-up Winnington’s protest was sustained by the stewards. The day, as mentioned earlier, ended on a bizarre note as Stardotcom made most of the opportunity that presented itself in the form of C. Rajendra’s misdemeanor astride Runaway Queen.