A star-studded Calcutta 1000 Guineas field produced a nail-biting finish on Sunday. Jockey Suraj Narredu atop the Darius Byramji-trained filly Safari rode an intelligent race in that he did not push his mount early , even after a clear jump. He permitted her to settle into her groove while Apollotina and Sensational Star called the shots. The latter was used as a pacemaker for Grand Madame by the Daniel David stable. After the turning for home, B. Prakash got busy on his mount and took an useful lead, but was soon joined on his outside by Safari in a trice. Initially Suraj rode her hands and heels but soon realised that the 'Madame' was unwilling to give up so easily. A couple of cracks from his whalebone sent the property of Ashwin Mehta surging ahead for a well-deserved triumph. The winner was led in by the all-time maestro Rashid Byramji (deputising for son Darius), much to the delight of oldtimers.

Sired by China Visit out of Safari Girl, Safari displayed a wonderful turn of foot to edge past Grand Madame in the final furlong. Colourful Lady was seen finishing on brilliantly and may have overhauled the eventual winner, given a little more distance. She will obviously be a force to reckon with in the Oaks. Safari returned a smart time of 1min 37.69 sec for the mile trip, which was a shade superior to Bountful Talent's effort in the Maharajadhiraja Udaychand Mahtab of Burdwan Memorial Cup.

This property of M.A.M. Ramaswamy picked up this prestigious event without raising a sweat and at the moment seems to be a primary candidate for the 2000 Guineas. Jockey B. Prakash had ridden the colt to a narrow victory over Lycia Falcon in the Monsoon Colts Trial and must be pretty optimistic about this classic hopeful. The hapless Romantic Scene planted in the race and did not finish the course. Trainer Bharath Singh and his Bangalore-based patron Dilip Thomas enjoyed a share of the spotlight when they notched up a lucrative double with the three-year-old Galashiels in the curtain-raiser and Sanqusar in the Oakmead Handicap. Despite being slow into stride, jockey Chris Hayes displayed a sense of purpose when he had Sanqusar well positioned at the bend. He got past Majestic Falcon without too much trouble but had to contend with a serious challenge from Bath-trained Antonello.

Hayes' mount in the next race, Saddlers Star, closed as the favourite for the Bengal Area Cup. Rather surprisingly, the horse was sluggish and finished an unimpressive fifth. The race was won by Vijay Singh-trained Accalia – a filly known to run best when freshened up after a break.

Vijay Singh had two more winners in Askarel and Areology, both on-money favourites ridden by Neeraj Rawal. While Rawal enjoyed an armchair ride on the latter, he had to work hard on Askarel to stave off Storming Success in the Pearson Surita Memorial Cup. For oldtimers, it was a grand day as these names brought back memories of the good old days. Brothers Bharath and Vijay shared five winners between them.

Last but not the least, Deepak Karki needs to be lauded for the wonderful condition of his ward Astro Boy who was running after a long lay-off. Available at 8/1, Astro Boy easily collared the on-money public choice Winning Star to lift the Cavalry Cup.