It was mixed fortunes for turfites at the Calcutta racecourse on Saturday. Three rank outsiders, a second favourite, a ‘Social’ gamble and three first favourites just about completes the scenario. Trainers Arti Doctor and Vijay Singh completed well-backed doubles while Patrick Quinn, Jasbir Singh and Deepak Karki made a rare appearance in the winner’s enclosure.

The withdrawal of Silver Sands on veterinary grounds meant that the road was clear for Arti’s Amouresque to achieve an encore. However, the property of Mr and Mrs Nanda was given quite a scare by the aged Samarkhand who devoured ground in the final 100 metres to go down by a head in the RWITC Trophy. Jockey Sandesh kept the mare by Mr Mellon out of Complimentary going in the final furlong and was relieved to see the winning post.

Arti had opened her account with What A Feeling (Royal Kingdom-Destiny Calling) who too made light work of his 9 kg penalty      and recorded back-to-back victories. The gelding gave Shailesh Shinde an armchair ride in the Assertive Handicap. The property of Mrs Maneka Gupta and Mr and Mrs Shapoor Mistry has more races in store for him.

Patrick Quinn dropped the first bombshell of the afternoon when his Let Her Dance (Mr Mellon-Born To Dance) romped home in the Favourable Returns Handicap. And for those who had dared to back her, the return was indeed favourable. Apprentice Tamang utilized his 3kg allowance well to guide home the property of Mr Subir Dasgupta.

Though installed as the favourite, bookmakers offered a generous price of 9/4 for Shyam Habbu-trained Zoffany (Ikhtyar-Lucky Cherokee) .The mare did not give any anxious moments to her backers or jockey Parmar as she bagged the Artwork Handicap.

Front-runners were finding it difficult to negotiate the track which was a trifle soft. As such, both Sarabhi and Phlox stopped in their tracks in the upper division of the Acceptor Handicap, while the heavily gambled Social Network (Black Cash-Dancing with Bertie) from Vijay Singh’s stable devoured ground opposite the grandstand to open C. Alford’s account for the day.

Christopher Alford rode a gem of a finish astride Vijay Singh-trained Gorgeous (Mr Mellon-Drop Dead Gorgeous) to land the Alokananda Stakes after public choice Cerise and Isle of Capri had threatened to pull it off. Once again, the front-runners failed in their quest while Gorgeous looked gorgeous in the straight – to quote the commentator whose impromptu remark was music to the backers of this 4/1 second favourite.

The lower division of the Acceptor Handicap saw the fancied runners Aletris and Apache Gold cut each other’s throats while Jasbir Singh’s Fankaar (Inner City-Arches Of Gold) came with a stupendous gallop in the straight to post a spectacular triumph in the hands of Malcolm Maseyk.

At long last, an elated Deepak Karki opened his account for the season with eight-year-old Polariser (Black Cash-Slide By) in the last race of the afternoon. Jockey Imran Chisty had to stave off a strong challenge from Blue Grass after collaring the favourite Maria Teresa.