Heavy rain along with thunder and lightning on Thursday forced the Stewards of The Mysore Race Club to cancel the last three races of the afternoon. It rained for over an hour and a half, and the visibility during that period was extremely poor. To the relief of those who had already wagered on the next race and were worried about the slushy conditions, this announcement was more than welcome. Just prior to the downpour, the Stewards of the club were huddled together in trying to figure out an objection raised by Imran Chisty. It was the upper division of The Royal Calcutta Turf Club Cup. This sprint, reserved for maiden three year olds, had attracted a couple of well regarded horses based at Bangalore. Rich Celebration, Alcazaar and Divine Deliverance cornered the betting in this race, and were backed to the exclusion of the other nine runners. Imran Chisty had made use of his inner draw and taken Rich Celebration to the front. Trevor's mount Alcazaar was soon alongside, and this pair was ahead of the trailing pack led by Divine Deliverance. The result of this race was almost evident near the two furlong marker. While Rich Celebration was being hustled to keep going, Alcazaar was travelling comfortably. The latter overtook the leader and sauntered away for an easy victory. A tired Rich Celebration just about lasted out to retain her second spot ahead of a hard ridden Divine Deliverance.

 Most of those who had witnessed the running of this race were suprised at the next announcement. Imran Chisty had raised an objection against Trevor on the grounds of interference. He had contended that Alcazaar had come onto his mount and forced him to stop riding Rich Celebration in the last 200 metres. He further stated that "this had cost him a certain race". A mere look at the taped evidence was enough to realize that this was a desperate chance being taken by the connections of Rich Celebration. There was no merit in any of Imran Chisty's contentions. He was seen flogging a tired horse which had been beaten fair and square by Alcazaar. It was difficult to comprehend why a leading jockey would agree to lodge such a frivolous charge. It took only a few minutes for the Stewards to throw out this objection.It is time for the authorities to frame strict guidelines pertaining to objections, as this would ensure that their precious time is not wasted in future.

 The lower division of the above race was annexed by Satish Narredu's Aaleyah. This well-bred filly had run once during the summer season. She had finished so far behind the winner, that not many gave her a chance to win today. The presence of Saddam Hussain in the saddle was a negative indicator. Neither was the apprentice allowed to claim an allowance, nor did he have the use of a whip. On the basis of some fine trackwork, first-timer Bella Pinky was a rage in this race. In the hands of Ryan Marshall, this Darius trained filly was slammed down to on-money favouritism. Aaleyah stormed out of the gates and led steadily from Bella Pinky and Sukhmanee. The apprentice boy nursed her along the rails and the pair was a length clear of Bella Pinky at the bend. The race took a serious turn thereafter. Both these runners were asked to quicken in the straight, and their responses were quite contrasting. While Aaleyah lengthened her strides and gained momentum, Bella Pinky came under pressure and rolled sideways towards the inner rails. Aaleyah strode away to an easy victory over an exhausted Bella Pinky and a late finishing Sukhmanee. The last named was given a tender ride by her jockey and she is sure to improve after today's experience.

The Air Force Gold Cup. a sprint for horses four years old and over in class III, looked competitive. Byzantine, Caterina, Archer and Chinab had almost equal chances ,and the same sentiment was reflected on the betting boards. Chinab darted out of the gates and showed the way to Ahira, Archer and Caterina. Favourite Byzantine was under pressure from the word "go", and it was clear that the six year old wasn't going to win this race. With Chinab and Ahira getting tired near the bend, we suddenly had a new leader. Under some relentless belting from Trevor, Archer took over the running and led from Caterina and Sun Divice. The three of them were besides each other near the distance post. It was at this stage that Caterina showed some resolve. Mudassar's allowance prove to be advantageous. The apprentice urged her vigorously and succeeded in pushing her accross the winning line. Sun Device galloped strongly on the wide outside and ended a good second.

Three year old I Say had run some good races during the early stages of her career. Darius had been inspired by her performance and taken her to Hyderabad to have a tilt at one of the "big" races at that centre. After suffering a setback in training, the filly was rested for a long period of time. Her third behind Windstream and Chiron on re-appearance in late July was encouraging.  The trainer decided to run her in a handicap race on Thursday. She was pitted against some very ordinary horses, and her victory looked like a foregone conclusion. The money-back favourite travelled comfortably behind What A Warrior till the top of the straight. PS Chouhan released his grip near the distance post and the filly responded on expected lines. Without being extended, she darted ahead of the rest and won by a widening margin from One From A Billion and What A Warrior.

The only other race in the day's card was won by Neil Darashah's Neron. The four year old had won a race in the lowest category and finished a good second amongst a younger set of horses in his last two starts during the Bangalore Summer Season. Since he was running over a suitable trip, and was also running against horses in his own age group, Neron was strongly supported by his connections. He tackled the mile with ease and scored comfortably.  With no-hopers Stars And Stripes and Time Matters doing the front-running, the fancied pair of Neron and Abracadabra were held back till the bend. Ryan Marshall showed undue haste and moved astride Abracadabra. The light framed filly carried her top weight to the front and established a two length lead into the final furlong. However, she had no answers to Neron's final onslaught. Under some strong riding from Amyn Merchant, Neron rallied on the rails and strode away from Abracadabra, Vega and Queens Colour. The winner has shown great progress in recent months, and he looks capable of picking up another race in a similar set of horses.