Trainer Patrick Quinn is assured of the Trainers’ Championship after leading in four winners on Tuesday while his nearest rival (B. Singh) drew a blank. Quinn has been enterprising and hard-working all season and has deserved every bit of his success. His quartet of winners included both divisions of the Fair Haven Cup with Fireback and Sreedhan.

The afternoon however ended on an extremely sad note for all lovers of the sport and thoroughbreds as they were subjected to a ghastly sight of a brave-hearted, pretty filly called Cynosure snapping her shoulder after she had responded gamely and wholeheartedly to her rider’s call and ‘cruised’ into the lead near the distance post, to quote commentator Anit Casyab. Rider Sreekanth was fortunate that the filly did not collapse and fall on the ground as he was in front of the 12-horse field. He subsequently dismounted and walked back after the race while the filly was put down on humanitarian grounds. That she was carrying the public purse is of secondary importance for all animal lovers. This race for The Calorific Handicap was won by the third favourite Sunshine Dancer (Shailesh Shinde up).

One may recall a similar incident on this track, year before last, when the filly Alayir (C.Alford up) tripped and fell (and had to be destroyed) after overhauling the field in the race for the Acorn Stakes.

The upper division of the Fair Haven Cup saw Fireback (Oath-South Beach) close as the 7/4 favourite, while Crown Rule and Vijay Monarch were next in demand at 5/1. The front-runners (Ares, Ocean Legacy and Accurate) were collared by the favourite when urged by Imran Chisty but the five-year-old had to peg back a strong challenge from Vijay Monarch in the closing stages of the race. Apprentice Azharuddin did well to squeeze a passage along the rails before accelerating but the winning post came to the favourite’s rescue. Top-weight Crown Rule with 67.5kg on his back, returned bleeding on a warm spring afternoon.

The lower division was annexed by Sreedhan (Razeen-Stolen Kisses) far more comfortably as he moved up from mid-division under Shailesh Shinde’s whip and sailed past Bullet who had assumed command at the top of the straight. Capote made a brave effort along the rails but failed to find that something extra when most required. Both Fireback and Sreedhan thus completed four wins each at this centre this season, both having picked up their first race here in Class III.

The Quinn-Chisty combination notched up their first winner of the day with top-weight Torch Of Life (Sharp Attack-Secret Wish) who made every post of the Brave Patriach Handicap a winning one despite the impost of 62.5kg. The favourite Our Chieftain ran a lacklustre race after being in a position to strike while the challenge came from the bottom-weight Daddy Cool who made up much ground in the straight but fell short once again by a narrow margin.

The duo then went on to register a facile triumph in the Playboy Handicap with Snow Princess (Warrshan-Seriously Nicole) who is another of Quinn’s many imports from western India most likely to win in the highest class. Glynneath was a faraway second.

The afternoon commenced with the running of the Right Again Handicap in the lowest class. Both Spartacus and Ice Festival were fancied by their respective stables but neither finished in the frame. Arti Doctor-trained Victory Vibes made every post a winning one in the hands of Kamlesh. The five-year-old mare held on from a fast-finishing Ebony Princess.

The David-Sreekanth combo notched up their only winner of the day when the filly Spur Of The Moment came with a devastating run in the final furlong after taking the bend eight wide, and sailed past the field in the sprint for the Nationalistic Handicap. Much fancied Secret Romance finished off the board.

Trainer Robert Gowli  created a sensation in the racecourse when his friendless Goliath(Don Micheletto-Funny Girl) made every post a winning one in the Easter Parade Handicap. Tintoretto was the only one who dared to challenge but failed to collar the front-runner who was piloted by Shezad Khan.