The curtain came down on the five-month long Calcutta Cold Weather season, comprising 34 race-days (featuring 280 races) on Saturday, with an ‘Awards Nite’ ceremony held at the premises of the Royal Calcutta Turf Club. There can be no debating the fact that the highlight of the season was the running of the Invitation Cup on the first Sunday of March. Last run at this centre in 2007, local turfites had to wait five long years for this grand event – only this year, it was a Grade I race with  a difference, as for the first time in its long history, the Invitation Cup was  thrown open to horses – four years old and over. But more of that later!

The first week of March has always been fairly warm in the ‘City Of Joy’, but fortunately, the Weather Gods looked down kindly on the Invitation Cup weekend of March 2 & 3 and racing on those two days proved to be a huge success in every which way possible. The climate was warm but not unpleasant. With a total attendance of about 30,000 strong over the weekend and Totalisator and Jackpot collection mark together crossing the Rs 3.2 crore mark, it resulted in boosting the coffers of the RCTC considerably and making it the most lucrative winter season of all time.

To add to that was the ‘hospitality’ factor provided by hosts RCTC. Visitors from all over the country, whether they be owners, professionals, punters or mere lovers of the sport, were treated to a string of cocktails, lunches, dinners and what have you. A majority of them carried back pleasant memories of the Invitation weekend when they returned to their respective hometowns.

At the Awards Nite function, senior Steward Mr Ram Gupta stressed that it was the joint effort of ‘Team RCTC’ which made the Invitation Cup weekend and indeed the entire season a grand success.

The racing itself was highly competitive over the weekend and witnessed plenty of quality horseflesh and saddle artists, not to mention the trainers who turned out their wards in the pink of condition.

Jockey Jimmy Fortune and seven-year-old chestnut gelding Nefyn (11/4) produced an edge-of-the-seat finish in the Oasis Star Sprinters’ Cup on the first afternoon as the pair edged out Bangalore challenger Speed Six by the proverbial whisker in the final stride. The Bezan Chenoy-trained ward by Senure out of Machrihanish was slow off the blocks and looked hopelessly placed at the top of the turn where he was last but one of 14 runners. Fortune made up the lost ground along the rails without unduly hurrying his mount and took his chances despite the wall of horses in front of him.

Reputed stayer Native Knight (5/2) fetched a well-deserved triumph for the Lagad family in the Stayers’ Cup. It was Camorra who looked as if he might pull it off as he was running a pretty forward race over the gruelling 3000 metres trip. However, Dashrath Singh atop the Narendra Lagad-schooled seven-year-old timed his run to perfection to win quite comfortably at the wire. Astapi made a belated challenge to finish a none too impressive third. An overjoyed Mrs Lagad was overcome with emotion and said “Native Knight is a game galloper even at this age and like a son to me.”

It was the first Indian Turf Invitation Cup in 54 years where horses who were older than four years were permitted to run, but at the end of the day none of the quartet of older animals in the field of 14 could match the outstanding winning gallop of the Hyderabad challenger Tintinnabulation. However, the more experienced runners showed that ratings do matter when six-year-old Ocean And Beyond finished runner-up, just a short-head ahead of third placed Onassis.

Trainer LVR Deshmukh’s Tintinnabulation (PS Chouhan up) from Hyderabad threw the form book out of the window as he raised a stupendous gallop opposite the grandstand to lift the prestigious Indian Turf Invitation Cup for his joint owners  - The estate of late Mr. Pratap Chander Reddy, Mr. Ashish Bajaj, Mr. Vijay Kumar Gupta and Mr. Sushil Kumar Gupta. The connections pocketed a winning purse of Rs 1 crore and a fancy trophy worth Rs 3 lakh.

During the weekend, the commentary team comprising Jim McGrath, Cyrus Madan and Anit Casyab provided exceptional coverage enjoyed by all and sundry.

Apart from the three races named above, the only other Grade I affair, The Eveready Calcutta Derby Stakes (with a winner’s purse of Rs 1.16 crore) saw surprise package Snowscape retire a comfortable winner and be nominated as ‘The Champion Horse’ of the season. The grey colt by China Visit out of Snow Tiger is owned by none other than Chairman of RCTC Mr. Deepak Khaitan.

Taking no chances in the big race, jockey Christopher Alford took his mount on the wide outside from the second last berth and the grey raised an astounding gallop near the distance post. Alford even had a moment to peep over his right shoulder to see course favourite Borsalino struggling to hold the runner-up berth from Tintinnabulation. Thereafter, he shot up from his saddle and waved triumphantly with whip in hand to the member’s stand galleries. It was a spectacular finish befitting the showmanship of the champion jockey of last year. To his credit, it must be said that in conjunction with schooler Vijay Singh, he had worked earnestly on the colt to bring him to peak condition on D-Day. Though breeding experts rightly pointed out that he is unlikely to get the Derby trip, Snowscape proved the aficionados of the game wrong with a devastating stretch run. He however failed to reproduce that sparkle in the Indian Derby or The Invitation Cup.

The sad point of the Calcutta Derby was the collapse and death of game galloper Franenstein, who the vet claimed had suffered from over-exhaustion.

The season also saw two exciting talents in the form of trainer Patrick Quinn and jockey Shailesh Shinde emerge as the new champions. The duo were focused on their ‘job at hand’ throughout the season and the results speak for themselves.