Horse of the Year Mystical recorded yet another smashing win on Sunday when he accounted for the opposition in the Gr.2 Karnataka Cup with effortless ease. The fact that he is far superior to his contemporaries as well as those of the older brigade was highlighted by the ease with which he left the field standing once put into top gear. Trainer Ganapathy’s firepower is such that he is unlikely to face stiff competition in the season from any of his fellow professionals and was underlined by the fact that two of his other multiple Grade I winners, Forever Elegance and Southern Regent, were in the race for an airing! The one runner who was expected to stretch Mystical was Amazing Power but the Mumbai challenger packed up like a pricked balloon when he came under pressure. Mystical who had gradually improved places as the final bend approached, sailed past the opposition and had the race well sewn up long way from home. Adesina ran on to finish second ahead of Refreshing while Amazing Power was not sighted. Ganapathy’s other ward Star Perfection showed spectacular improvement judging by the ease with she beat the opposition pointless in the 1600 metres Abdul Wajid Memorial Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 70. Star Perfection had run a close third over a sprint to Giacosa at Mumbai despite being slowly off. Now looking fit as a fiddle, Star Perfection showed greater maturity and broke off level from the gates and traveled nicely in the mid-group even as Royal Flash, who was running for the first time after being gelded, was maneuvering into a striking position. Star Perfection cruised past the opposition with Prakash hardly having to move a muscle and this full sister to Derby winner Star of Windsor surely has classic potential. Shelly Green, who was nosed out for the second spot by Royal Flash, can turn out to be a useful performer. Mumbai based Nina Lalvani was in the limelight as she saddled her second winner in as many days. Ryeback, who was backed to the exclusion of his rivals, had the desired fitness to last out from late-finishing Dr Evil who suddenly showed some zest for racing. Faustino ran on to be third but he will be better off tackling longer trips than the seven furlongs that he was asked to essay. However, race goers were expecting too much when they made Cincinnati the odds-on favourite to win the 1200 metres Baraloy Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 50. Cincinnati led the field into the straight but she failed to sustain as Star Movements surged ahead and shaped like a winner. But Power of Dreams, who had finished second best on a number of occasions, got her act right this time as she charged home before it was too late to record the second win of her career. Arjun Mangalorkar’s Three of Arts was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the 1100 metres Own Opinion Plate (Div.I) and the son of Diffident justified the support with a comfortable win over a late-finishing Perfect Rhythm. This run should help Perfect Rhythm to make amends next time out. Bally Blackjack and Artic Blast had good forward runs. The lower division of the race was at the mercy of Mint Royal who bolted to the front at the start and won by a distance over Smart N Excellent and Priceless Spirit. Sinead once again disappointed and though she had failed miserably, she ended up as the favourite as the race goers believed that she would have improved after her last week’s run. Mumbai jockey T.S. Jodha has been enjoying a good run in Bangalore. He booted home his third winner when he got Rosalinee to respond in time to get the measure of Cashfirstticketnext and land the spoils at nourishing odds. Green Park was third while One to Conquer was out for an airing. Exclusive Gesture maintained his winning form, with another emphatic win in the day’s concluding race of the day. Talk of the Devil who came from behind to finish second, is the one for the notebook.