It was a mid-week afternoon at Calcutta that most punters would prefer to forget. Barring the curtain-raiser, favourites took a back-seat in the other six events. There were a couple of fine pieces of horsemanship and several bold essays by apprentices who were neglected as a rule by punters during last winter. A maiden triumph of Rajesh Ujgare astride Rewarding, coupled with wins of JK Prasad (Afrah) and fast improving Jorawar Singh (Petaloid) left punters in a daze for most part.

As if that was not enough, leap-year jockey Md Shabbani coaxed a stupendous gallop out of Shafiq Khan-trained Shershah (Epicentre-Archenar) in the home stretch to leave the likes of front-running Dear Henry and on-money favourite Snowscape gasping for breath in the race for the Citi Limits Cup. So well was Shershah moving in the final furlong that his elated jockey had ample opportunity to exult on the saddle even 40 metres from the winning post. While Arktouros was a bad last all the way, Vijay Monarch appeared never to be in the hunt.

Trainer Shafiq Khan thus completed a double, having already led in Hurricane Andrew (Hurricane State-Greenlawn) in the curtain-raiser. Jockey Christopher Alford enjoyed an arm-chair ride on the favourite as he made every post a winning one.

C. Alford completed a double when he piloted Kwan Yin (Steinbeck-Star Of China) to an opportunistic, hard-fought victory over What A Feeling in the Clamp Handicap. The favourite Lantana Lady ran a good third but as I have mentioned in these columns earlier: - When a three-year-old runs in open company in the early part of the monsoon season, punters have to be doubly alert – especially so in a case such as this as Lantana Lady had been quite heavily penalised after just one win in a mediocre set. The youngsters have not been given the 5kg scale-drop that other horses have benefitted from, hence they are at somewhat of a disadvantage when they run in open company for the first time in the season. By mid-way through the season, it should all even out and punters can drop their guard. The poor run of Adelino was another glaring example of this.

The first shocker of the afternoon came in the form of Afrah (JK Prasad up) in the Smart Charmer Handicap. After a poor lung-opener over a sharp sprint, the three-year-old filly by Rebuttal out of Farha was neglected by all and sundry as the Khaitan pair of Audrick and Abrooke, along with Valerosa, stood out from the rest. As luck would have it, the on-money public choice Audrick (C.Alford up), refused to be stalled and had to be subsequently withdrawn. The once highly rated filly Abrooke was expected to run a good race but she was being pushed from the 1000m marker and finished dead last. She returned stiff to the un-saddling enclosure.

Aided by his 4kg allowance, apprentice JK Prasad took Afrah to the helm of affairs and let her rip in the straight. Under the continuous use of the whalebone by Vinay Jaiswal, Valerosa picked up a late gallop and devoured ground in the closing stages of the race but the winning post came to the rescue of the Daniel David filly.

David completed his double when Rewarding (Ujgare up) brought the curtain down by bagging the Espoir Handicap start-to-finish. The four-year-old by Auction House out of Antithesis quite easily got the better of the favourite Rappadan Glory while Adelino ended a tame fourth.

Harvinder Singh Bath’s seven-year-old gelding Yamlapagladeewana won the seven-furlong race for the Vanitas Handicap after hitting the front in the back-stretch and staying there all the way despite a threatening run by the 4/1 shot Hurricane Bird. The favourite Astylar was a none too impressive third. Fancied by some, the ante-post favourite Empress Of Persia graced the wrong end of the field all the way. For those unaware, she was incidentally running after 10 months!

Javed Khan-trained Petaloid (Inhabitant-Petalumma) was ridden to a superb opportunistic triumph by apprentice Jorawar Singh in the Fairy Heights Handicap. The trio of Fire Angel, Angels Quest and Rithambhra fought tooth and nail from the outset and tired themselves out 100 metres from home. Lying a handy fifth, speedster Petaloid came with a great gallop to grab the race.