Despite a heavy shower before the start of proceedings, it proved to be a ‘Beautiful Sunday’ (remember Daniel Boone’s 1972 chartbuster) for punters at the Calcutta racecourse as six first favourites and a second favourite obliged in a card of seven events. Trainer Vijay Singh celebrated the holiday afternoon with a ‘high-five’ while his patron-in-chief Mr Deepak Khaitan’s red-and-gold colours were prominent right through. But the one who stole the thunder was undoubtedly six-year-old Dandified with yet another thunderous performance.

Jockey Christopher Alford, who notched up three winners during the day, was a picture of supreme confidence as his mount Dandified lifted the Harry The Horse Cup for the second year in succession. Hugging the rails in a box seat while Rising Power and second favourite Multimagic cut the early pace, Alford merely showed his mount daylight on the outside about 300 metres from home. The ‘wonder horse’ knew exactly what was expected of him and did the rest with aplomb. Alford simply sat tight and looked back when he was hardly half-a-length ahead and Multimagic was struggling to keep pace under duress.

The Vijay Singh parade of winners commenced with the on-money Almarada who won the mile race for the Imperial Stride Handicap start-to-finish in the hands of C.Alford. Smokey Baba followed her all the way for the second time this season. Apprentice Munna Alam won the Rasalas Handicap in similar fashion astride Abrienda (2/1). Though running after a long lay-off, Abrienda (Steinbeck-Supreme Princess) was looking a picture in the paddock and she did not disappoint. The disappointment in the race was ante-post favourite Yerevan who was pathetic.

After Dandified’s coup de grace, blue-blooded Romantic Flow (Steinbeck-Romantic Liaison) showed he is a cut above his rivals with a bloodless victory in the Brown Wolf Plate. Starved of classy colts this season, the stable could very well make this star performer their ‘spearhead’ for the forthcoming annual classics. His style of running and bloodline suggest both speed and stamina – the two mandatory factors for ‘classic material’.

Vijay’s Free Energy provided the grand finale for the stable as Shailesh Shinde utilised an opening along the rails to leave the field standing in the race for the Arezzo Handicap. Grand Annual Handicap winner Shourisha had a notable airing and will be worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Trainer Bharath Singh however had some consolation as Kabini brought the curtain down despite a last minute change of jockey. Indisposed Vaibhav was substituted with Vinay Jaiswal. He took the filly to the helm of affairs soon after the start and she stayed there despite drifting out of a straight course.

The heavy shower prior to the opening event, would have helped the eventual winner Do Your Best. The seven-year-old defied the penalty and quite easily accounted for Ambicka who looked threatening at the distance post in the Best Of All Handicap. In this race, the rider of Commelina, Arshad Alam, was suspended for four days because of careless riding resulting in the fall of Nelson Maseyk astride Eternal Instinct.