Recovery is one word the racing punters hate. They just don't want to hear it.  And that's simply because they want to prosper and not recover in a game they follow and support. 

But on the first week-end of winter races, this feared word got to the punters. There was no escape from recovery, most favourites falling like the pins in a bowling alley. And it will take a couple of weeks for the punters to recover from the whiplash. 

The public rage Motivation from Darius Byramji's yard failed to make the board in the opening event on Saturday. The short-priced favourite after being favourably placed, it is learnt burst a blood vessel when the race came on a boil and that left most big bettors bleeding. The unfancied Cherry Hinton from Sirajuddin's yard produced a late dash in the hands of Vivek to peg back the start to finish operation of Oriental Image. Quarter Cask could well have landed the spoils had Arshad Alam pulled him out the moment he saw Motivation fading out from the scene. But that did not happen and like on the opening day, a shock result set the trend and the bookmakers were loving it. 

Stunned by the reverse in the opener, the Darius supporters recovered quickly from the shock, the well backed Fourth Dimension showing a clean pair of heels to his 11 rivals in the lower division of the Master Key Plate run over a sprint. The public choice looked a picture of fitness at the paddock parade before he provided the Mumbai based pro Ashish an arm-chair ride to victory. Fourth Dimension is in great heart and is set to provide an encore. Miracles Of Life and Fruit Prince who followed the winner are very ordinary types and it will pay to ignore them until they feature in the lowest class. Big Ben is on the way up after his three listless efforts in the summer and it will not be long before this Puttanna ward earns his cornbill. 

We told you yesterday that Sandhu will add to his list after he broke ice on Fortunate One on Friday. He did just that in resplendent style. The talented trainer spurred by the success on the opening day landed a good gamble on Aryan Warrior in the Mount Joy Plate. Despite the fact that Aryan Warrior bolted the moment Jagadeesh allowed him a little rope to hit the front and then Jagadeesh needlessly tightened him while negotiating the final curve failed to put the brakes on the Sandhu ward. The winner to the delight of his master sailed through to put the issue beyond doubt in the final furlong. Mister Grey who tracked the leader all through the seven furlongs trip found Aryan Warrior too hot to handle in the straight and so did Southern Fantasy who despite coming from an illustrious family finds herself struggling to score even in the lowest class. 

After one win and one big loss, Sakchi was one other from Darius Byramji's stables who garnered the maximum support in the upper division of the Master Key Plate despite the fact that the daughter of Phoenix Tower looked a trifle gross at the paddock. The fact that she had finished second behind Passing Fulcrum in summer and that the Suleiman Attaollahi ward won again in Mysore before finishing a game second behind the talented Torch Bearer  provided her the top billing. The followers of form readily pinned their hopes on her ignoring her none too happy condition and a lot of good money went down the drain, the filly struggling to keep pace in the event. The Azhar Ali schooled Vigorous, who it must be mentioned was judiciously prepared with the event in view cantered home and that brought the smile back on the face of her owner Shailesh Shivaswamy who was disappointed after Lucia was not allowed the space and room to gallop, thanks to the riderless Brooker Jones in a mile long event on Friday and later Anjar Alam deciding to play polo on Spanish Fly. Apollo Star from Samar Singh's yard caught the eye while finishing a game second and  he will make the veteran proud in the weeks ahead. Big Copper Penny owned by Savi Jain was strongly fancied for place in this event but as luck would have it his elder brother's horse Hello Boss pipped him at the post. The fact that Hello Boss finished third without  really being in the hunt puts him in the list of horses ready to strike when saddled next. 

In the plum event, the Madras Race Club Trophy run over a distance of seven furlongs, the Padmanabhan-trained  Feliciana opened the favourite while Smoking Bell was second in demand. But soon money started pouring in on the Rajesh Narredu schooled Authentic who was slammed down to 2/1 from 6/1. The connections of Authentic, it was clear had designed a big coup but it just didn't pay off, Authentic playing up in the gates before he was withdrawn. Now with Authentic out and Smoking Bell refusing to jump level from the gates, Trevor astride Coriolis attempted to make every post a winning one before surrendering to the 15 to one shot Merion from Arjun Manglorkar's yard close home. Arjun, it appears is riding high on luck taking into account that he has recorded two wins in two days and in each of the races two of the fancied horses have a sob story to narrate. It was  Brooker Jones and Lucia in a race Big Ticket won on Friday and Authentic and Smoking Bell the next day. But whatever be it, Merion produced a gutsy effort and deserved to take home the MRC Trophy. 

Despite her patchy effort in Mysore, Majestic Opinion garnered maximum support in the Air Force Trophy but the Arvind Ganapathy ward after being favourably placed lacked the gas in the tank to match strides with the surprise winner Pippin and Del Santo. Flame Of Passion despite taking it easy for most part of the seven furlongs trip finished a suggestive fourth and is one for the note book. Pippin is in fine form and he is tipped to score again if campaigned over a sprint trip which he relishes most. 

Trainer Prithviraj too managed to pull a rabbit from the hat. The trainer sweet on  Igah Igah Igah's chances chose to take no chance, roping in Chouhan to do duty on his ward and Chouhan produced his best on Igah Igah Igah to edge out rankoutsider Amigos at the shadow of the winning post in the Malaprabha Plate run over a sprint. . 

Go nap on Ace Lexington was the advocated line the moment the Azhar Ali ward made his way into the paddock in the concluding event. It looked one good recovery bet. The brave and bold took one big risk and recovered while the rest returned home with the big hope that come next week form will play true and they will recover all that they have lost in the first two days.