The ongoing Mysore Season has been a happy hunting ground for bookmakers, with public choices failing to reproduce their known form and falling like nine pins. A large majority of races in this period have gone in favour of rank outsiders, and on most afternoons the jackpot pools have remained unsolved. It isn't uncommon to see favourites losing ground at the gates, receiving checks in a race, having their saddles slip while running or breaking a blood vessel prior to reaching the winning post.

Most racegoers have no answer when a fellow punter enquires, "Why does this happen only to the favourites?" The supervision and stiping at this centre has been quite strict and the authorities have been firm in dealing with the offenders. However, some of them are able to get away by hood-winking the system. It is time to have another look at what is happening by keeping a careful watch on the failed favourites, as these very runners become mediums of "successful coups" in their future starts.

The eight-event card on Thursday featured The HH Sri Chamaraja Wadiyar Memorial Gold Cup, a sprint handicap for horses in the highest class. The two "big guns" in this large field were Rare And Precious and Classic Charge. Even though he was conceding chunks of weight to the others, the former had seen better company. A mere reproduction of his old form seemed good enough to win this race.

After a rousing Summer campaign, Suraj Narredu-ridden Classic Charge had blemished his record by running poorly in his only start this season. It was important to ignore that run, if one was to give him a chance today. These two runners cornered a bulk of the betting in this race. The speedy Miss Ruby set a scorching pace and led by a couple of lengths from The Spartan and the others.

The field was strung out across the track as the runners began taking the bend. Classic Charge was travelling a handy fourth while Rare And Precious was being niggled in mid-group as the runners straightened for home. It took a while for Imran Chisty to get The Spartan into top gear, but once he succeeded, it became a one-horse affair. He bounded forward, got the better of Miss Ruby and sailed away for an easy victory. Miss Ruby managed to retain the second spot ahead of a heavily punished Rare And Precious.

Classic Charge showed that he has lost his zest for racing by ending a faraway fourth. He definitely needs to come down in handicap before making a mark in this category. Trainer Sharat Kumar needs to be complimented for transforming The Spartan into a fine specimen. He had been penalized for his previous victory and was making his maiden appearance in Class I. The manner in which he galloped today showed a remarkable improvement over his known form and condition.

Another interesting race witnessed today was a Class II affair over seven furlongs. Byramji-trained Incredible was re-appearing after her brilliant victory in Summer. Although she had won that race by a "distance", the handicapper had given her a chance to carry the top weight in the same class. Even though there was a direct line to Pradeep-trained Spark Of Reverence, the punters refused to look beyond the Srinath-ridden Incredible. On the basis of their last clash, Spark Of Reverence enjoyed a huge advantage at the weights. Those who chose to ignore this fact paid heavily at the end. Incredible went into a comfortable lead in the final furlong, but Srinath had no answers when Spark Of Reverence began his assault.

Mumbai-based jockey Pradeep roused the latter to gallop resolutely in the last 100 metres to beat Incredible near the winning post. Spark Of Reverence won this duel by half a length. Grand Topaz and Oban filled the rest of the frame. The Madras Race Club Cup over 1,400 metres attracted a group of three year-old maidens that included the highly regarded pair of Clear Mandate and Anna. Clear Mandate had finished a close second behind Sun Kingdom in his only start at Bangalore. The subsequent exploits of Sun Kingdom during Bangalore Summer enhanced the quality of that performance. On the other hand, Anna had been a trifle unlucky while losing by a short head to Bugatti.

The only difference in these two performances was the fact that Clear Mandate had already run over seven furlongs, while Anna had never gone beyond a six. Even though Clear Mandate was appearing on a race track for the first time after being gelded, he was supported confidently at half-money. Ganapathy-trained The Darling Boy shot into a comfortable lead over Happiness, Clear Mandate and Anna, as the runners made their way towards the home turn.

Jockey Sampson had the favourite on a tight leash, and it seemed only a matter of time before he would hit the front. Clear Mandate moved ahead at the bend, but his domination was short-lived. Imran Khan was able to eke out a second run from The Darling Boy, and the two of them raced alongside for rest of the way. The much fitter front-runner got the better of the on-money favourite by a length, and rewarded Ganapathy for his hard work and perseverance. Anna raced disappointingly to take the fourth spot behind a late rushing Mark Of Genious.

Last outing winner Zanzara and Desert Realm won the two divisions of a sprint reserved for horses rated 40-65. Lokanath's Zanzara defied the handicapper by beating more or less the same set of horses that he had beaten on the previous occasion. Sreekanth held him back for a late assault and the horse loved these tactics. Zanzara came with a flourish and ran away from Regal Ransom and early leader Bridge Too Far. Karan Singh's Desert Realm bounded out of the gates and showed a clean pair of heels to her rivals in the other division of this event. The grey Windsor Square tried his best but was unable to the task.

Despite Chouhan's heavy whipping, he could do no better than finish a tame second. Spark Of Isis, who was lethargic at the start, came with a belated run to end a close third. The result in the day's opener had actually set the trend for the day. The 30/1 outsider Prowl King charged to the front and was clear in the straight. Even though he began to shorten his strides, the early lead helped his cause. The Bobby-trained four year-old lasted out to stay in front of Major Impression. Jockey Chandrasekhar's opportunistic riding was the main reason for this unexpected victory. The favourite South Parade was under pressure to hang onto his third spot. Chouhan brought him with a run through the middle, but he was literally trotting at the end. The day ended on a similar note, as another 20/1 shot came like a bolt from the blue and went away from the favourite. Sirajjuddin's Take My Word reacted well to the gentle handling of apprentice Noornabi, and presented the young boy with his first career victory.

Noornabi settled the winner in third spot before making his move. At almost the same time, favourite Supreme Arch suffered a minor interference and lost his position. These two factors ensured a healthy lead for Take My Word, as the field raced into the last furlong. The free-striding chestnut lengthened his strides and won by a widening three lengths from Supreme Arch and a late finishing Sweet Timer.