Favourites took the back seat as rank outsiders ruled the opening day of the Hyderabad Season 2018. The jackpot pool was carried over and followers of favourites returned disappointed.

Prospero (Burden of Proof – Cherika, Kunigal Stud) started off well settling in second spot behind Paprika, with favourite Moondancer close behind. Paprika entered with straight well ahead of the rest but soon faded out. Prospero arrived with a game bid and shot ahead with 300 to go. Moondancer tried hard to match up to Prospero, but the mare trained by Srinivas Reddy was simply too good on the day. Prospero kicked away to win comprehensively. Breezeofthesouth added more woe on to the favourite, coming from behind to snatch the runner up spot.

Laxman Singh trained Isabella (Excellent Art – Messalina) pulled off a sensational debut win dominating the opposition in the homestretch. She moved up to get one behind the leader Secretary entering the straight and then unleashed a powerful run to go sailing clear in the final furlong to win by over seven lengths in the hands of jockey Gopal Singh. Tote favourite Tokyo Jam ran on to finish second ahead of That’s My Magic.

Trainer Mir Faiyaz Ali Khan had his moment of glory when he led-in his ward Royal Dynamite who fought bravely to win a close battle. It looked anybody’s race when Royal Dynamite, Mighty Swing and Astra were engaged in a fierce battle with a furlong to go. Mighty Swing could not sustain, but Royal Dynamite found that extra gear even as Astra threatened to peg ahead. In the end, Royal Dynamite just managed to streak ahead to beat Astra by a narrow half length.

Nayadeep (gusto – Fast Escape) trained by Sequeira picked up momentum in the dying moments of the race to peg back Southern State, another outsider, a stride or two from the winning post. In fact, Nayadeep was nowhere in the picture when Southern State collared the rest of the field accounting for even the even-money favourite Alexanderthegreat. With the ones close to Southern State looking spent, she looked good to last until Nayadeep arrived with a scorching finish to zip ahead and score an impressive victory with jockey Aneel pulling off a neat job.

With so many upset wins through the day, the one that was mind-boggling was the victory of Starlight (Royal Gladiator – Rainbow Fog). It was the second in demand Arc of History who was being spotted as the winner as she entered the final two furlongs with a handy lead and a momentum that was keeping her well ahead of the favourite Champion Bull, the latter struggling to catch up. Jockey G Naresh improved positions manoeuvring his way between horses and going for the rails with less than a furlong to go. He picked up speed in a trice and starched away powerfully to down Arc of History comfortably, scoring by a solid two length margin, which looked impossible just a few strides earlier.

Trainer D Netto trained Gorgeous Lady (Declaration of War – Gaslight) pulled off a sensational win, bringing about the narrowest verdict of the day.  Platinum led them all the way into the straight and worked up good pace while staying ahead until into the last 100 meters. Humaaghar and Gorgeous Lady were chasing Platinum all the way and both accelerated well at the business end. They shot past Platinum and hit the wire almost together, a nose separating the winner. Gorgeous Lady just got the nod right at the wire to score a thrilling win, jockey Abhishek Pawar rewarded for an excellent ride.

Be Sure (Bushranger – Miss Gally) from the stables of Sateesh was partnered to victory by jockey Nakhat Singh, keeping the trend of the day going. Man Apart got them home bound and fought on when Rahil got alongside to challenge the lead. The pair was giving it all and involved in a serious fight when Be Sure moved along from the centre of the track. Be Sure picked up good momentum and swooped upon the duo and clinched the issue by half a length from Rahil. Wild Wings came from behind to beat Man Apart for the third spot.

Tough Sussex (Sussex – Too Hot To Handle) put her speed quotient to good use, to score a start to finish victory. Going from the lead soon on settling down, Tough Sussex put in a sustained gallop on entering the straight. There was a duel challenge brewing close behind with Great Glory and Dublin closing in, however, Tough Sussex did not let either to get to her and closed the issue narrowly.