Followers of form lost out big on the opening day of the winter season. A solitary favourite Alpha offered at (50/100) and a second in demand at the betting ring Cerise Noir (16/10), the two fancied winners in the six-event card.

In the first plum of the season, the Rajyotsava Trophy, the topweighted Accolade from Sulaiman Attaollahi’s yard and  the Neil Darashah schooled New Moon, who was advantageously placed in at the scales, in receipt of a good 11.5 kilos from Accolade garnered the maximum support before the Sulaiman ward topped the betting board. But the below par efforts of the `Jodi’ stunned the punters. The lesser fancied Iris from Irfan Ghatala’s yard piloted by Anjar Alam stole the limelight recording her fourth straight success and all credit to Irfan and Anjar, who appears to have struck a good partnership with the filly, who appears to be getting better each time her connections provide her the chance to prove her mettle.

Accolade after being favourably placed at the top of the straight lacked the gas to make an impression while New Moon raced in patches and eventually finished a poor fourth behind the runner-up Ultimate Warrior and the third-placed Siobhan.

Mongolian King was another fancied contestant from Neil Darashah’s yard who bit the dust. Competing in the Kabini Cup, Mongolian King on the strength of his two creditable efforts in Kolkata was backed to the exclusion of his seven rivals, but the public rage after stealing a march approaching the distance post failed to match strides with the ten to one shot Turf Star from Mohd.Khan’s yard piloted by the Mumbai-based apprentice K Nazil. The Arjun Manglorkar-trained Hot N Fire beat the public choice close home to gain the runner-up berth, while Life Awaits came home fourth.

Nazil earlier booted home the eight to one shot Hunters Moon in the opening event, the Inauguration Plate. The winner from Neil Devaney’s yard after tracking Grey Hound for most part of the 1100M dash streaked ahead at the top of the straight and with Nazil packing punch held on to score from the favourite Tudor Prince and Desert Gilt.

The eight to one shot Ramon upset the applecart of the two top fancies Aine and So Mi Dar in the Badami Plate run over a sprint. The winner piloted by Delhi pro Dhanu Singh assumed command at the distance post and then held on gamely to peg back the belated effort of So Mi Dar. Aine finished a  tame third ahead of Alvarez.   

The talented filly Cerise Noir was the most impressive in the six-event card, donkey-licking her 10 rivals including the heavily supported Game Changer from Neil Darashah’s yard in the Broadacres Plate run over a distance of seven furlongs.

Zervan pushed Cerise Noir to the front soon after the start and the winner just kept going to the delight of the URBB camp. Cerise Noir, it appears is now at her best and it will pay to follow her again next time out. Lycurgus finished second ahead of Game Changer who reportedly burst his blood vessel during the race.

After gaining the runner-up berth twice from his two starts in summer, Alpha was head and shoulders above the rest in the Adichunchanagiri Plate. The half-money favourite hit the front soon after the 10 runners came under the starter’s flag in the 1100 dash and never let the initiative slip cantering home to an effortless victory in the hands of Arshad Alam. Alpha’s victory, it is needless to mention brought the smile back on the face of Neil, who narrowly lost out winning the Kolkata and Pune Derby, Peluche and Desperado going down in pulse-pounding finishes.