By the time Hyderabad staged its first Invitation Cup week-end in 1982-83, much had changed in the Twin Cities. Racing had shifted from the western fringe of the Parade Ground in Secunderabad to Malkapet, the other side of Tank Bund whose water level had gone down. The Secunderabad race course, which conducted racing only in the monsoons, was within walking distance of Secunderabad Club. Secunderabad Club was then a splendid establishment. You had a cold Golden Eagle in the bar, a sumptuous buffet lunch in the air-conditioned restaurant costing a princely sum of Rs. 4.50 and strolled over to the course to back Jagdish and Dixon's mounts. Those, as they say, were the days ! 

COLUMBIA'S YEAR

It was in 1982-83 that the Invitational Carnival first came to Hyderabad. (Hyderabad had hosted the Invitation Cup in 1978 but it was a solitary Gr.1 race on the day's card.) It was also the first year that a full complement of four Gr.1 Invitational races were run with Charminar sponsoring every race on Sunday. Two favourites and two outsiders shared the opening races on Saturday before nine runners paraded in the paddock for the Sprinters' Cup. Klairon Gold (Wally Swinburn) was a even money favourite and trainer Sandeep Mangalorkar's ward won as he pleased from the off to the wire, almost four lengths ahead of Ticoma, ridden by Pesi Shroff, a rookie then. Paul Cook then rode a double for his patron Mr. J.P. Goenka through Chieftan and Mossy Banks. Chieftan, trained by Madhav Mangalorkar was an odds on favourite whereas Mossy Banks was only second in demand after stable-mate Almanac for the Stayers' Cup. Mossy Banks won as comfortably as Klairon Gold from the local horse Big Deal. Byramji led-in the winner. Victories were easily gained, the camera man had an idle afternoon and the Jackpot paid a measly dividend of Rs. 291. A straight roll on the five winners would have netted much more.

The trend of easy wins continued on Sunday. The Indian Derby winner Nelston was the best backed of 13 runners in the Invitation Cup and he led the field with a 100 m. to go. Wally Swinburn on Columbia and Paul Cook on Almagest then swept past the favourite. Columbia, who had got the first run, maintained the advantage to the post. Dara Pandole led in Columbia for whom it was a sweet revenge as Nelston had beaten him in the Indian Derby the previous month. The very next race was the Super Mile for which the favourite was Camino. Camino had also been the favourite in the Indian Derby where he had finished off-the-board. With S. Craine in the saddle, Camino took off smartly, led all through and won easing up by two lengths from Beat The Clock to give trainer Byramji his second Gr.1 of the week-end. Well supported horses were generally to the fore and for the second day running the Jackpot dividend of Rs. 315 was meagre.  

OWN BEAUTY'S YEAR

The low-weighted Attack won the opener and then trainer Cyrus Taraporevala had a quick double through Cermonious and Test Pilot. Test Pilot was ridden by Warren Singh and that set the jockey in right frame of mind for Sprinters' Cup. Off the gates in a flash on the filly Time and Place, Warren Singh strolled home well clear of Class Apart and Polonia. In the very next race, the Calcutta Challenger Ardiles put daylight between himself and Amorous Knight and Premium Spirit to bag the Stayers' Cup.

At the offcial dinner on Saturday evening, Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy was telling everyone who cared to listen that he would win the Invitation Cup the next day. He had two runners in the race and when someone asked him "Which one ?", he just said, "That's for you to decide". The Indian Derby was won that year by the grey filly Cordon Bleu. She was an intended runner for the Invitation Cup but came down with a fever and stayed back in Bangalore. The three colts who had followed her home at Mahalakshmi -- Enrico, Kir Royale and Brave Dancer -- were, however, very much in the field and they commanded most of the attention. Own Beauty had finished fourth in the Indian Oaks to Bay Beauty and she had returned to Bangalore without running in the Derby. She was fresh and certainly had the form credentials having been second to Cordon Bleu in three Classics at Bangalore. Yet, she was allowed to start at the odds of 10/1 ! She hit the front as soon as the gates opened and came home unchallenged to win by the longest winning margin till then in the race to give her jockey L. Marshall back-to-back winners of the Invitation Cup.

Actually, the Super Mile that year was run before the Invitation Cup and Whopper won it to give Pesi Shroff his first winner at the big week-end. Whopper was trained Uttam Singh and he was really chuffed to beat the previous year's Invitation Cup winner Chaitanya Chakram. "And they say I can only train fillies !", he kept telling one and all. Another previous winner of the Invitation Cup , Amorous Knight, was also on view the previous day when he finished second to Ardiles. The timings of all the four big events were much slower than the previous five years. Besides, the favourites played truant in all the four Gr.1 races.

ADLER'S  YEAR

The 1993 Indian Derby was postponed and run on the last Sunday in February, just a week before the Invitation Cup. This resulted in the fields for both the races being cut up. One person who was not put off by the postponement was trainer R.R. Byramji. His high-voltage stable had enough ammunition for both the races. He had 1-2 in the McDowell Indian Derby, Gr.1 with Astronomic and Summer Dust and picked up the Invitation Cup with Adler. Adler won by just half a length from the grey filly Thumbelina -- she had run in Indian Derby the previous Sunday -- but Shroff on Adler had plenty in hand. One reason why Adler was routed to Hyderabad was that he had had mishap while being pulled up after winning the Indian 2000 Guineas, Gr.1. The later date of the Invitation Cup suited the trainer for it gave him an opportunity to give the colt a race in between. On all known form, Adler would have won the Indian Derby and given his trainer his second Indian Triple Crown winner. Dr. Vijay Mallya, who owned Adler, would also have had his first  -- his only -- Triple Crown winner for he hasn't won it since.

Three favourites won four of the Gr.1 races over the week-end and they all broke existing track records. Goodfellas had just missed the board in Escapade's Sprinters' Classic. He came out the next day and won the Super Mile quite comfortably at long odds. Escapade completed a hat-trick  of Sprinters' Cup wins for the progeny of stallion Common Land, following in the footsteps of Klairon Gold and Time and Place.  Delage, the 1991 Invitation Cup winner, won his second Vintage Cup on Saturday. 

FOREST FANTASY'S YEAR

History repeated itself at Hyderabad after ten years as the favourites drew a blank in the four major races. The Saturday belonged to S. Padmanabhan, the rising star in the trainers' firmament, who sent out the winners of the Sprinters' Classic as well as the Stayers' Classic. Two 15/1 long shots fought out the finish of the Sprinters' Classic and Niall McCullagh, astride Lyrical Bid, snatched the verdict on the post by a short-head from Continental. The longer race, too, provided a stirring finish with Malesh Narredu on Moment of Glory pipping Ace Academy at the wire. The first and the last race of the day were won by favourites but all others went to outsiders. There were only two successful tickets on the Jackpot.

Fancied horses won the first four races on Sunday only to be followed by a double whammy in the two feature events. The Indian Derby winner Star Supreme was an odds-on favourite for the Invitation Cup but he veered out badly at the final bend. That allowed his bracket-mate, the Indian Oaks winner Forest Fantasy to win the race easily from Archimedes and the favourite. The first three post were all sired by Razeen. Jimmy Fortune, who was on Star Supreme, made amends in the very next race as Avalanche Star won the Super Mile from the word "Go". Both the big race winners were owned by Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy who led-in half a dozen winners over the week-end. Dallas Todywalla emulated trainer S. Padmanabhan by saddling Forest Fantasy and Avalanche Star. The latter had raced previously at Calcutta and it was his first race in Todywalla's charge.

A runner in the Stayers' Classic the previous day was the former Invitation Cup winner Ministerial. He finished last, pulled up lame and was put down. The Ministerial Trophy had already been scheduled to be run on Sunday. It became a posthumous tribute to a fine horse.

ZURBARAN'S YEAR

The 2002-03 Invitation Cup week-end was preponed by a week to allow the dignitaries and officials to attend the Asian Racing Conference, held that year at Auckland, New Zealand.  On Saturday, trainer Michael Eshwer won the Stayers' Cup as well as the Sprinters' Cup through Bay of Angels and Bryce Canyon. Both the horses were owned by the Mumbai-based Jhangianis though Eshwer was training in Bangalore. In the Stayers' Cup, Bay of Angels easily put six lengths between herself and the previous year's Invitation Cup winner The Pelican who had started as the favourite. Bryce Canyon, though had to really stretch out to earn half a length victory over Palazzio in the shorter race.

None the worse for her exertions of the previous day, Palazzio lined up for the Super Mile on Sunday. Malesh Narredu piloted his second Gr.1 winner of the week-end as Palazzio easily put it across Shamaal. The ultimate ambition -- or a dream if you like -- of any professional, owner or breeder is to sweep all the four Gr.1s at one week-end. Palazzio's win meant that Poonawalla Farms were now verge of achieving it because Bay of Angels, Bryce Canyon and Palazzio were all bred at their establishment. With the Indian Derby winner Noble Eagle, favourite Classical Act and the Bangalore Oaks winner Society Dream --  all Poonawalla-breds -- among the 15 runners who lined up for the Invitation Cup, they stood a good chance of making history. The bid was foiled by the Nanoli Stud-bred Zurbaran who scored a battling victory over Fabulous Star with Rose Garden and Amber Regent filling the other places in the frame.

YEAR OF SWEEPING SUCCESS

When Red Fairy won the opening race of the week-end at the odds of 20/1, the punters must have feared the worst. Some more long shots did pop up but the favourites came good in half the races run over the two days and the four Gr.1s were equally divided between favourites and well-backed horses. Oasis Star showed what a splendid 'flyer' she was by running a sub-1 min 10 secs sprint. She re-appeared on Sunday and won the N.H. & Dolly Dhunjibhoy Million even more comfortably. She broke the track record on consecutive days, recalling the feat of Bergamo in 1985. The track was certainly fast and Arabian Knight clipped almost six seconds off the old record when winning the Stayers' Cup by a cosy four lengths.

If the two Gr.1s on Saturday resulted in easy wins, the camera was required to decide the winner in the two on Sunday. Malesh Narredu, riding a Gr.1 winner at the third consecutive Hyderabad Invitation week-end, had to pull out all stops to triumph by a short-head on the favourite Diego Rivera in the Super Mile. The Invitation Cup had ten runners with half of them ridden by foreign jockeys including the Indian Derby winner Hotstepper, the mount of Frankie Dettori. The victory, however, went to B. Prakash astride Sweeping Success as the filly spared a neck to the Calcutta challenger Regal Connection. For the first time, no previous Invitation Cup winner was on hand to grace the occasion. 

AUTONOMY'S YEAR

The 2009 Indian Turf Invitation Cup almost did not happen. Towards the end of 2018 Pune season, a mysterious equine virus was detected and this led to a country-wide ban on movement of horses. Most winter seasons commenced late and the one at Mahalakshmi started only on 31 January. It was Mumbai's turn host the Invitation Cup week-end but in the truncated season, no place was found in the Prospectus for the traditional invitational races. Some breeders worked whole-heartedly, the Hyderabad Race Club came to their aid and the invitational races were shoe-horned in a single day's programme towards the end of October and run on the monsoon track..

Thus, Hyderabad became the first centre to host back-to-back Invitation Cups. The card of eight races run on 25 October 2009 included the four traditional races. Trainer Padmnabhan had a field day winning half the races including the Super Mile. Earlier in the day Oasis Star became the second speedster  -- after Klairon Gold -- to win two Sprinters' Cups and the first -- and still the only -- one to do so at the same venue. As expected, she broke the track record  Yana won the Stayers' Cup by a staggering ten lengths but Dancing Dynamite had his work cut out to hold Juventus by half a length. The Indian Derby winner Antonios seemed the form horse especially as he had added the Indian St. Leger, Gr.1 to his page and was the best backed of six runners for the Invitation Cup. The victory, however, went Autonomy and all credit should go to his jockey Y.S. Srinath who brought home his mount by a neck despite saddle having slipped.It was Srinath's second Gr.1 of the day having been aboard Oasis Star earlier. It sealed trainer Bezan Chenoy's double, the veteran trainer having also saddled Yana.

ALAINDAIR'S YEAR

The 2014 Invitation Cup week-end kicked as usual on a Saturday and the punters burnt their fingers badly as only three favourites obliged in eight races. Most crushing were the victories of Astapi in the Stayers' Cup at the odds of 20/1 and Nefyn , a 15/1 shot, in the Sprinters' Cup. Like Oasis Star before him, Nefyn won his second Sprinters' Cup in two years though his first had come at Calcutta. Both Nefyn and Oasis Star were sired by Manjri' Stud stallion Senure. The result of both the big races was announced only after the camera was consulted and in both the verdict went against a better backed runner.

Hyderabad had another first to its credit when heavy rains caused Sunday's racing to be abandoned midway through the card with both the Gr.1s slated for that day yet to be run.   Those two were included in the card of the following Saturday's racing. It was to the advantage of Marrinsky who had finished a close fourth in the Sprinters' Cup as a favourite for it gave her more time to recoup when seeking redemption in the Super Mile. Mariinsky, however, could not profit from it as her stable-mate Amelia came good. The Invitation Cup that year had drawn a strong field sixteen starters -- there were no runners from Chennai -- and it included winners of the Derbies at Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore and Hyderabad as well as a former Invitation Cup winner in Tintinnabulation. The favourite, however, was Muroi. Unfortunately, Muroi came a cropper as the field approached the final bend and was later put down. Since Manitou won the first ever Invitation Cup held in Hyderabad in 1978, no Indian Derby winner had won at Hyderabad. Cordon Bleu (1988) and Astronomic (1993), of course, did not participate in 1993 but every other Indian Derby had floundered at Malkapet. Alaindair set that record straight as a scored a stylish victory over Agostini and Tintinnabulation.

PAST THE POST
 
1982-83 (5 & 6 March 1983)

Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1 -- KLAIRON GOLD (Evens, fav) (Wally Swinburn) (S. Mangalorkar) Verdict: 3 3/4, 4 1/2, 2 Time: 1.13.2
Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 -- MOSSY BANKS (5/1, 2nd fav) (P. Cook) (R.R. Byramji) Verdict: 4, 3/4, Shd Time: 3.21.4
Charminar Challenge Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- COLUMBIA (8/1, 3rd fav) (Wally Swinburn) (D.P. Pandole) Verdict: 1 3/4, 2, 3 1/2 Time: 2.32.8
Charminar Challenge Super Mile, Gr.1 -- CAMINO (4/10, fav) (S. Craine) (R.R. Byramji) Verdict:2, 3/4, 4 Time: 1.41.4

1987-88 (5 & 6 March 1988)

Charminar Challenge Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1 -- TIME AND PLACE (Warren Singh) (Z. Darashah) Verdict: 8, nk, 2 1/2 Time: 1.14.6
Charminar Challenge Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 -- ARDILES (R. Corner) (H. David) Verdict: Dist, 2 1/2, Nk Time 3.21.6
Golconda Super Mile Cup, Gr.1 -- WHOPPER (P. Shroff) (Uttam Singh) Verdict: 1 1/2, 4 1/2, 2 1/2 Time: 1.42.2 
Charminar Challenge Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- OWN BEAUTY (L. Marshall) (A.B. David) Verdict: 8 1/2, 1 1/2, 6 1/4 Time: 2.33.4

1992-93 (6 & 7 March 1993)

Stayers' Classic, Gr.1 --  FLIRTING VISION (13/10, fav) (R. Corner) (J. Foley) Verdict:  3 1/2, Dist  Time: 3.16.2 (Record)
Sprinters' Classic, Gr.1 --  ESCAPADE (11/10, fav) (V. Shinde) (B. Chenoy) Verdict:1/2, Hd, 4  Time: 1.12 (Record)
Super Mile Cup, Gr.1 --  GOODFELLAS  (12/1) (G. Hind) (J. Stephens)  Verdict: 2, 3 1/2, 2 1/2  Time: 1.39
Classic Indian Turf Invitation -- ADLER (7/10, fav) (P.Shroff) (R.R. Byramji)  Verdict: 1/2, 1 3/4, 5  Time: 2.31.2 (Record)

1997-98 (28 February and 1 March 1998)

Sprinters' Classic, Gr.1 -- LYRICAL BID (15/1) (N. G. McCullagh) (S. Padmanabhan)  Verdict: Shd, 1 1/4, Nk  Time: 1.113.4
Stayers' Classic, Gr.1 -- MOMENT OF GLORY (4/1, 2nd fav) (M. Narredu) (S. Padmanabhan)  Verdict: Nk, 2 1/2, 4 Time:3.16.6
Classic Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- FOREST FANTASY (15/1)  (S. Narredu) (D. Todywalla)  Verdict: 1 1/4, 5, 7 Time: 2.30 (Record)
Super Mile Cup, Gr.1 -- AVALANCHE STAR (12/1) (J. Fortune) (D. Todywalla)  Verdict: 1 1/4, 2, 4  Time: 1.38.6 (Record) 
  
2002-03 (22 & 23 February 2003)

Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 -- BAY OF ANGELS (9/4, fav) (M. Narredu) (M. Eshwer) Verdict: 6, 2 1/1, Hd  Time: 3.30.5
Deccan Bookmakers' Association Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1 -- BRYCE CANYON (15/1) (Y.S.Srinath) (M. Eshwer)  Verdict: 1/2, 2 1/2, Nk  Time: 1.12
Maj. P.K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile Cup, Gr.1 -- PALAZZIO (4/1) (M. Narredu) (C.D. Katrak)  Verdict: 2 1/2, 3/4, 1 3/4 Time: 1.37.75 (Record)
Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- ZURBARAN (7/1) (M. Dwyer) (S. Padmanabhan)  Verdict: 1 1/4, 4, Hd  Time 2.28.84 (Record)

2007-08  (1 & 2 March 2008)

Deccan Bookmakers' Association Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1 -- OASIS STAR (9/10, fav) (Y.S. Srinath) (C.D. Katrak)  Verdict: 2 1/2, 1/2, 2  Time !.09.73 (Record)
Deccan Bookmakers' Association Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 -- ARABIAN KNIGHT (7/1) (S. Fargeat) (J.S. Dhariwal)  Verdict: 4, 1 1/4, Nk  Time 3.10.58 (Record)
Maj. P.K. Mehra  Memorial Super Mile Cup, Gr.1 -- DIEGO RIVERA (6/4, fav) (M. Narredu)  (P. Shroff)  Verdict: Shd, 1 1/4, Nk   Time: 1.37.1 (Record)
Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- SWEEPING SUCCESS (6/1) (B. Prakash) (S. Ganapathy)  Verdict: Nk, 1 3/4, Hd  Time: 2.29.52

2008-09 (25 October 2009)

Nanoli Stud and Breeders' Sprinter's Cup, Gr.1 -- OASIS STAR (Y.S. Srinath) (C.D. Katrak)  Verdict: 1 1/2, 5, 1/2  Time: 1.12.26 (Record)
Poonawalla Stud Farms and Breeders' Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 -- YANA (I. Chisty) (B. Chenoy)  Verdict: 10, 2, 1 3/4  Time: 3.12.33 (Record)
Usha Stud Farm and Breeders' Maj. P.K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile Cup, Gr.1 -- DANCING DYNAMITE (C. Rajendra) (S. Padmanabhan)  Verdict: 1/2, 3, 5 Time: 1.38.88 (Record)
Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- AUTONOMY (Y.S. Srinath) (B. Chenoy)  Verdict: Nk, 2, 3/4  Time 2.36.62

2013-14 (1 & 8 March 2014) 

Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 -- ASTAPI (20/1) (J.H. Christopher) (Altamash Ahmed)  Verdict: Hd, 1/2, 6 3/4  Time:3.11.87
Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1 -- NEFYN (15/1) (J. Fortune) (B Chenoy) Verdict: Hd, Shd, 1  Time 1.10.59
Maj. P.K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile, Gr.1 -- AMELIA (S. Zervan) (P. Shroff)  Verdict: 1, Shd, Nk  Time: 1.37.10
Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 -- ALAINDAIR (15/4) (Y.S. Srinath) (Altamash Ahmed)  Verdict: 1 1/4, 2 1/4, 1 1/2  Time: 2.29.88