The withdrawal of even-money favourite Major Wager from the contest made his task easier but Nosher Cama trained Royal Panache chose a different style of running to finally find his way to the winner’s enclosure. Half the trick for Royal Panache was done when Nosher decided to do away with all the paraphernalia that had been experimented with on his charge till date. The remaining half of the job was done when Royal Panache (Royal Kingdom – Au Panache) was given a free rein by Neeraj Rawal and allowed to call the shots. The proof that the bay gelding relished this entire exercise was seen when he won the race right from the word go. Not once during the nine-furlong journey did Royal Panache allow any of his four rivals to challenge his supremacy and left only the crumbs for them to fight for. Neeraj was earlier associated with the success of Rehanullah Khan schooled Algo Mas (Cruachan – Ganadora) who also won from start-to-finish over a six-furlong sprint. The filly stayed the course despite the futile attempts of both Golden Spurs and Queens Court to overhaul the winner. Modesty seemed out of sorts but punters had an inkling of the fate that awaited this Dallas Todywalla trained filly when her odds started to drift in the betting ring. Modesty ran accordingly and failed to figure on the judges’ board. Faisal Abbas had a profitable double when Zarzaitine and Lago Medio scored in quick succession. Zarzaitine (Diffident – Sensuality) made her intentions clear right at the start when K. P. G. Appu seized the running and won untroubled. In this race too the chances of Nitrous winning the race got slimmer and slimmer or so was the feeling that came from the bookies ring when all the money flowed in one direction and that was towards Zarzaitine. Sleight of Hand laboured hard to catch the winner but didn’t succeed and had to be content with the third berth behind Nitrous. Zarzaitine gave Appu a virtual armchair ride but he had to sweat hard astride Lago Medio to nail Dancing Diva and The Brave Heart, who committed hara-kiri by chasing each other. The inexperience of Neeraj Rawal also contributed to Dancing Diva’s downfall. He was unable to spur the filly to gain the upper hand over The Brave Heart who once again wanted to put the spanner in the works of the fancied runners. Lago Medio meanwhile ranged alongside the leaders after responding gallantly to the call of Appu and sealed the fate of both Dancing Diva and The Brave Heart in the shadow of the winning post. The Dominator ran a tame fourth while the rest “also ran”. Two rookie riders, Shailesh Shinde and Akash Agarwal, were given an opportunity by S. S. Shah and Narendra Lagad respectively to show their skills at the start of the day. Both youngsters acquitted themselves well. Shailesh hit the front with Holiday Date (Concordial – Sparkling Cyanide) in the curtain raiser and kept his cool by pushing him hard when Gatravat tried to intimidate him. Holiday Date didn’t succumb till the end to earn another bracket within a week. Raiba and Born To Lead followed runner-up Gatravat home. Akash showed great courage in bringing Catalunya (Binkhaldoun – Cats Concert) through a narrow gap in the final furlong and taking Gold Craze by surprise in her last stride. Mr. Majestic was outpaced a long way from home and he ended third well ahead of Charlie Parker. The victory of Bridge Too Far (Inner City – Loveable Lady) in the last race didn’t bring any comfort for the bookmakers, who suffered a complete washout during the day. The Shiraz Sunderji saddled gelding was ably supported by Amyn Merchant in his maiden success. Open Season and Latest News chased the winner all the way but in vain. Sam Aldo completed the frame. Tullamore was the best of the beaten brigade.