One has to doff one’s hat to trainer Vijay Singh’s big hearted seven-year-old sprinter Multitude (Multidimensional-Haedi) who lifted the Army Cup at RCTC on Boxing Day and in doing so notched up his fifth victory on the trot. This victory took the game sprinter’s career tally to an incredible 23 wins. Permitting Amorous White to cut the wind till three hundred metres from home, Multitude shot ahead and quite easily staved off Sweet Music and Whomakestherules, who occupied the minor placings. While Multitude has been winning ‘terms’ races, two runners who defied the handicapper while winning four consecutive races each were Beatrix and Caiden – both from Shafiq Khan’s yard. The schooler’s placements of his two wards have been impeccable. On this day, both winners were piloted by Imran Chisty.

The afternoon commenced with trainer Richard Alford’s four-year-old filly Houtzen (Dean’s Kitten-Ruby Queen) winning the Genral AS Vaidya Memorial Cup. Bottom-weight Winner’s Delight tried to make ends meet but fell short close home as apprentice RS Bhati on Houtzen set her alight. The victory was Bhati’s 40th winner and makes him a full jockey. Congratulations to him and one hopes that he will ride with the same vigour that he did as an apprentice. It’s easy for young jockeys to get caught in a web,  but with his talent,  that won’t be necessary. He can be successful in his own right.

Jockey Imran Chisty is topping the jockey’s tally table tis season and he showed his class when he rode Beatrix (Decado-Brilliance) off the pace for the first time. It paid rich dividends as the filly defied her penalty to notch up her fourth triumph in a row. Course favourite Starofhollywood faded out in the straight to finish a tame fifth. Avellino continued to earn his corn bill without hoisting a winning flag in his last four outings. As they say – try, try and try again – and you are sure to hit pay dirt sooner or later.

Imran Chisty would have had a treble for the day had Javed Khan-trained Devine Chakra not buckled in the final stride to course favourite Namiki (Total Gallery-Cordoba). Jockey CS Jodha rode a powerful finish on the latter to bring home the bacon by a nose. Trainer Vijay Singh’s Hukumat was the favourite for the Sookias Cup but it was his other three-year-old Gaurish (Top Class-Nano Belle) who put his best foot forward in this ‘No Whips’ race. Apprentice Hasib Alam did the honours.

The curtain came down with Shafiq Khan-trained Caiden (Net Whizz- Kentucky Queen) displaying his staying prowess to pocket the mile-and-half race for the MB Medhora Cup. Devotion, who was receiving 5.5kg from the winner, was a good second after calling the shots all the way till close home.