The climax of a long and entertaining card of nine races was the running of the Calcutta 2000 Guineas. The mile classic was incident-free and went according to the script. Tintoretto and Hall Of Glory shot out of the gates like scalded cats and set a scorching pace. The also-ran Arbroath and Strike A Deal held on to the next two berths till about the half-way mark but decided to call it a day when the on-money favourite Xisca and 5/1 second favourite Record Breaker made their moves. Even before the distance post, Pesi Shroff-trained Xisca (China Visit-Altimara) was cruising and could be spotted a winner long way from home. Christopher Alford on Record Breaker had to use the stick freely to snatch the runner-up berth at the post from stablemate Hall Of Glory.

After the race, jockey B. Prakash who piloted Xisca to her second classic triumph, opined that the daughter of China Visit out of Altimara was the best of her sex in the country today – I am not sure that supporters of Siachen will agree to go with that. However, trainer Pesi Shroff lent credence to that claim when he corroborated it and said that she will run in both the Calcutta Oaks and Derby. One can’t help wondering what Alice Springs will be doing in those two races. One would have thought that he would have split forces as he did in the Guineas. However, if Alice Springs chooses to run in both the mile-and-half classics as well, then it will be a treat to watch for punters as the property of Dr. Vijay Mallya may prove to be quite a handful for the joint property of Deboo and Dhunjibhoy. Railbirds and the racing media can only hope that such a mouth-watering clash does ultimately come about in both major classics which are spaced within a fortnight of one another.

The supporting event, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy provided one of four upsets during the day. The on-money Aerator ran a good race and threatened to surge ahead after the distance post but Javed Khan-trained Poles Apart (Black Cash-Winning Spurs) was in receipt of 4 kg from the top-weight and that proved to be a deciding factor. Dashrath Singh had him racing in third slot and raised a winning gallop to win it quite comfortably.

Trainer Patrick Quinn was in his element on this afternoon as he pocketed a lucrative double - which found backers among those who were in the know. His Sea Cat was the piping hot favourite to lift the Cavalry Cup with Culhane astride. The property of the Wadhawans was taken to the helm of affairs early and was making a beeline for the winning post – but alas, he started shortening his strides, much to the chagrin of his backers. Aged stablemate Italian Striker (Ajaad-Crystal Sky) was ridden purposefully by Sk Israil to lift the cup close home. Charulata edged out Sea Cat for the runners up berth.

In the very next event, the 2000 metres race for the Maharaja Dhiraja Uday Chand Mahtab Of Burdwan Memorial Cup, Quinn’s Rising Hero (Storm Trooper- Naval Guardian) rose to the occasion. Despite the top-weight, he was given a measured ride by B. Mahesh while the on-money favourite Aamar Kaku was given too much to do too late. Sangoma’s early pace was quite hot and the bottom-weight was seen to struggle to make up the leeway before heads turned for home. In the lower division of The Mandrake Handicap, Accardo’s superior class was too much to handle for the favourite Antares. The latter was given a copybook ride by Dashrath but the winner (who had matched strides with the best as a three-year-old) was given a thorough preparation by trainer Vikash Jaiswal. In his final mock race, the colt by Flitch out of Crown Dancer quite easily accounted for Rithambhra (who is currently in class II).

The runner-up will be a superior force to reckon with after this forward run and may go one better next time if judiciously placed. In the upper division, the on-money favourite Petra (Ikhtyar-Indiscretion) from Pesi Shroff’s yard, justified his favouritism with a win – but only just. B. Prakash had to bring all his experience into play, as she held on by the skin of her teeth as Perseverance made a bold bid for victory despite 61kg on his back. Unforntunately, Aajaa Nachle, who brought the field into the straight, burst a blood vessel.

After changing stables, Shafiq Khan-schooled Chief Justice (Epicentre-Dukhtar-E-Shama) has shown considerable improvement. He notched up his second consecutive win thanks to Shailesh Shinde keeping his wits about him as first the favourite Riding Fantasy and then Xavier issued their challenges in the upper division of The Bengal Area Cup. The winner did well to take the penalty of 6.5 kg in his stride. The lower division of the same race was won in a canter by Born To Fly (China Visit-Born To Dance). Jockey C. Alford took the Darius Byramji-trained three-year-old to the front early in the race and showed a clean pair of heels. The best of the rest was Regal Classic. Too bad for the latter that he caught a tartar in Born To Fly.