That the Calcutta track is virtually Christopher Alford’s backyard was evident from the manner in which he piloted his two mounts (Ballibay and Agent Archie) to victory with supreme confidence. His utter disdain for his rivals on his home ground would have made Sir Alex proud had he been playing for Man United. Fourteen runners vying for The El Cid Cup made it a tricky affair. Calcutta’s infamous hairpin and short straight always gives the shivers if one’s ward is not positioned favourably at the top of the home turn. Agent Archie (Glory Of Dancer-Hunan) was pretty much closeted as Accardo called the shots with Glorious Invention and Cuba Libre on his outside.

Alford was a shade fortunate as he took the shortest route home when Rajinder atop the front-runner could well have made things difficult for him by closing the opening. But the forceful lad that he is, Alford ultimately got his way. The story did not end there. Shafiq Khan-trained Carmen produced an astounding gallop and looked as if she may overhaul the Vijay Singh colt. That’s where Alford brought his immense experience into play. He kept his wits about him and ultimately prevailed quite comfortably much to the relief of followers of money. Earlier Alford had opened his account atop Ballibay (Alnasr Alwasheek-Bay Of Angels) in very similar fashion in the race for The Antequera Handicap. Allowing the likes of Ballantyne and Ashridge to show the way till the straight, Ballibay was taken along the rails for an effortless victory.

The sudden withdrawal of the favourite Cee Four from The SIDPL Kolkata Cup was a major blow for trainer Patrick Quinn and his connections. Catchphrase (Burden Of Proof-Catchfire) and Incanto Bliss shared the betting but ultimately it was Incanto Bliss who became the punters’ choice. A Imran Khan on the favourite was on a start-to-finish but near the distance post, Paul Mulrennan brought the property of Dr. Vijay Mallya with a great flourish to land the spoils. Shafiq Khan-trained Chief Justice (Epicentre-Dukhtar-E-Shama) continued to baffle the handicapper as he completed a hat-trick in partnership with jockey Shailesh Shinde. The vastly improved chestnut gelding was penalized 4 kg for his last narrow victory over Xavier and Riding Fantasy. The favourite Washington Irvine had no answer to his onslaught while the second favourite Caravaggio was done in by the heavy impost.

The win would suggest that the chances of Riding Fantasy and Xavier seeing the winning post now are brighter. The outstation riding talent during the afternoon did not disappoint. Jockeys Rajinder, Culhane and Mulrennan each pocketed a race. Top-weight rider Rajinder did wonderfully well to get the better of runaway Leopardino while astride Pine Valley (Ontario-Mystery Mood). He gradually improved the position of the Jaiswal-trained colt and coaxed a rousing gallop out of him near home. The once highly rated colt could very well pick up one more race. The upper division of The Sun Ray Handicap saw Bernadino installed as the firm favourite despite this being his maiden start. He finished full of running to lock Krptonite and Accomplish in a blanket finish.

The race was claimed by Robert Gowli-trained Krptonite (Bee’s Prospector-Fushia) with jockey M Krishna astride. The lower division of the same race saw the Patrick Quinn-trained Ocean Clipper (Ontario-Scarborough) make it a start-to-finish affair in Culhane’s hands. The ante-post favourite Raphael was always there but the fancied sprinter showed too much early speed. Culhane’s stick ensured that the filly did not relax. The final event of the afternoon saw the costliest failure of the day in the form of Il Bronzino. The even-money runner from Pesi Shroff’s yard was never in it. Rank outsider Credit Ease (China Visit-Safari Girl) from Bharath Singh’s yard kept Hadrian at bay as Malcolm Maseyk very elatedly passed the winning post. Had Regal Bearing been ridden with a little more astuteness, she could well have edged out aged Secret Hero for the third spot.