With the Deepavali festival a few days away, punters were hoping to fill their pockets on the opening afternoon of the Calcutta Cold Weather Meet to ensure a fruitful season ahead. While three favourites did rake in the greenbacks, a couple of rank outsiders and a somewhat neglected seven-year-old named Horse Raddish made it even-stevens. Though the track was well watered and running true, it was a little slow and that didn’t help the cause of the front-runners any.

Trainer Arti Doctor’s Snowberry, riding on her monsoon form, was very much at home in the six-furlong race for the Wandering Angel Cup. She was judiciously piloted by rising-talent Shailesh Shinde to a half-length victory over Entrepreneur who threatened to collar runaway Rithambhra initially but was done in by the acceleration of the younger filly. The day commenced quietly enough with the surprise 5/2 favourite Regal Jewel winning the Areonative Handicap after staving off a persistent Quaoar who drifted out in the closing stages under the whip – not that one would have expected the rider (Haroon) to change his whiphand, considering that Quaoar was the lesser-fancied runner of the two participants from the Jasbir Singh stable – the other being the pace-setter Sea Sprite.

The close second favourite Kamakazi once again finished full of running from the rear of the field to occupy the runner-up berth. The Daniel David-trained favourite had not displayed any form worth mentioning in her monsoon campaign but ‘those in the know’ had a nice touch on her. After travelling in the fifth slot along the rails till the straight, she squeezed through a narrow opening between Sea Sprite and Quaoar to take over the running. Under Imran’s hard riding, she kept trudging along.

The two divisions of the Dark Legend Cup were annexed by the astute John Stephens who accepted with his two aged wards Horse Raddish and Blood Rayne. The duo is known to prefer a longer trip but on this afternoon, they found the track to their liking and the five-and-half furlong scurry suited them to the hilt. In the upper division, Secret Gallop and Apyrous were backed to the exclusion of others. Till the turning for home, they were up with the front-runners but thereafter had to be content to watch Horse Raddish sprint away to a victory with a ridiculous verdict in the hands of Shinde. Six-year-old Blood Rayne had a tougher time in the lower division as Bravo Italiano appeared to break free at the top of the straight. Unfortunately, the four-year-olds in these ‘Four-year-olds and over’ category were not worth their salt.

Avalanche Star, I’ve Done It, Salsa Star and The Gordian Knot were ‘also rans’. The much talked about Ajayajeet finally came good in the Royal Double Handicap. The rig’s initial speed helped him take the shortest route home. While Kishore Kadam’s tearaway tactics last monsoon had fetched him a three-day suspension, it is also a fact that that seven-furlong race helped him win untroubled on this occasion. Flamingo Fantasy gave him a hot chase in the straight but Bath’s youngster kept going on the sluggish turf. The same cannot be said for Bath’s other three-year-old Secret Love who bit the dust in the Azilian Handicap. M Krishna on front-running My Fair Lady failed to maintain a straight course and interfered with the favourite as she was making her run. Nevertheless, she hit the front at the distance post but failed to kick clear.

The completely unfancied pair of Andrology and Black Dahlia swept past her close home. The camera gave the nod to the latter which is trained by Jasbir and was piloted by apprentice Sameer. The curtain came down with Christopher Alford easily claiming the Liberty Handicap with his sole mount of the day – Sing Along from Pesi Shroff’s yard. The fashionably bred filly (a half-sister to Class I runners Alekona and Enceladus) made every post a winning one with consummate ease.