The five-year old bay gelding Supernatural was back to his winning ways after eight disappointing runs since his success in the Ramniwas Ramnarain Ruia Gold Trophy last year. It was amply clear beforehand that the outcome of the Madras Race Club Trophy would be of academic interest as the two contestants in the three-horse race had no realistic chance of beating the hot favourite Supernatural. Not surprisingly, Pesi Shroff-schooled Supernatural (Multidimensional – Psychic Light) simply mowed down his two rivals on his comeback trail. Trevor Patel held Supernatural in check as Kamaria set a moderate pace with Truly Epic on her heels. The scenario changed only when Kamaria entered the home stretch with Truly Epic trying to gain the upper hand. However, both of them were going nowhere when Trevor released his grip on his mount. Supernatural swept past his rivals inside the last two furlongs and the race ceased to be a contest thereafter. A yawning gap of nearly a distance separated Supernatural from Truly Epic and Kamaria when he passed the winning post.

Apart from Supernatural, Trevor partnered two facile winners to complete a hat-trick. The four-year old filly Mariana, who had suffered a setback after returning from her Bangalore summer campaign, made it to the winner’s enclosure immediately on relegation to the lowest class. Mariana was ridden well off the pace as no-hopers Away She Goes and Showman showed the way to the field and surrendered the lead to Zarafat as they straightened for home. Zarafat led briefly but Mariana, who was alerted to her task before turning for home, came with a brilliant run to engage him in a tussle which did not last long. Once Mariana (Admiralty – Age Of Elegance) got into her stride, she stretched out beautifully and was eased up before crossing the winning line. Prince O’War ran on to be second ahead of Mighty Wings and Zarafat, who retired to be fourth.

The withdrawal of Endurance on veterinary grounds in the Sonny Brar Trophy paved the way for Malesh Narredu-saddled Eaton Square’s repeat success as he defied the penalty incurred for his maiden success a week ago. For a change, Goldiva not only took a fluent jump from the gates but also went storming into the lead from the barriers. Double Scotch and Idealista followed the leader and had Eaton Square and Alexandros in tow. Goldiva relished running freely in the front and was in command till Eaton Square, who had gradually improved along the way, was breathing heavily down her neck. Eaton Square (Multidimensional – Xisca) forced Goldiva into submission with a strong run and Trevor could once again afford the luxury of easing up his mount much before the winning post arrived. Goldiva finished a faraway second with Double Scotch and Idealista following her home. Both Idealista and Alexandros ran far below par.

Karthik Ganapathy-groomed Gambino lived up to the promise shown during his debut run to claim the Sportsbet.IO Million. The race was decided in a tantalising three-way finish between – Amadeo, Gambino and debutant Pamchavan. CS Jodha-piloted Pamchavan took over the running from Inverness and Gold Caviar who had shot their bolts when taking the final turn. Inside the last two furlongs, Nikhil Parmar-ridden Amadeo was in hot pursuit of Pamchavan while Neeraj Rawal-Gambino looked to be in trouble as he struggled to find his rhythm. Just as Amadeo was poised to overwhelm Pamchavan, Gambino finished on with a powerful burst to nail them both on the winning line. The first three horses were separated by a neck each. Mansa Musa ran on to finish an unextended fourth and should be a different proposition when saddled next.

The well-bred Caliph ran true to his potential though in the lower class to provide Karthik a back to back double. Neglected in the betting as Toofan and Emerald Queen caught the market’s fancy, Caliph raced in the mid-bunch as Lightning Blaze did the menial job of calling the early shots. Toofan who was lurking close behind the leader tried to assert himself in the straight but it was Silver Steps, who came a blazing run to assume command. Caliph progressed well when asked for an effort and drew closer to Silver Steps with every stride. Caliph (Ruler Of The World – Augenblick) was ridden out confidently by R. Ajinkya to catch hold of Silver Steps in the last hundred metres and went on to register a comfortable victory. Silver Steps ended runner-up while Toofan managed to finish in the money ahead of Neilina.

Though long in tooth, the eight-year old mare Cipher still maintains her zest for racing as was proved when she earned some precious stake-money for her connections in the event for older horses. Fiery Red went surging into the lead from the barriers and was still in command in the final furlong. Lord Vader, who was running on demotion and carrying the public’s purse on his back, was ridden out vigorously by Trevor in the straight but he took an agonisingly long time to warm up to his task. When Lord Vader had just about gained the upper hand over Fiery Red, apprentice Haridas Gore-ridden Cipher (Excellent Art – Mooring) stormed on to the scene to overhaul the favourite. The Faisal Abbas nursed mare won sparing just under a length to Lord Vader, who was an identical distance ahead of Fiery Red. Despite being prominent behind the front-runners, Liam failed to quicken but ended a close fourth.

The day started on a disastrous note for punters and ended thus. Narendra Lagad-groomed Alpine Star upset the calculations of the fancied trio – Bubbly Boy, Kariena and Opus Dei, by setting his own pace over the mile event. Despite being ridden flat out by their respective riders, Bubbly Boy, Kariena and Opus Dei were all stunned by the resilience shown by Alpine Star (Surfrider – Snowing) and Mustakim Alam both. Alpine Star managed to evade their onslaught and kept them at bay by a length at the post. Runner-up Opus Dei, who failed to raise a fluent gallop when it mattered most, had his neck in front of Kariena. Bubbly Boy didn’t have the luck of the race as he was denied a clear run close home.

The five-year old mare Nairobi, who was recently in the news for the wrong reasons rather than her talent, surprised her rivals with another resolute performance. Racing under the charge of trainer Vinesh for the first time, apprentice MS Deora-steered Nairobi raced prominently in the front bunch as Golden Rule headed the field but succumbed to the simultaneous onslaught launched by Moment Of Madness, Nairobi and Sentinel. Nairobi finished on strongly to wear down Moment Of Madness and lasted out to survive the late bid of runner-up Dowsabel. Moment Of Madness ended third, a neck ahead of Sentinel. Like Lord Vader, Sentinel lacked the killer instinct and bowed out of the contest far too easily.