A couple of heavy showers prior to the start of the races on Tuesday left the monsoon track on the softer side. This may have aided several milers who were running six and seven furlong sprints.Trainer Aashay Doctor and his trusted knight Yash Narredu stole the show with a popular quadruple which comprised the winners Nomitsi, Zuma, Meropi and Tess. Sharing the honours with them was trainer Mahesh who led in a brace – Cristaldo and Kindred Spirit. The afternoon’s main event –The Aerona Handicap – saw the four-year-old filly Meropi (Western Aristocrat-Panamera) trounce the opposition. Tracking front-running Kiefer till the straight, she left the field standing to ultimately win by a distance.

One race earlier, the grey filly Zuma (Sir Cecil – Forest Vision) had got the better of the course favourite Lady Sunshine by the shortest of margins in the Arcade Handicap. Rather surprisingly, the professionals connected with the losing favourite failed to lodge an objection after much boring and bumping by Zuma near the 100 metres marker. Apparently, the warped logic was that as Lady Sunshine had headed Zuma about fifty metres from home and Zuma came on again to win it by a nose, the result would have stood. This means that if Hindu Singh had not ridden out his mount and lost the race by half a length or so, he would have more than likely got the race in the Stewards room. This twisted logic encourages riders who have been bumped and bored in the straight not to ride out their mounts thereafter as they stand a much better chance of gaining the verdict in the Stewards Room! There’s no doubt that Lady Sunshine was knocked out of her stride at the 100m marker. It was mandatory for the professionals concerned to lodge an objection. What happens thereafter is left to be seen. By refraining from lodging an objection, they are doing grave injustice to the punters, if nobody else.

Aashay’s first winner of the day was the three-year-old colt  Nomitsi (Dreamfield -Actual) who won the Satellite Cup as he liked after collaring the pace-setter Chililady. Aged Suparakiga was an eye-catching runner-up and one for the notebook. Aashay and Yash brought the curtain down by bagging the Flemenco Star Handicap with the filly Tess (Letir Mor – Lombardia) who got the better of course favourite Cyrenaica after a keen tussle in the straight.

Trainer B Mahesh sprung a surprise with his bay gelding Cristaldo (Win Legend-Abnoba) who is known to be a forward miler and had the benefit of a top-weight lung-opener in the lower class. With P Surya on his back, he edged out fancied runnersVinalia and Into The Sorm in the race for the upper division of the Dominate Handicap.Mahesh completed his double with Kindred Spirit (Mondialiste – Singing Bird) who won the lower division of this race without raising a sweat and looks good for a hat-trick.The day’s opener saw the Sabeel Shariff stable land a well-calculated gamble with War Trail (Air Support – Aprilla) – a recent import from the south. Jockey Sai Kiran took no chances and made every post a winning one.