It appeared as if the stars were aligned in favour of half-money favourite Shambala as the Nazzak Chenoy trainee found the Seth Ramnath Daga Trophy at his mercy following the withdrawal of Christophany on veterinary grounds. The only visible threat to the chestnut colt’s bid to score his fifth career success in the highest class was Snowfall but the mare was unable to concede 7.5kg to her younger adversary. The two no-hopers in the field of four, Cellini and Son Of A Gun, disputed the lead in the early stages of the seven-furlong event with Shambala waiting to pounce on them whilst Snowfall raced in the rear after a lethargic start. Antony Raj relaxed his grip on Shambala when the heads turned from home and the piping-hot favourite went cruising into the lead with Snowfall making a desperate attempt to catch him. Trevor Patel drove Snowfall vigorously but despite the mare’s valiant effort, Shambala (Planetaire – Ice Cube Baby) held on to the advantage and won by a length and quarter. Son Of A Gun and Cellini trailed behind.
 
The three-year old colt Matisse, who was a victim of severe interference during his previous essay in January last, carried the public purse to victory in the Jimmy Bharucha Salver. Pesi Shroff-saddled Matisse let owner-mate Johnny Mac enjoy the lead and raced on his haunches after the field of nine had sorted itself out shortly after the start. Jockey G. Vivek spurred Matisse (Kingda Ka – Darinza) to seize control of the running inside the last two furlongs and stretched out well to ward off the strong challenge of A. Sandesh-ridden Caradoc close home. Ember Tower and Giant Gold ran third and fourth respectively. Bee Magical was inconvenienced right from the top of the home stretch and was eventually squeezed out of the contest inside the last furlong and half by Abhicandra, who ran green throughout.
 
Last-outing winner Thundering Phoenix gave a gallant response to jockey CS Jodha’s call in the final run-in and rallied well to secure a short-head verdict in the Cursetjee Dhunjishaw Salver. Ultimo from PS Chouhan’s yard, who won over a mile in a pillar-to-post mission earlier, tried to repeat the feat when he hit the front with R. Ajinkya in the saddle and had Lord and Master in pursuit. Just when the winning post came into sight, Ultimo hung out badly in the last furlong which allowed favourite Thundering Phoenix to sneak in through the inner rails. Although Ultimo retained a slender lead after recovering to race on an even keel, he was frustrated in the end as Adhirajsingh Jodha-groomed Thundering Phoenix (Phoenix Tower – Lochness) nailed him in the shadow of the winning post . Alexandros finished a faraway third alongside Lord and Master, who ended fourth. Golden Glow’s performance was clearly out of depth and she appeared to be a pale shadow of herself when finishing a lacklustre fifth.
 
In a performance that looked beyond the expectations of punters, Aman Hussain’s ward Art Collector romped home in style to claim the 1805 Trophy. Although she had never succeeded beyond five-furlongs, the Shazaan Shah-nursed mare Esperanza was surprisingly installed as a joint favourite with Quicker, who was being steered by Trevor on this occasion. Apprentice Aditya Waydande-partnered Esperanza and Aperol were involved in a bitter skirmish to gain the lead from the barriers and went stride for stride till the latter sprinted ahead at the two-furlong marker. Meanwhile, Mustakim Alam had alerted Art Collector (Roderic O’Connor – First And Only One) to his task and the bay gelding finished on with a rattle to go sailing past Esperanza in the last fifty metres. Quicker was outpaced in the early phase of the sprint and warmed up late to finish runner-up, a neck ahead of Ghirardelli. Aperol’s suicidal bid to cut pace with speedy Esperanza proved to be his undoing as he was a spent force in the straight and managed to finish fourth after Esperanza faded out to run fifth.
 
A confident ride from rookie Bharath Singh helped favourite Midnight Express steamroll her opponents in the MH Ahmedbhoy Cup. The even-money favourite raced within striking distance of Maysara and Ocean, who seized the initiative to show the way to the field, till the heads turned for home where the apprentice eased Midnight Express through the opening towards the rails. Mansingh Jadhav-trained Midnight Express (Western Aristocrat – Merlot) stepped the pace and drew away for her third career success with a thumping victory over Ocean, Storm Cloud and Precioso.
 
Seven-year old Remy Red proved to be the best of the lot in the mile-long SA Wahid Plate, the day’s curtain raiser. Entrusted to the 5kg-claimer Waydande, Shazaan Shah-saddled Remy Red stayed in close attendance of leader Major Saab till they approached the final turn. Remy Red (Varenar – Luminous One) surged into the lead when the field was homeward bound and never faced any threat thereafter. Chandrayaan managed to take the second berth ahead of Yuletide with Exotic Star completing the judges’ frame of four. Well-fancied The Flutist ran hopelessly throughout.
 
Bottom-weighted Golden Rule was ably assisted by apprentice S. Siddharth as the mare lasted out to win from favourite Mriga, who did not have the luck of the race and also lacked adequate support in the saddle. Mriga was hampered by Star Impact and Rising Power both as the field jumped out of the gates following which the apprentice Abhishek Mhatre-piloted filly was unfavourably placed till the heads turned for home. Meanwhile, Purple Martini slipped into the lead with Golden Rule on her haunches and Star Impact and She’s A Teaser close behind. Purple Martini was tackled by Golden Rule (Roderic O’Connor – Bid For Gold) in the final hundred metres with Siddharth driving her to safety and just managing to win from Mriga and Star Impact. Mriga failed to raise a fluent gallop under pressure until Mhatre put down his whip but despite the B. Prithviraj trainee’s brilliant effort towards the end, she had to settle for the second place, a nose separating her from the winner. Star Impact and Sussing ran third and fourth respectively. After the conclusion of the day’s races, it was learnt that veteran trainer SS Shah had decided to call it a day, bringing to an end his glorious and passionate association of 55 years with the sport.