Jockey A. Sandesh, on Sunday, was in one of those destructive moods in the saddle which proved to be costly for his opponents especially in the case of Spanish Eyes, Seneca and Time And Tide. Apart from steering this hat-trick of winners in contests so close that it brought punters on the edge of their seats, Sandesh guided Moonlight Kiss to a runaway victory at the start of day. He experienced a relatively easy job when he recorded an authoritative victory aboard Moonlight Kiss, one of the winning quartet he partnered.
 
The young lad from Matheran, the hill-station which was home to champion rider Vasant Shinde, was seen at his best atop Time And Tide, the prime favourite to win the Akkasaheb Maharaj Trophy. When the starter’s flag came down for the day’s main attraction run over six-furlongs, it was second-in-demand Credence, who decided to exploit her initial speed and hit the front after succeeding in her bid to seize the initiative from an equally speedy customer, Dream Seller. The bottom-weighted filly’s dominance was ended by C. Umesh-driven Dream Seller while passing the halfway mark with Magileto and Time And Tide waiting for their turn to splash on to the scene. Dream Seller was in command till inside the last furlong where G. Vivek brought Magileto with a sustained run to put his head in front. Meanwhile, Nirad Karanjawala-saddled Time And Tide (Dali - Starlet) crept closer all the time leading to a see-saw battle with Magileto, which went all the way down to the wire. The climax of this fight saw Sandesh’s powerful finish snatch a short-head verdict in the last stride. Market King gained momentum in the straight but not enough to threaten the chances of the first two finishers. However, he beat Dream Seller for the third spot close home.
 
In a similar tight finish witnessed earlier in the day, Sandesh helped Spanish Eyes survive a scare from Axlrod in the Amjad Khan Trophy. In a start-to-finish bid, Chardikala took charge of the running for the seven-furlong event with Lord And Master, Fable and Spanish Eyes following her behind. Sandesh timed his move to perfection and applied pressure on Spanish Eyes before approaching the final bend. Dallas Todywalla-groomed Spanish Eyes (Excellent Art - Irish Bailey) steadily improved her position to tackle Chardikala, who succumbed to her rival’s onslaught less than a furlong away from home. Though Spanish Eyes could not break free from the pack, Sandesh kept her going under the whip to escape the clutches of Axlrod who, along with owner-mate Vincero, made a late dash towards the wire but missed his goal by a whisker. Vincero ended in the money ahead of Chardikala.
 
Another power-packed riding effort from Sandesh enabled the bay colt Seneca to overcome El Moran’s resistance in the first division of the Dinkoo Chinoy Salver, a sprint event for maiden juveniles. Aeon Flux sped past El Moran following a brief skirmish after the gates opened and called the shots till entering the final run-in. The two fancied runners El Moran and Seneca swiftly collared Aeon Flux and soon ensued a fierce duel for supremacy. Umesh-piloted El Moran fought gallantly to retain his lead but Sandesh got Seneca (Deauville – Nijinsky Star) to prevail in the last few strides. Aeon Flux and Trail Blazer followed them home.
 
Moonlight Kiss from Narendra Lagad’s yard did not give Sandesh much trouble as she smashed her way to victory after stalking leader She’s A Teaser till the field turned for home. Moonlight Kiss (Surfrider – Melinda) showed tremendous acceleration to storm into the lead and the race was as good as over with more than a furlong still left to travel. Empower took the runner-up berth ahead of favourite The Athabasca, who was outpaced throughout. She’s A Teaser faded out to be fourth. Star Romance ran far below expectations when failing to figure on the judges’ board.
 
Pesi Shroff-schooled Odysseus gave a tenacious display to claim the Lemon Tree Hotels Trophy. Alpine Star went to the front and showed the way in the five-horse field that took off for the mile and quarter trip with Odysseus racing close on his heels. Neeraj Rawal shifted gears on Odysseus when approaching the final stretch and soon overhauled Alpine Star. Neeraj then used his whip freely to keep Odysseus on course after his owner-mate Regina Memorabilis put his chances in peril. Although the Imtiaz Sait-nursed filly with Vivek in the saddle appeared poised to overtake her rival, Odysseus (Ulysses – Hidden Valley) dug into his reserves and lasted out to win by a neck. Pride’s Prince and Exuma trailed behind.
 
The bay gelding Eagle Eye was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the lower division of the Dinkoo Chinoy Salver and the Prasanna Kumar trainee did not disappoint his supporters. Jockey K. Sai Kiran allowed Allez L’etoile to head the field but only till the two-furlong marker where Eagle Eye (Gusto - Mahasuvi) surged ahead to wrap up the race. Allez L’etoile ran second whilst Running Away and Sakana took the other two minor places.
 
Speak The Breed (Speaking of Which – Natalma) finally had her say albeit in the lowest class and took easy toll of her rivals in the concluding race in which Sandesh’s charm failed to work on favourite Goldiva. Apprentice Aditya Waydande rode the Imtiaz Sait trained filly well off the pace as Taabir and Yuletide headed the field with Goldiva sitting well up with them. Speak The Breed, who graced the wrong end of the field along with Daianne and High Ground, moved steadily to range alongside Yuletide in the straight and skipped away for an effortless win. Daianne and High Ground ran on to be second and third ahead of Yuletide.
 
Rank outsider Little John, who was sporting blinkers on this occasion, gave a remarkable performance to register the biggest upset of the day in the Rotary District 3131 September Handicap. Yash Narredu-partnered The Enforcer, installed as favourite once again, went straight down to business and stayed in the reckoning till he led the field into the straight. Umesh-steered Phantasmique, who had been in pursuit of the front-runner from the start, went past the weakening favourite The Enforcer when the field straightened for home. Meanwhile, Little John unleashed a terrific turn of foot at the top of the home stretch and manoeuvred his way through the closely bunched field ahead and, despite cutting an erratic course, the Todywalla trainee threw a strong challenge at Phantasmique. In a matter of seconds thereafter, Haridas Gore-steered Little John (Excellent Art – Alpha Centauri) had the measure of the leader and went on to record his maiden win. Hard-ridden Phantasmique held on to the runner-up spot from late-finishing Caradoc whilst Juracan ended fourth.