Trainer Aashay Doctor’s five-year-old mare Misty (Cougar Mountain – Smoke Ring) made the Scruples Cup a start-to-finish affair in the hands of Antony Raj at RCTC on Saturday. However, Mathangi issued a strong challenge in the final furlong and went down narrowly. The ante-post favourite - stablemate of the winner, Bharat, was a lacklustre fifth. The win completed a double for Aashay and Antony as they had earlier been successful with the on-money public choice Global Fashion (Sedgefield – Spark Of Silver) in the opener. The grey drifted a little wide in the straight and yet won from Aretha. Three other professionals completed a brace on the day. They were jockeys Imran Chisty and Vishal Bunde, and trainer Sabeel Shariff.

Imran Chisty guided home Rutherford Alford trained Swift Lady  (be Safe – Lady College) to a fairly comfortable victory over Jean Lafette in The Best Of The Blues Handicap. Stablemate of the winner Diamond Gold set a cracking pace and is one for the notebook. Chisty completed his double with S. Waheed-trained Victorious Omen in the Quincy Handicap after the withdrawal of the highly strung filly Rosalia who was the on-money ante-post favourite. The light-weight filly Victorious Omen by Roderic O’Connor out of Classic Sky sprung into action after the turning for home where she quite easily collared the front-running Sky Hawk.

Vishal Bunde rode his first winner atop the Sabeel Shariff—trained City Of Joy (Whatsthescript-Kalmana) in the ‘no whips’ race for the upper division of The Night Jar Handicap. It was a tooth and nail battle to the wire with Kindred Spirit. Vishal’s superior punch at the finish won the day. The same trainer-jockey combination won the lower division of the same race in yet another close finish when front-running Bundle of Charm (Excellent Art-Skye Lady) edged out the late-finishing Oishika. The trainer very generously complimented his team for looking after his wards so well during the months of June and July when he was not in the best of health.

The curtain came down with able apprentice Aleemuddin from south India riding a superb race on Good Deeds to the make the 2000 metres race for The Vanitas Handicap a start-to finish affair. The young apprentice did extremely well to control the pace and give the five-year-old mare by Roderic O’Connor out of Remembrance of You a breather near the 800 marker before going great guns and staving off a challenge from the heavily-whipped Jahzara. Trainer Rajesh Narredu said the 5kg allowance of the able apprentice did the trick and we may see the mare again in Monsoon Cup on Sunday provided the ‘terms’ are favourable.