Barring the surprise victories of Ashwa Gypsy and Aeon Flux, punters were treated well by the fancied runners. Dallas Todywalla-nursed Social Butterfly was one of them as she went on to redeem herself in the Hyderabad Race Club Trophy, Sunday’s main event. After being humbled by Dream Seller earlier this month, Social Butterfly gave a solid performance in the hands of Trevor Patel. Pradeep Chouhan’s strategy of assigning a five?kg claimer to Dream Seller to offset the penalty he was carrying did not pay off. Dream Seller, after brushing up to join speedy Credence in the front, zoomed ahead in the straight, but he could not repel Social Butterfly’s assault in the final run-in. Social Butterfly (Excellent Art – Lady Danehill) unleashed a powerful run to overwhelm her tormentor and went sailing clear in the final furlong. Running with fresh legs and a light handicap, Fighton took the runner-up berth, while Market King and Irish Gold came third and fourth, as both Dream Seller and Credence were spent forces.

Pesi Shroff sent out two hot favourites, who obliged without much ado. Rosario was back racing in a handicap event, the Owners’ Trophy, where he asserted his superiority in no uncertain terms. Rosario lay third behind Emperor Roderic and Wind Dancer, who brought the field into the straight. G. Vivek shifted gears and sent Rosario to tackle the leaders. Rosario gathered momentum swiftly and went cruising ahead to record the second straight success of his career, though G. Vivek had to give him a few reminders on the way. Seneca, Shirsa, and Tyrannus took the minor places.

Immediately thereafter, Shroff and Vivek achieved a back-to-back double with Jaandaar. Unlike last time, Shroff’s ward Jaandaar was the odds-on choice to claim the Jimmy Bharucha Salver, a seven-furlong event reserved for juveniles. Latios dictated the terms early on, with Blue Jet and Havoc in close attendance, while Jaandaar ran unconcerned behind them. Soon after entering the straight, Vivek showed Jaandaar the daylight, inspiring the bay colt to swoop down on the leaders. Jaandaar (Earthlight – Dance Awhile) took a couple of backhanders before cantering home for a facile win over Havoc. Pure Soul arrived late on the scene to beat Blue Jet for third place.

The Dady Adenwalla Trophy, reserved for maiden youngsters, witnessed a thrilling finish involving Bravion and Pinnacle, the two fancied runners. Pinnacle came well from the outside draw to grab the lead from Bravion soon after the starter’s flag came down and made every post of the six-furlong a sprint a winning one. Of course, Yash Narredu-driven Pinnacle faced a grim battle as Bravion mounted a fierce challenge when Trevor reminded him of the task that lay ahead. In the ensuing duel, Malesh Narredu-saddled Pinnacle (Land Force – Relaxez Vous) survived to record her maiden win, with Yash doing a confident job in the saddle. Runner-up Bravion was not disgraced and lives to fight for another day. Seize The Grey, Asterion, and Tempo flashed past the post together, finishing in that order.

Faisal Abbas-groomed Undercover, who had been knocking at the doors of success since his debut this season, finally had his call answered in the Trainers Trophy. A. Sandesh kept Undercover in close touch with Absolute Gorgeous, who was sent on a start-to-finish mission by Trevor. However, she was forced into submission by Undercover after Sandesh brought him with a smooth run down the straight. Half-money favourite Undercover (Excellent Art – Common Wealth) forged ahead and the race was as good as over in the final furlong and a half. Foujita pipped second favourite Absolute Gorgeous by a whisker for the second berth, while Lucio ran prominently in the front before finishing fourth.

More than a year after his visit to the winner’s enclosure, Rehanullah Khan-nurtured Arbitrage finally earned his corn bill in the day’s curtain-raiser, the Jockeys Trophy. Samson seized the initiative soon after the start was given, with Untitled in hot pursuit. Arbitrage lacked initial speed but made rapid progress to be well up with the pace in company of Jet Typhoon and stablemate Moment of Madness. As Samson tried to hold on to the advantage, Arbitrage got going and collared the leaders inside the final furlong. Apprentice Aditya Waydande then confidently steered Arbitrage (Surfrider – Silken Eyes) to a comfortable victory over Moment of Madness. Rise All Stars improved late but could only finish third ahead of Samson.

As mentioned earlier, Sanjay Kolse-trained Ashwa Gypsy caused a major upset in the Racing Officials Trophy. Favourite Dedication came through the shortest route home to tackle early leaders Allez L’Etoile and Interceptor shortly after the field straightened for home. Ridden vigorously by jockey S. Zervan, Dedication looked set to deliver. But in the last hundred metres, Ashwa Gypsy (Tenth Star – Radical Attraction) responded to jockey SA Amit’s call by producing a sensational run and went on to score an emphatic win as a 25 to 1 longshot. Dedication had to settle for second, while Merchant of Venice and Tropical Paradise landed the other two minor places.

Demoted to the lowest class after six career starts, the Adhirajsingh Jodha-schooled filly Mulan was backed as a virtual certainty, but she proved to be a costly failure. Faisal Abbas-saddled Aeon Flux, a failed favourite in her last start, took off smartly from the gates and was never headed thereafter, though coming under pressure briefly from runner-up Majesticus close home. However, Yash Narredu warded off the threat with his strong handling as Aeon Flux (Tenth Star – Astra) kicked on gamely to win by a length. Both Abbas and Yash completed a double with Aeon Flux’s success. Mulan gave a dismal show, failing to raise any hopes for her followers and finished fifth behind Luna and Fay.