It was a dramatic day of racing on Tuesday at Malakpet, where a bizarre contest unfolded between jockeys Akshay Kumar and K. Mukesh Kumar. Three horses steered by Mukesh annihilated the favourites partnered by Akshay, while one hotly fancied runner ridden by the former lost to Akshay’s mount. That aside, Knight Regent and Knight Crusader, both racing in the colours of sporting owner C. Aryama Sundaram and saddled by LVR Deshmukh and RH Sequeira respectively, gave a dismal show as favourites. Knight Crusader from Sequeira’s yard was the prime favourite to win the Cabaret Plate. However, the betting ring had a different story to tell as the trend suggested that smart money was obviously riding on Deccan Spirit.

The market forces are rarely caught on the wrong foot, and Tuesday was when they picked the right winners. Deccan Spirit showed plenty of early speed to storm into the lead, while Best Buddy and Knight Crusader chased him. After overtaking Best Buddy in the final furlong, Knight Crusader threw down the gauntlet at Deccan Spirit, but Akshay’s efforts paled in front of Mukesh's resolve. Despite Akshay using his whip freely on Knight Crusader, MS Parmar-groomed Deccan Spirit (Declaration of War – Alamshara) held on gallantly to prevail by half a length. Gloria was third ahead of Rival. 

Talking about Mukesh’s success, he rode four winners in all including Deccan Spirit. He trumped Akshay in two other events, starting with Fox Worth in the Zurbaran Plate, where Sequeira's ward Zindabad received majority support. Fox Worth raced in a striking position behind Atreya and Mahwish, who brought the field into the straight. Donald Netto-schooled Fox Worth improved gradually after Mukesh worked hard but went past the front-running duo once he had warmed up. Analysis improved to take the runner-up spot ahead of Mahwish and Atreya. Zindabad, on the other hand, struggled throughout and gave no impression of obliging the bettors as Akshay’s whipping proved futile. He finished sixth behind the winner’s stablemate Dino, who was sluggish at the start but recovered well as the six-furlong race progressed.

The same story of Akshay’s downfall was repeated in the Ardent Knight Plate in which he was expected to romp home astride Knight Regent, or so his cramped odds in the betting market predicted. Mukesh-piloted N R I Triple Power raced in the midfield as Great Giver called the early shots over the mile trip with Krystallos and Knight Regent waiting to pounce on him. Having tackled Great Giver when turning for home, Krystallos and Knight Regent fought briefly before N R I Triple Power came with a dazzling run to take charge of the running. The winner was sighted a long way from home as N R I Triple Power (Gusto – Ascension) was eased up well before passing the winning post. Authoritarian aggravated Knight Regent’s misery by claiming the runner-up slot ahead of him and Krystallos in a three-way finish.

Mukesh’s fourth winner was Special Star, the filly from trainer KSV Prasad Raju’s stable, who registered an encore in the Bhakranangal Plate, a mile event for horses in Class IV. Crimson Rose went surging into the lead as the starter dispatched the seven-horse field for the mile contest with Onslaught and Lake Michigan following her once the field sorted itself out. Special Star raced keenly despite Mukesh’s attempt to hold her back but finally settled down in fourth. As the three horses up front raced in a straight line at the two-furlong marker, Mukesh released the brakes on Special Star (Leitir Mor – Starry Eyes), who went sweeping clear of the field for a fluent victory. Real Thalaivaa managed to beat Lake Michigan for second place, while Quintessential came fourth. Onslaught dropped out of contention in the straight and finished down the field.

Avoiding a complete disastrous day, Akshay obliged astride two hot favourites – N R I Range and Divine Tiger. Mukesh astride Grit 'N' Grace got a drubbing from Akshay when the Netto-saddled filly was beaten out of sight by Divine Tiger in the Prince of Berar Plate. My Day stormed into the lead soon after the set of maiden juveniles took off from the barriers, with Divine Tiger on her tail. Deshmukh-trained Divine Tiger (Accolade – Vision of Art) faced no resistance from My Day, who gave up in the last furlong, as she sailed away for an emphatic win. Queen Eternal, Arav’s Pet, and My Day followed the winner home. As for Grit 'N' Grace, she never seemed to be in the hunt and toiled hard before finishing fifth.

Srinivas Reddy-saddled N R I Range, the first winner ridden during the day by Akshay, brooked no opposition from his rivals as he trounced the field in the Chaitanya Chakram Plate. Akshay waited patiently aboard N R I Range as Desert Sultan seized the initiative at the start, while First Lady stalked him. N R I Range (Smuggler’s Cove – Constantinople) overpowered them both in the straight and cruised away for his second consecutive success. Dream To Fly came second as First Lady weakened in the final furlong to be third, while Sadiya ended fourth.

But for the grey mare Silver Arrow’s stretched neck, Akshay would have had his third winner atop Bold Indian in the concluding event. P. Sai Kumar-ridden Silver Arrow from A. Imran Khan’s yard and the SSF Hassan trainee Bold Indian went stride for stride towards the wire after tackling Star Cruise and Muaser, who were ahead till the final stages of the seven-furlong contest. Bold Indian held a slender advantage over Silver Arrow (Royal Gladiator – Cuix One), but the mare gave a rousing response to Sai Kumar and wore down her rival on the post. Muaser and Star Cruise followed them home.