On Friday, the curtains finally came down on the Hyderabad monsoon season 2026. The concluding day's programme had seven races on the card of which only two were worth a mention. The outcome of the remaining races was a grim reminder that farcical racing unfortunately continues at this centre, which raises concern about the integrity of the sport.

Be that as it may, Diablo led the field of seven which took off from gates for mile-long Telangana Race Horse Owners Association Trophy and was followed by Reigning Beauty and Uchchaihshravas. The fancied duo, Star of Night and Cherie Chevalier, raced in close attendance behind. As Diablo ran out of fuel when crossing the final turn, Reigning Beauty and Uchchaihshravas tried to forge ahead. Meanwhile, Antony Raj-piloted Star of Night improved to join the issue with the pair ahead, while P. Sai Kumar exerted pressure on Cherie Chevalier to get him going. KSV Prasad Raju-schooled Cherie Chevalier showed good acceleration in response to his rider's efforts and ranged alongside Uchchaihshravas and Star of Night at the last furlong pole following which the three horses were engaged in a fierce battle and none was willing to yield. However, motivated by Sai Kumar's perseverance, Cherie Chevalier (Leitir Mor – Mauna Kea) surged ahead close home to prevail over runner-up Star of Night and Uchchaihshravas. Reigning Beauty ended fourth.

In a similar climax, trainer Laxman Singh-saddled Celestial, who had not been tested over trips beyond a mile thus far, displayed enough stamina to outwit favourite One Nation in the Smt. Teegala Sulochana Reddy Memorial Trophy run over a mile-and-quarter. Corte Madera with Sai Kumar in the saddle tried runaway tactics and was chased by Shadow of the Moon and Silver Act, while Celestial tracking them closely. One Nation and Racing Ruler, however, both chose to bide their time in the rear. Although Corte Madera tried to sustain his lead after entering the straight, he was collared in a swift move by Celestial inside the final two furlongs. Despite Antony Raj-ridden Celestial's onslaught, Corte Madera refused to succumb and fought gallantly until the former got stronger at the finish. Celestial (Roderic O'Connor – Sweeping Star) hit the wire just in time to keep late-finishing One Nation and Racing Ruler at bay. Corte Madera ran a close fourth.

The four races conducted before the two trophy events were all won by heavily backed horses. It goes without saying that these races lacked competition. The day started with Neelesh Rawal-groomed Aashritha Pet receiving enthusiastic support in the betting ring as compared to Pranava, whose odds suggested that the writing was on the wall as far as her winning chances were concerned. Santosh Raj-partnered Aashritha Pet (Arazan –  Heliconia) was sluggish at start but made steady improvement as the race progressed to catch up with leader Amboseli in the straight and outclassed his rivals by drawing away for an emphatic win in the Blue Max Plate. Amboseli held on to be second, a neck in front of Char Ek Char. Pranava, who never seemed to be in the hunt, ran a disinterested fourth.

Belgium Waffle from Jasbir Singh's string was backed to the exclusion of her rivals in the Sircilla Plate (Div-II) and the filly did not falter. Bayone made the initial running ahead of Ashwa Vivegam and Belgium Waffle until she brought them into the home stretch. Jockey Mohit Singh soon produced Belgium Waffle (Moonlight Magic – Enjoy) on the outside and drove vigorously to go sailing past Bayone and Ashwa Vivegam, who were disputing the lead, and went on to record a facile victory. Bayone retained the second place, while Ashwa Vivegam and Lina O Lina trailed behind.

Ravinder Singh's ward Ashwa Jaffna, though conceding weight to her rivals, was installed favourite to claim the Shamshabad Plate and she duly obliged. Rank outsider Wind Castle seized control of the running shortly after the start with Aakarshaka racing alongside and Ashwa Jaffna not too far away.  Wind Castle was challenged strongly by Aakarshaka after the field straightened for home but she failed to quicken even as Gaurav Singh earnestly pushed the favourite to gather momentum. Ashwa Jaffna (Moonlight Magic – Attalea) took some time to warm up, but once she got into her stride, the bay filly pounced on Wind Castle to gain the upper hand close home. Wind Castle ran a notable second, well clear of Aakarshaka and December Rain.

Love All, the shortest priced runner of the day who had come across one better in Racing Ruler in her previous outing, made amends in the Shapir Plate. La Quinta sprinted ahead from the gates and had Love All in pursuit all the way till turning for home. K. Satheesh-mentored Love All (French Navy – Grey Mist) was still traveling on the bit when she cruised past La Quinta at the top of the straight, giving Akshay Kumar an armchair ride to victory. Special Star improved from the rear to finish second, a distance clear of La Quinta and Federer.

In a dramatic finish to the season, money came pouring in on Nyanza during race-time betting so much so that the odds against her crashed from 8 to 1 to end at 2 to 1. On the other hand, the odds against on-money favourite Aprameya from Neelesh Rawal's yard strayed into the negative orbit. This unpleasant episode, however, did not end here. Md. Ismail-partnered Aprameya was declared a non-starter after reaching the starting gates leaving open the field for Nyanza to land the spoils. Ridden by jockey Darshan RN, Raza Shehzad-schooled Nyanza made short work of her rivals as soon as she tackled Veera's Lakshmi after entering the straight and had the race sewn up a long way from home. Nyanza (Air Support – Schiavone) eventually hacked the field and won pulling up, nearly a distance ahead of runner-up Sara. Veera's Lakshmi was third, while American Affair finished fourth.

Racegoers would be eagerly awaiting the Stewards' race-day report in the hope that it may enlighten them as to whether there was any connection between Aprameya's withdrawal and the flood of money attracted by the eventual victor Nyanza in the betting market.

As far as the professional honours for the season were concerned, trainer Donald Netto was declared champion trainer with 25 wins. Jockey Akshay Kumar claimed the champion jockey's title with 32 victories, while young Sonu Kumar with 3 wins was declared as the champion apprentice rider.