Yet another eventful afternoon of racing was conducted at the Calcutta racecourse on Wednesday. The mid-week afternoon belonged by and large to the satchel-bearers as five out of seven favourites fell by the wayside. Apprentice jockey Mohit Singh used his 4-kg allowance on King’s Desire (Major Impact-Walk On Turf) to good effect and took the shortest route home. The eight-year-old from Jasbir Singh’s yard has been maintained in tip-top condition and the hat-trick of wins is a just reward. It was foreseen in this column that should a low-weight front-runner like King’s Desire hit the front, it would make things rather awkward for the favourite Debonaire Girl.

That is precisely what happened. By the time apprentice Babu Singh positioned the filly and made his move, Mohit was going great guns on the eventual winner. Top-weight Secret Fire showed that she is ready for the highest class by placing a good second. Jockey coach Nicky Bird must be a little exasperated with the manner in which some of his wards are failing to stick to the basics. In the upper division of The Maltese Prince Cup, Babu Singh made the cardinal mistake of urging and whipping his mount Flaming Love at the turning for home. The filly shot out at near right-angles and seemed destined for a head-on collision with either or both of Fit For Fray and Honitus who was making his move on the wide outside.

While Mahesh clung onto his seat (not literally in this case although such a scenario may have been possible), Fit For Fray and jockey Ashish were badly squeezed by the colliding pair. A Stewards Enquiry was promptly called and apprentice Babu Singh’s fate will be decided on March 12. Honitus (Case Law- Simple Honey) went on to win but the worst sufferer was Fit For Fray who would have been nearer at the finish had she not been so badly interfered with. Mahesh completed his brace atop Pat Quinn-trained River Pride (Royal Gladiator-Leros) who was the second and last favourite to oblige during the day. The horse won the Twilight Lady Handicap in taking style. However, jockey Shailesh Shinde’s handling of Hadrian left much to be desired. After being well-positioned at the top of the straight, he seemed undecided as to the best route to take. In the end, his indecision resulted in him being caught in a melee.

Not that it would have mattered on this day as the eventual winner was travelling too well. The afternoon commenced sedately enough for followers of money as the top-weight Regal Bearing (Inhabitant-Athinai) came out of the maiden ranks with flying colours – albeit in the lowest class. Jockey Imran Khan took no chances on the Shafiq Khan runner and made it a start-to-finish affair. Like King’s Desire, Rebellious (Batzushka-Carpentaria) was another eight-year-old to hoist a winning flag. The John Stephens-trained gelding was more than competently handled by stable-jockey Malcolm Maseyk to bag the Colorado Claro Handicap. While the favourite Must Be Magic and Best Bet called the early shots, they had no answer to the splendid gallop raised by the old warhorse Rebellious.

Regal Classic (Inner City – Royal Rex) was by far the most impressive winner of the afternoon. The handsome looking chestnut from Daniel David’s yard was ridden in copybook fashion by apprentice Shezad Khan. The four-year-old won the seven-furlong sprint for the Aureole Time Handicap as he liked and that too in brilliant timing. The favourite Stormette (a full-brother to Diabolical) showed none of the characteristics of his sibling and illustrious predecessor. The curtain came down with Vijay Singh-trained filly Misty Isles (Black Cash – Vivienne) winning the Nikita Handicap in style from Classical Romance while the favourite Alexander ended an unimpressive fifth. Jockey Neeraj Rawal atop the winner thus broke his long drought at this centre.