Trainer Bharath Singh`s fancied runner, Captain Cook (Trevor Patel-up), claimed the 2,000m Calcutta Monsoon Derby, the feature event in Sunday`s race card. What was expected to be a repetition of a close contest between trainer Vijay Singh`s 9/10 course favourite, Setaflame (Shailesh Shinde), and Captain Cook, the winner of last winter`s Calcutta Million, turned out to be a one-sided affair in favour of the 9/2 fancied runner. The afternoon`s eight-event card also witnessed Bharath scoring a priced treble, and Vijay a double.

Basically a front-running type, Captain Cook, in the early-half, was held back behind his stable-mate, Capt Haddock, who gave way to trainer Harvinder Bath`s Spyro, after fulfilling his assigned role. The Cook slipped in to the lead, turning for home, and skated away from the late finishing Setaflame who was ridden well off the pace; until 600m from home.

Half-an-hour earlier, Bharath`s Triumphus (Dashrath Singh) had scored an exciting victory over Vijay`s Free Energy, in the 1,400m Silverina Cup. In fact, Triumphus was ridden well in check but, unlike Setaflame, the Burden Of Proof son produced a tremendous gallop in the last furlong to snatch victory from Free Energy (Shaielesh), virtually at the post. In the same race, trainer Javed Khan`s last outing easy winner, Copernicus (Shezad Khan), also finished a bottled up third.

Shezad, however, had hit the target in the 1,100m Alice SpringOks Cup when he partnered Bath`s 6/1 shot, Analyst, to a runaway victory. The speedster was taken to the front from the start of the race and the Sharp Attack filly went on increasing the lead in the stretch run, having started with a marginal advantage. Bharath`s Kabini (Md Islam) was best of the rest as the C.P. West daughter covered plenty of ground in the final furlong to beat Javed`s Follow The Dream.

Vijay`s day started with a jockey Christopher Alford driving Adrestia, the hottest order on the day, to an easy victory in the 1,400m Desert Shot Handicap. The quarter-money favourite was tested with holding back tactics and the well-bred filly (Multidimensional-Gloriosa) passed the test, though there was hardly anything worthwhile, in the opposition.

Vijay`s Adzukis, too, carried the public-purse to victory but it was a touch-and-go thing for the Arazan son in the 1,400m Argiano Cup. Shailesh, who partnered the 5/4 favourite, had to extend the favourite to the fullest to have the measure of trainer Manvendra Singh`s newly gained stock from the West, Bay Of Secret (Pradeep Chauhan), who tried to win the race from the start. In the same race, another western India migrant, Ramesses (J. Chinoy), cut a sorry figure, after being up with Bay Of Secret for a major part of the journey.

Chinoy, in fact, proved a big let down on his other two rides – Belgian Blue and Legend Indienne – as well, in their respective event – the 1,200m Steal The Glory Cup and the 1,100m Amorina Cup.

Belgian Blue, the 2/1 second favourite, was no match for Arti`s odd-on favourite, Bold Legacy (P. Kamlesh), and Goliath (Zaffar Riaz), while Legend Indienne`s start-to-finish bid was easily foiled by the Robert Gowli-trained in-form filly, Kanya Kalyan, a public rage at 11-10.

Vijay`s Romantic Society (Shailesh) was the other one who disappointed. The 9/10 favourite, in the 1,100m Star Precision Cup, remained a mere passenger in the seven-horse field. The race was won by Bharath`s Fite Of Honour (Dashrath) with a degree of ease, after being held back behind Transcendent in the early-half of the journey.