Ranjeet Shinde trained Clever Trick lasted start to finish by a short neck to win the 1400 metres Nairn Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 and above, the feature event of Wednesday`s Mysore races. The parade of long shots was interspersed by the winning of favourites in the first and last races of the day.

Should one emphasize about the victory of long shots as also the loss of favourites? What is racing without favourites and outsiders? The pulse of the sport is about betting and if this aspect is not talked about, it doesn`t make sense. The sport would be dead without betting and as such it plays an integral part. The Supreme Court itself said that racing is a game of skill and didn`t classify the sport as pure gambling as the sport involved the ability of trainers, jockeys and horses as also punters to survive in the sport with their mathematical inputs. The defeat or victory of favourite is highlighted in the context of whether it was a wilful loss and whether extraneous factors had a role to play and how much betting had a bearing. This is true especially in lower class races where the emphasis is all about betting but the story invariably is that of failed ones. The betting trend influences almost everyone connected with the sport including the professionals and this is the reason why there will be as much discussion about the betting aspects as it is about racing itself. This explanation is for those who keep writing that the sport should not be viewed in the contest of betting.

Coming back to the main race of the day, the Nairn Trophy, the race had an open look about it as the form was well settled and the outcome of the race was about the horse which produced best on the day because we are dealing with horses which are not young but have seen their best days and hence they perform within the parameters of their recent performance. Clever Trick no doubt was one such horse as the seven-year-old mare had always been a front runner and on the day, she did not find any contest in front and enjoyed a free run, she would always be a handy horse. Clever Trick was presented with such an opportunity as the mare ran freely in front and lasted out to win from late finishing Ace Force and Naval Glory, the last named being one of the strongly fancied runners in the fray. The first three finishers were all involved in a photo, with a short neck and a long neck deciding the fate of the race. Naval Glory no doubt would have been better served if the trip had been longer because he was full of running at the finish and his racing record too indicates the desirability of more ground.

The Ranibennur Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated20 to 45, was won by lesser fancied Ephialities at the expense of heavily supported favourite Ice Splendour. Whenever horses of a particular connection race at Mysore, punters are in a Hamletian dilemma of being unsure, with the question: Are they going or not? The connections of Ice Splendour was quite enthusiastic about the chance of their seven-year-old mare and the volume of money attracted pointed to the possible success of Ice Splendour. Ephialities led from the start with Ice Splendour in close proximity but the latter was unable to overhaul the front runner as the lesser fancied runner maintained his supremacy right from start to finish. Myarprincess was well positioned but made no significant headway to finish third. Arshad Alam drove out Zoe to win the lower division of the race. Zoe made swift progress in the final furlong to go storming clear and had no problem in containing the challenge of late finishing Always United and Scaramouche. The well backed Touch of Romance failed to make a mark, finishing a tame fourth.

Girinath trained Skyjet was the recipient of sustained support in the betting ring in the 1200 metres Somwarpet Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 65 and the favourite obliged such an expectation after engaging Dark William in a stiff battle for supremacy and managing to prevail by half a length at the finish. John was aggressive on the winner while Srinath, despite his best efforts, was unable to get Dark William to produce that bit extra. Arshad Alam drove out See The Storm with all the resources at his command to snatch a short head verdict against Veni Vidi Vici in the lower division of the race. Favourite Reach The Stars led the field in right earnest but inside the final furlong, came under intense pressure from others as the six-year-old mare failed to quicken. Veni Vidi Vici came into strong contention but See The Storm who came home with a powerful effort managed to clinch the issue in a thriller. Reach The Stars weakened and was relegated to the third slot.

Ranjeet Shinde`s Premier Ace made it a non-contest in the 1400 metres Kaginele Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45 by a widening margin of nine lengths. Premier Ace who returned a dividend of over 80 to 1 on the tote, bolted clear of the field in the final furlong and was so far ahead that the others had no hope of even catching up with the four-year-old filly`s shadow. Cactus Cash edged out Country`s Fortune to get the runner-up berth. The fancied Invincible Wish was not spotted at the busy end, in the fight for even minor placings.

Michael Eshwer trained Kingoftheworld was at cramped odds in the Nalanda Plate, a race for three-year-olds. Kingoftheworld who was conceding chunks of weight to his adversaries, had to survive a scare from Precious Asset who proved to be a tough customer. Though Kingoftheworld looked the likely winner in the straight, Previous Asset made the favourite toil hard to prevail. Scorpene was third.

Jockey S Manohar was able to extricate Born For Stakes in the nick of time and brought the six-year-old gelding to challenge front running Giralda. The two fought a resolute battle before Born For Stakes prevailed by a neck to provide trainer B K Narendra with yet another win for the season. Golden Steps was third. Apprentice jockey Mohammed Mushraf had a fall on Chackaloochoo in the early part of the race.