Trainer Harvinder Singh Bath`s long-shot, Himalayan Queen (J. Chinoy-up) took the fancied runners by a surprise in the 1,400m Hilliard Cup, the feature event in Wednesday`s race card. The afternoon`s sizeable crowd also witnessed fancied runner putting in a doleful performance, leaving the friendless runners likes of No Politics Pleases, Star Routes and Thunder Ons, call the shots in the seven-event card.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was blamed, in whispers, for form going haywire in view of the scrapping of Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes; promoting bookmakers all over the country to stop operations until normalcy returned. Reason cited by the bookies was their inability to arrange Rs 100 currency notes, in huge quantity, for pay outs, if things didn`t work in their favour.

As a result of bookmakers not in operation, totalisator did a brisk business but big owners and bettors hardly took interest in the proceedings. One thing became clear from the very start that the form of most runners in the afternoon`s card may not serve as a serious pointer in future.

Nevertheless, Himalayan Queen went about her task while the tote favourite, Setaflame made most of the running in the company of Knighthood and Acrider. Setaflame and his rider, Neeraj Rawal, not to mention the other two leaders, were visibly tired in the final quarter of 1,400m journey, and it paved way for the victory Himalayan Queen.

Vikash`s speedy in-form seven-year-old horse, No Politics Please (apprentice Nikhil Naidu) defied his advancing age against much younger opposition in the 1,100m Rajcoomar Gujadhur Memorial Cup. The speedster was seen drifting out badly in the final stages of the race but the apprentice managed to coast home comfortably to beat trainer Manvendra Singh`s King Kong who was ridden off the pace.

The 1,600m Vibrant Handicap was considered as a straight contest between Manvendra Singh Theo (apprentice Hindu Singh) and Vijay Singh`s Ballister (C. Alford) -- the two Classic contenders during the recently concluded monsoon season. The handicap was in favour of Theo but the prize to Ballister. Now don`t ask me why and how ?

The story was no different in the upper division of the Allied Forces Handicap, in which trainer Arti Doctor`s hot favourite, Ashi Nagsey (C. Alford), was considered as home and dry. It didn`t happen. The Arabian Gulf daughter even failed to touch the board after matching strides with Rani Thea (apprentice Ranidan Singh) and Star Route (app. Nikhil Naidu) till about a furlong from home. Star Route was in command from that point and the long shot scored untroubled, giving his first of the two wins in the day`s card to the apprentice.

Alford, too, had scored a double, a quick one. Starting off with the victory of Bharath`s Rabda, in the day`s opener, the 1,100m Obligado Handicap, Alford was back in the winner`s enclosure half-an-hour later when Ballister won the race.

Once rated high, trainer Shafiq Khan`s Thunder On (apprentice Ranidan) cashed in on the confusion of ‘going` and ‘not going` in the lower division of the Allied Forces Handicap.

Trainer Javed Khan`s Oath Of Allegiance (Nirmal Jodha) was the other one who reaped the harvest under the prevailing conditions, though Half Volley (Alford), Cronos (Mudassar Nazar) also made serious efforts in the race.