Nazak Chenoy trained Lucas was the only favourite to oblige on a day which saw punters suffer a severe drubbing. The progeny of Phoenix Tower who was coming back in distance after a botched effort in the Indian Derby, won over a trip which was exactly half the distance he attempted in the previous effort. Lucas got the nod in the final moments of the race edging out Ancient Glory and then staving off the late bid of Alishas Pet by a narrow margin. Apprentice jockey Santosh had a dream day, booting home three winners.

The prospectus remains unimaginative with an over emphasis on lowest category races which always prove to be a minefield. Punters who tried to search for a winner in these difficult races which are forced on them week after week, went home with a severe dent in their purse. Saturday`s evening races saw winner-picking a very tough ask as the horses in the fray were mostly non-performers. It was a disappointing card indeed. Such a prospectus is surely a recipe for disaster. What is the point of moaning that punters are dwindling each day when you give them a heavy dose of unpredictable races?

Coming back to the feature event, Lucas who had won in the early part of the season and then run behind Serjeant At Arms in the Ruia Trophy was backed strongly to win. Lucas had participated in the Indian Derby but had veered out at the first turn and did not complete the race. The authorities had slapped a mock race on the horse because of his waywardness but the same was withdrawn after the trainer pleaded with the powers-that-be that she will not run the horse again over a trip of 2400 metres and the erratic behaviour of the horse displayed in the previous run will not repeat. Lucas no doubt looked good to win the Campbell Trophy but his task was not easy as he had to be fully stretched to prevail in the end. Lucas obliged in the waning yards of the race.

Lesser fancied Cyclone from the stables of Sanjay Kolse won the 1000 metres Thumbelina Million, a race for horses rated 40 to 66, literally making it last to first in dramatic fashion. Minstrel Heights and Arabelle raced up in the front while the rest were spaced out behind, the unwieldy field having a say on the proceedings. Queen`s Credible who was drawn the widest of the lot, was lethargic from the gates and this effectively sealed her fate. Minstrel Heights held the lead for a long while in the straight but Cyclone who was at the wrong end of the field produced an astonishing burst of speed which saw him sail past the front-runner in a trice and win the race with a measure of comfort. Minstrel Heights staved off Arakawah to take the second spot. Arabelle disappeared without a trace when the race came on the boil after keeping company with Minstrel Heights.

Sanjay Kolse had a double for the day as he also saddled the winner of the concluding race of the day. The well-bred five-year-old mare Simona got up in time to get the better of Knight`s Quest to land the spoils in the 1400 metres Stylecracker Night Market Trophy (Div I), a race for horses in the lowest class. The winner was at nourishing odds. The betting trend in the market indicated sustained support for Cristo Boss to have a bold show as the odds showed a significant downward thrust. Kiss From A Rose also received noticeable support. In the event, both these runners were not spotted to have any chance. Knight`s Quest shaped to cause an upset but in the end, was overhauled in the closing stages of the race. Night Fury saved place money, returning good dividends for those who dared to back her. The day`s trend did not favour the chasers of favourites but this did not stop punters from making the Shazaan Shah trained Oscillation strongly to oblige in the lower division of the race. There was a huge upset in the form of Go Marisa Go won floored the opposition, winning with a measure of comfort. Rare Silver and Time of Life occupied the next two slots completing the parade of outsiders. Oscillation was not spotted. The same was the case with Sweeping Move who was also in considerable attention in the betting ring.

Imtiaz Sait trained Raees extended the winning streak to three when the progeny of Sedgefield swamped the opposition in the 2400 metres Noble Opinion Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Uncle Scrooge who was widely fancied to win shot ahead in the final furlong but once Raees began to close with menacing strides, the favourite surrendered without a fight. Raees won by a widening margin of five lengths. Flying Dragon was third.

Among the horses which had the benefit of a race run, Karthik Ganapathy trained My Precious had better credentials and it was not a surprise to see the filly get considerable support in the betting ring along with Stunner. It was only to be expected that any first-timer could prove to be better but the winner was well disguised because apprentice jockey Santosh was declared to ride Oracle who turned out to be the winner. Since an allowance jockey had been declared to ride in a race where no allowance could be claimed, Oracle ran at big odds. Kramer was another who was making his debut but he too was not on the radar as jockey Mohsin was in the saddle. Oracle made a winning debut, proving vastly superior to the rest despite drifting out alarmingly to the outer rail and still winning by a little more than two lengths over Kramer. Shamwari sailed past My Precious to get the third place.

Malesh Narredu trained Star of Harmony was expected to record an encore after her impressive win two weeks ago, and accordingly was given the status of being a firm favourite to win the 1800 metres G2 Gold Cup, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Jockey Suraj Narredu could not prevent the outward drift of Sweet Temptation at the final bend and by the time he could correct the horse and bring her into contention, Relentless Pursuit had established what turned out to be a winning lead. Though Sweet Temptation menacingly came close to overhauling the front-runner, the winning post came to the rescue of the long shot. Simon Says was third.

Santosh guided lesser fancied Pacific Dunes to a facile win over favourite What A Nice Girl in the 1400 metres Fedora Plate, a race for horses in the lowest class. What A Nice Girl came into strong contention in the final furlong but closer home was floored by the splendid effort put in by Pacific Dunes who shot ahead of the favourite with the jockey not having to be vigorous to get the required result. Headlines was third.