Trainer Bharath Singh`s filly, Serendine (Dashrath Singh-up) kept her date with Tuesday`s feature, the 2,800m Calcutta St. Leger, the last and the strongest Classic of the winter season. The ‘nose` victory of the 13/10 favourite, over Cadman (Neeraj Rawal), was a courageous effort, considering her equally hard success over her stable-mate, Triumphus, barely 17 days ago, in the Queen`s Cup, also a 2,800m race. However, the Multidimensional daughter had to win the Trophy again in the stewards` room, following an objection lodged by Rawal, for interference, in the final 50m. The objection had no material substance and was rightly dismissed after a brief inquiry.

It was Rawal`s charge, Cadman, who was seen marginally wobbling and was also noticed to have come close to Serendine, who was almost abreast, in the last 50m but was galloping relatively straight.

On a lighter note, the Guardians of the sport, could have questioned Rawal about his handling of Vijay`s 9/4 favourite, Fabienne, in an earlier race; which was claimed by her stable-mate, Blue Zone (S. John), in an event named, the Statue of Liberty Handicap, over 1,200 meters. Sadly enough, the local owners were, once again, victims at the hands of a visiting jockey`s designs, favouring another visiting horse. A week ago, another western India jockey, N.B. Kuldeep – an apprentice, who had ‘blinded` the stipes on a heavily fancied local horse, Tangaloomaa, while the Mumbai-based schooler`s charge, Red Bug, delivered the goods.

Horseowners foot the additional riding fees, the two-way air-fare and other expenses of the visiting jockeys, in expectations of better services. They spend close to Rs 40,000 for each of such ride but what do they get in return ? The rogue visiting artists in the saddle also deprive the local boys of their day`s earnings.

In this context, it must be mentioned that it was Vijay who gave Rawal, a big break – with hoards of winning rides, including the Classics and Graded races, about a decade ago.

Dashrath was also at his best while guided a marginally out-handicapped horse Suzanna to a pillar-to-post victory in the 1,400m Mayor`s Cup. It was a tight win, for Suzanna, in the end as Vikash Jaiswal`s pair of No More Politics (Sandeep Rajput) and Few Dollars More (Arshad Alam) were seen coming with threatening runs, in the final 100m of the race, to place close behind.

Jockeys Dashrath and John, have normally been trusted lieutenants in the local circuit as they known to mean business. John`s day`s tally was one better, precisely, a treble.

John`s day started with the victory of Blue Zone; who, was rather served the Trophy, repeating, the Statue of Liberty Handicap, on a platter.

Vijay`s Nashvilletennessee provided John with an encore. Having guided the filly to a hard earned victory last week in a six-furlong race, John`s positive feed backs must have prompted the trainer to make a quick-entry and the 1,400m Aayush Handicap must have come handy. Allowing Vikash`s Sergeant Major to show the way till turning for home, Nashvilletennessee took over and simply drew away from her dozen rivals.

The Vijay-John combinations struck again with a horse named Panchovilla in the CROS Cup. The victory of the horse which must have brought about a big disappointment to the Rutherford Alford-camp. Rutherford was banking heavily on his 5/4 favourite, Hartnell (Anil Baandal) chances of winning. But the horse failed narrowly because of two reasons: A slight interference at the start and the crowded field in the final 250m when baulked for an opening along rails. Panchovilla, on the other hand, was a handy fourth but made a rapid progress in the last 150m to beat his stable-mate Mercedes – a front runner with Gravity. In the same race, trainer Harvinder Bath`s filly Eternally (Imran Chisty), finished a bottled-up fourth despite running green. Note her as an early winner.

Bath`s Glorious Run (Shezad Khan), too, scored a back-to-back win as the Rebuttal daughter was brought with a late run again, to beat Shyam Habbu`s Fire Falcon (Vinay Jaiswal) with ease, in the upper division of the Aemilia Handicap. The lower division of the race was an easy pick for trainer Jasbir Singh`s Kaarthiken (apprentice Ranidan Singh), who has been knocking at the door.

The curtain came down with the victory of trainer James Mckeown`s 3/1 favourite, Everybreakingwave, on whom another visiting jockey David Allan had an arm-chair, almost from the start of the 2,000m Amalita Handicap.