Captain Cook, a long shot from Bharath Singh`s stable, was driven to a pillar-to-post victory by jockey Arshad Alam, in the 1,200m Mahrajadhiraj Uday Chand Mahtab of Burdwan Memorial Cup, on Saturday. Half-an-hour earlier, Bharath Singh`s another charge, Gryffindor (Dashrath Singh), had won another trophy, the 1,200m Police Commissioner`s Cup, for the stable, on an afternoon otherwise ruled by the lesser fancied winners.

Captain Cook`s victory also went on to expose Fortune Express (Hindu Singh) that trainer Manvendra Singh`s prized colt needs gain more experience to make his presence felt in the highest class. The Express Wish son was thereabouts as Captain Cook went about his task but failed get up when put under pressure. The three-year-old was, however, not disgraced while finishing a shade over a length behind the winner but trainer Vijay Singh`s mare Shivalik Story (Ashhad Asbar) certainly enhanced her rating by finishing a good second. In the same race, Arti Doctor`s Taygetus (C. Alford) was also a promising third.

Gryffindor, on the other hand, was forced to be ridden well off the pace, in the Police Commissioner`s Cup. The horse was crowded for room soon after the start and Dashrath waited for his turn almost in the rear of the field as One Man Army (app. Sujit Paswan) showed the way to the fancied runner, Glorious Leaps (Alford). Weaving his way on the wide out of the field, Gryffindor came alive in the home stretch to score with a degree of ease. The victory of the Uncle Sam colt also indicated that an extra furlong is unlikely to weigh heavy on him.

The third time was lucky for trainer Vikash Jaiswal`s horse, Indus Prince (Arshad Alam), who had switched trips from sprint to middle distances. The six-year-old horse followed his known pattern of running to win the 2,000m Police Martyr`s Cup with ease.

Trainer Harvinder Bath`s baby, Marbella (Shezad Khan) was an impressive winner of the Kolkata`s Mounted Police Cup. The Declaration of War daughter won the trophy by the length of the straight from Vijay`s Vrishank (Dashrath) as trainer Richard Alford`s Aiyana (Hindu Singh) cornered bulk of the wagering as a 7/10 favourite.

Trainer James McKeown`s Nobu (app. Pandula Vikram) was another impressive winner in the nine-event card. In the 1,200m Play Boy Handicap, the apprentice rode a very patient on the 7/2 chance, holding back the Burden of Proof filly behind Mellow Fellow who showed the way to 6/4 favourite, Multivalue (Alford) till close the distance-post. Switching the course to the out, Nobu was quick to gain the momentum and was gone clear of the opposition for a five-length-plus victory, her back-to-back.

The jinx was broken and Arti also saddled a winner. The struggling trainer`s Lady Two (app R.S. Bhati) may have won on default as Jaiswal`s 6/4 favourite, Outrider (Arshad), performed like a dud in the upper division of the Aunty Pip Handicap. The favourite jumped out awkwardly from the gates and lost a distance there itself to bury his winning chances.

The speedy Naumee (Srikant Kamble) was ridden in a check for the desired results. The Aashay Doctor-trained filly won the lower division of the Aunty Pip Handicap, the concluding event.

Manvendra`s Tsavo (Hindu Singh) was finally, in the winner`s enclosure, after many disappointing runs. The filly won the curtain raiser, the upper division of the Arisen Handicap from a quietly fancied Queen`s Kitten (app. Nikhil Naidu). Settled in the mid-division, the winner pounced on the tiring leaders – Zara Go Zara and Curtis – to score untroubled.

The lower division of the race was claimed by Bath`s fancied runner, Fiorelle (Shezad) who also covered a lot of ground in the final stretch after a tardy start to beat another late comer, Manvendra`s Dakota Dreamer. It was, however, Desert Falcon`s race. The filly shifted out badly after making all the running and yet placed a good fourth.