Punters had reason to be happy with Monday`s proceedings at Hyderabad. Barring an odd upset, most races favoured horses which were on the radar of the punters. Jockey Sandesh guided Donald Netto-trained Ashoka to a resolute win over Siddharth in the 1400 meters Ananb E Shahi Plate, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of the day.

While Ashoka had an unproductive winter season, failing to win any race, Siddharth was a decent performer, though he didn`t replicate the four consecutive wins he had in the monsoon. Despite dealing with various niggles throughout his formative years, Ashoka had showed immense performance and potential, particularly on the monsoon track. Siddharth, with a relatively clean record, was the strong favorite, while Ashoka was seriously considered by the punters to have a say at the finish.

Both horses performed to the best of their ability on the monsoon track which had seen some of their best performances. Sandesh`s ground-saving effort, which helped Ashoka gain a winning lead, made a critical difference in the race`s outcome. Siddharth, initially in the rear bunch, had to swing wide and, despite a blistering run, couldn`t overhaul the front runner as he had conceded too much ground which resultd in jockey Akshay Kumar`s aggression went in vain. Huntingdon finished third.

Sandeep-trained D Minchu had enough firepower to outlast favorite Armstrong in the 1400 meters Firestcrest Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Armstrong, from the stables of newly licensed A Imran Khan, was backed enthusiastically ahead of D Minchu and gave ample hope to his supporters before slackening in the final 100 meters.

Suraj Narredu had Armstrong take over the running from the outside draw and maintained a healthy lead. Armstrong traveled strongly into the straight and looked like the likely winner as he had an uncontested substantial lead but had nothing left in the tank under pressure from D Minchu, who began chasing the front runner in the stretch run. Despite the gap that needed to be covered, D Minchu was more than equal to the task. Wallop And Gallop came up with a typical late burst of speed and narrowly missed catching the favorite for the runner-up spot.

Imran Khan, before deciding to call it quits as a jockey, was very successful in his formative years but had not been seen much as a rider in the last few seasons.

Typically this season, favorites have dominated the upper division of races, while Division II seems reserved for long shots. This trend continued with Satheesh-trained Role Model winning the lower division of the Firecrest Plate as a long shot, at the expense of another outsider, Brooklyn Beauty. Vittal Deshmukh`s well-backed entrant from Bangalore disappointed with a third-place finish.

Brooklyn Beauty, from Nilesh Rawal`s yard, led from the start and was strongly pressed by favorite Devil`s Magic in the final furlong. If anyone had predicted a third horse coming and winning the race, considering the rest were far behind, they would have been deemed overly optimistic. However, Role Model, despite cutting an erratic course and coming very wide, showed enough resolution to secure the win close to home. Brooklyn Beauty nosed out Devil`s Magic for the runner-up spot.

The long break from racing and change of stables perhaps helped Magan Singh Parmar-trained Indian Sniper to edge out favorite Shadow Fax at the deep end in the 1100 meters www.hyderabadraces.com Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Shadow Fax, ridden by jockey Likith Appu, seemed set for victory with a sizable lead in the final furlong. However, Indian Sniper found his stride and produced a powerful burst of speed to storm ahead in the closing strides of the race. Australia had a good showing, finishing third.

After two runner-up efforts, Vittal Deshmukh-trained Lashka bounced back to winning ways in the hydraces.com Trophy (Div II). Lashka took a while to find her rhythm in the homestretch, but once the favorite hit her stride and overhauled front-runner Garnet, there was no stopping her. Jockey Akshay Kumar guided Lashka to a dominant win by a widening margin of five lengths. In a tight finish for minor positions, Glorious Power edged out Divine Connection to secure the runner-up spot.

The two well-fancied runners fought out the finish of the 1600 meters Falaknuma Cup, a race for horses rated 20 to 45. B R Kumar had Sugar take charge in the final furlong from a handy position and surge ahead. This lead held the favorite in good stead as White Pearl came home with a wet sail, only to find the front-runner escape to the safety of the winning post. Carnival Lady finished third. The jockeys of Voice of a Dream and Park Lane namely apprentice Kuldeep Singh and Ismail had a fall in the race.

Imran Khan couldn`t saddle a winner on the day, though he came close in the concluding race, the 1200 meters Kothagudem Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Longshot Indradhanush led all the way and seemed poised to win, but a finishing burst from another long shot, Jet Falcon from Magan Singh Parmar`s stables, dashed his hopes. Sadiya, as usual, ran on late and secured a noteworthy third place.

In a cluster finish, Leo D`Silva-trained Winning Attitude, ridden by jockey Afroz Khan, prevailed in the upper division of the Kothagudem Plate. Winning Attitude and Sucker Punch fought all the way in the final furlong, with the former getting the nod in a tight finish. NRI Ultra Power came from a long way back to add more excitement to the race, edging out long-time leader Classy Dame to save place money.