After what seemed like a marathon of "so close, yet so far" finishes, trainer Irfan Ghatala must have finally located the secret formula—possibly hidden under a pile of old betting slips—to clinch the Grade 2, 1600 metres Maharaja`s Cup. Santorino decided to ditch his habit of arriving fashionably late and swooped in to steal the spotlight from the favourite, Shamrock, in a dramatic finish at Mysore on Friday.

Once a young prodigy with three consecutive wins, Santorino`s career had since been more “almost there” than triumphant. His habitual late rallies had been falling shorter than a jockey at a basketball try-out. But, on a track that might have been watered excessively as evidence by noticeable kick back, the front-runners seemed to tire out. And in the final strides, after a 286-day sabbatical, Santorino`s late dash wasn`t fashionably late for once—it was perfectly timed! Unfortunately for the punters, however, Friday wasn`t a day to rejoice, unless you`re the type who enjoys backing the underdog and screaming, “I told you so!” from the sidelines.

Shamrock, trained by Satish Narredu and with a CV that boasted 10 wins from 17 starts, was expected to take this one home. The five-year-old had been consistent, with only one off-the-board finish in his career. Coming off a solid second-place finish behind Once You Go Black, Shamrock seemed poised to add another trophy to his growing collection.

The betting ring was dominated by support for the favourite, with a little love thrown in for Prana as well. Once You Go surprisingly had very few supporters. Spectacular and Knight In Hooves set the pace early, with Suraj Narredu confidently settling Shamrock in third. Meanwhile, Santorino lounged comfortably at the back, probably enjoying a bit of “me time,” with Once You Go Black doing his best impression of a horse racing in quicksand.

As they rounded the final bend, Suraj decided it was time to make his move, propelling Shamrock forward and opening up what looked like a winning lead. The finish line loomed, and it seemed like the story was all but written—until Santorino, with his late burst (patented, no less), rocketed out of nowhere under Alex Rozario`s guidance. With a neck verdict in the dying moments, Santorino turned Shamrock`s expected win into a dramatic plot twist. Prana, meanwhile, showed up just enough to claim third, narrowly ahead of Trevalius, while Once You Go Black—well, let`s just say his performance was more “grey skies” than “star power.” And thus, after nearly 300 days in the wilderness, Santorino finally crossed the line first.

Warren Singh-trained Grizzly defied the odds and delivered a dominant performance in the 1400-metre M B Appaya Memorial Trophy on Friday. Though the four-year-old colt had shown promise with two consecutive wins earlier at Bangalore, his last three outings had been less remarkable. With jockey Vinod Shinde aboard, there was uncertainty among punters about whether Grizzly would deliver, especially with all the betting focus on Aralina, the race favourite.

However, Grizzly had other plans. Running at long odds, he proved vastly superior to the competition, recording a commanding victory over Aralina and Stellantis, leaving the field trailing in his wake.

Vinod Shinde positioned Grizzly perfectly, chasing the pace-setting Kingofthejungle into the home straight before storming ahead to win by a comfortable margin of over three lengths. Stellantis, who was a bit sluggish out of the gates—likely due to a technical issue—made a strong move along the rails but couldn`t sustain the challenge and faded away. Aralina, despite warming up late, couldn`t make a real impact, her run coming too late to change the outcome.

Apprentice jockey Brahmmesh, aboard D Gold Star, had a lucky escape after his horse hugged the rails throughout the race, repeatedly brushing against them. Fortunately, he managed to stay in the saddle thanks to the safety rails, and D Gold Star finished fourth. There was a Stewards` inquiry regarding Stellantis` start, but it didn`t affect the race result.

Arjun Mangalorkar-trained Disciple lived up to expectations by securing victory in the 1400-metre Ranga Family Trophy (Div I) at Bangalore on Friday. After an impressive last-out win, the three-year-old filly was the clear favorite and looked superior to the field. Though she was not flashy, Disciple got the job done, ridden out by jockey Anthony Raj to comfortably get past Sea of Adventure for a well-earned win.

The race unfolded with Ineffable leading early on, setting a strong pace before running out of steam in the homestretch. Sea of Adventure then took charge and held the lead until the final 150 metres. At this point, Disciple made her move, gradually wearing down the leader and securing the win. Connecting Dots finished with a strong late effort but couldn`t quite catch Sea of Adventure, settling for third.

In the lower division of the Ranga Family Trophy, Red Falcon, trained by Irfan Ghatala, finally found his groove after disappointing on two previous occasions. This time, everything went smoothly, and the horse cruised to a comfortable win by over four lengths. Jockey B R Kumar, who had previously fallen from Red Falcon during a race in Bangalore, returned to guide him confidently to victory.

Red Falcon sat behind the early pace-setter Infinitepossibility before making his move in the straight. Once Kumar pushed forward, Red Falcon quickly took control, passing the leader with ease and drawing clear for a decisive win. Curat Love took second, while Enjoyable claimed third as Infinitepossibility disappeared from the scene after setting the early pace.

Bipin Salvi trained Flying Falcon had won by a distance and faltered in the next outing had no problem in winning the 1100 metres Shimsha Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45 in the hands of apprentice Abhishek Mhatre. Furious Fun set a scorching pace and held the lead till the final 100 metres before Flying Falcon got into rhythm and flew past the front-runner for an easy win. Sky Storm ran on to take the third position.

Lesser-fancied NRI Touch won the 1200-metre Son Of The Light Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, at healthy odds. Ridden by jockey Saqlain, NRI Touch was settled in third as Super Sexy set a brisk pace upfront. Once they straightened for home, NRI Touch smoothly took control and surged ahead, leaving the pace-setter to fade out of contention. Though favorite Sergeant Reckless came up with a late flourish, it wasn`t enough to trouble the leader, who was simply too good on the day. Coor General held off Tower Quest to secure third place.

In the 1400-metre Aunty Pip Plate, trainer Apachu`s Deemed To Fire was well-backed to secure back-to-back wins. However, it was Felicita, trained by Helleal Moses, who stole the show despite running an erratic course—first veering out, then rolling in. Felicita proved too strong for Deemed To Fire, whose efforts to catch the front-runner fell short. Game Boy finished a distant third.

The day`s opener, the 1600-metre Penambur Plate, saw Sea Diamond, trained by Kishan Thomas, spring an upset. Sea Diamond, who had been well beaten over a shorter distance relished the extended trip and brought off a win at big odds. Stone House set a runway lead but weakened in the final stretch, allowing Sea Diamond to take charge in the last furlong. Double Vision, the race favourite, put in a strong chase but couldn`t catch the leader, who clung on to win by half a length. Quick Witted finished well behind in the third.