Magan Singh Parmar`s charge, Silver Act, finally turned the promise of a “fighting second” into something more tangible by winning the 2000 metres S S Cardmaster Memorial Cup at Malakpet on Monday. In a race for horses rated 40 to 65, In a race for horses rated 40 to 65, the favourite wasn`t exactly breaking a sweat—after all, when you`ve got the form and a field of half-hearted competitors, why bother? Winning appeared a foregone conclusion by the final furlong.

Now, if only the rest of the day`s racing could have followed suit. But, of course, in true Malakpet style, punters were served their usual dose of disappointment—courtesy of fancied runners like Brilliant Blue and Inderdhanush, who showed all the enthusiasm of a teenager being asked to do chores. After stirring up excitement in the betting ring, they promptly devoured public money like it was their favourite snack, without so much as a polite “thanks for the cash, folks.”

Back to the main event: Lady Danger and Crown Witness did their best to lead the field till the final turn, but that`s when Mukesh Kumar decided it was time for Silver Act to actually do something. Positioned conveniently in fourth, Silver Act quickened and, by the final furlong, the race was as good as his. The margin of victory was a comfortable four lengths. Voice of A Dream managed to keep the runner-up spot, holding off a late-surging Alpine Girl. Meanwhile, Original Sin, who seemed more interested in sightseeing at the start, faded away in the straight—guess the guilt got to him.

Moving on to the Kinnerasani Cup (Div I), Encore, trained by Satheesh, clearly took the phrase “if at first you don`t succeed, try, try again” to heart. After a less-than-impressive last run where he trailed the winner by 13 lengths (no, that`s not a typo), he decided to actually show up this time. Engaged in a tussle with the odds-on favourite Calistoga, Encore managed to surge ahead in the closing strides, leaving the bettors sighing in relief. Afroz Khan, aboard Calistoga, led from the start and tried to hold on, but it turns out even frontrunners have expiry dates. As Briar Ridge, Fara, and Happy Soul struggled to keep up, Encore swooped in with the kind of timing you`d expect from a hero in an action movie. Third win in the bag—Encore indeed knows how to put on a show.

Over in the lower division of the Kinnerasani Cup, Mikimoto proved that when money talks, she gallops. Trained by Donald Netto, the favourite made quick work of her competition, bagging a hat-trick win by over five lengths. It was a one-sided betting affair, and the race turned out to be equally straightforward. Jockey Kuldeep Singh went for the “catch me if you can” tactic from the start, and unsurprisingly, no one could. The speedy daughter of Dali kept widening the gap with every stride, turning it into a five-length stroll. Warwick put up a token chase, and Nucleus managed to rally for third—albeit a very distant one. Honestly, it felt less like a race and more like a well-organized parade, each horse taking its turn in a neatly spaced procession.

Trainer Satheesh`s wards often play the role of spoilers, but occasionally, they decide to live up to their hype as well-backed favourites. One such rare occasion was Challenger, who received a solid wave of support ahead of last-start winner Sweet Dancer and Swiss Girl. Jockey Md Ekram Alam decided to keep it simple, taking Challenger on a start-to-finish mission. To his credit, he rode with restraint up front—after all, when you`re carrying the weight of punters` hopes, you`d better make it count. Pancho put up a tenacious fight down the straight, but Challenger dug deep into her reserves and found that extra gear, pulling away for what turned out to be a pretty comfortable win. Sweet Dancer managed to rally from a distant position to claim third, though her efforts felt more like a cameo appearance rather than a serious challenge to the two battling it out ahead.

Meanwhile, in the lower division, Inderdhanush opened as the favourite, but as race time approached, Leo D`Silva`s Red Snapper snatched the spotlight, drawing spirited support from bettors. Once the gates flew open, Inderdhanush showed promise for all of two seconds before losing steam and fading into obscurity. Red Snapper, on the other hand, stayed with the pack, setting up a showdown with Star Medal in the final furlong. In a thrilling finish, jockey Afroz Khan managed to edge Red Snapper ahead by a neck, fulfilling expectations and giving the bettors something to cheer about. Star Cruise took third, a distant spectator in the closing stages.

Laxman Singh-trained Brilliant Blue was all the rage in the 1400 metres Nizamabad Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 45. But apparently, Brilliant Blue wasn`t feeling so brilliant and decided to take a leisurely stroll instead of a race, ending up in a humbling second-last position. The Monday Blues seemed to have hit hard as she looked more interested in sightseeing than in delivering for her backers. Meanwhile, the 8-to-1 shot Torchbearer from L V R Deshmukh`s stables seized the opportunity and coasted to victory with ease. Two longshots, Mix The Magic and Newfound Glory, followed as if playing along in a friendly procession, leaving Brilliant Blue in their dust. Aashad Asbar, aboard Torchbearer, took advantage of an opening when Mix The Magic drifted out, allowing the underdog to bounce clear in the final furlong for a cakewalk win. Newfound Glory came in a distant third, and as for Brilliant Blue, well, she managed to improve by exactly one spot by the time the race ended—truly an effort for the ages.

In the lower division of the Nizamabad Plate, Eminency and Freedom Touch looked poised for a photo-finish battle in the final furlong. But then, out of nowhere, Vital Sign from R H Sequeira`s yard and ridden by B R Kumar had the audacity to crash the party. With a burst of speed that left the other two looking like they were running in slow motion, Vital Sign sailed past for an easy win. Eminency, despite putting up a spirited fight, was ultimately edged out by Freedom Touch for second..

Over at the 1600 metres Mulugu Plate, Satheesh-trained London Bell pulled off another shocker. Having last won 239 days ago—when no one expected it—London Bell repeated the feat in his 32nd run with yet another inexplicably improved performance, despite having finished a mere 21 lengths behind the winner last time. This time, though, the horse bolted out of the gates like a scalded cat, and jockey R S Jodha barely had to lift a finger as the unchallenged frontrunner built up a lead that was untouchable by the final furlong. Definite managed to secure second, while Politics snuck in late to grab third from Cash Register, who, fittingly, couldn`t quite cash in.