The Parvati Byramji-trained Ravishing Form, already on the radar after a solid performance as Isn`t She Beautiful`s shadow runner, strolled into Saturday`s feature race, the 1400-meter K T Shamaiah Gowda Memorial Cup, as the hot favourite. In this outing for horses rated 80 and above, Ravishing Form hardly had to break a sweat to uphold his standing. Jockey Anthony Raj, assured of the season`s champion jockey title, guided the horse with calm precision. He positioned Ravishing Form comfortably in fourth, letting Prince Corporate set a blazing early pace before making his move.

As the field turned for home, Ravishing Form swept past with minimal effort, coasting to an easy victory. Iron Clad mounted a late charge to snatch second from Prince Corporate at the wire, but there was no stopping the favourite. Incidentally, the race, originally slated for the prior week, was pushed due to Mysore`s monsoon-drenched track.

Ravishing Form`s history on this track is storied; two years ago, the horse captured the Guineas here and looked destined for a dominant career before a dry spell set in. It took 74 days ago to finally break that slump, but Mysore`s unique turf has clearly brought out the best in this progeny of Speaking Of Which. Once again, Ravishing Form left his rivals flat-footed.

Trainer Pratap Kamath must have channelled his inner grandmaster, moving Mystic Bond like a chess piece to outwit the betting crowd and clinch a surprise victory in the 1400-meter H P Vishwanath Memorial Trophy for horses rated 80 and above. Mystic Bond`s journey to this triumph was anything but straightforward, more of a mystery thriller than a typical form line. First, Kamath entered the horse in a mile race, where jockey and mount merely "went through the motions" while everyone conveniently overlooked a false start declared by the starter. Then, just a week later, Mystic Bond reappeared over six furlongs—only to see the jockey take a leisurely ride at the back, making no effort to challenge.

So, with punters thoroughly misled, Mystic Bond finally returned to a more fitting distance of seven furlongs, ignored in the betting ring and priced long, especially with favourite Macron bolting enroute to the gate and scratching himself from contention. This time, visiting jockey Akimasa Phanithura kept Mystic Bond well within striking distance, carefully advancing along the rails as Silver Springs set the tempo. Entering the straight, Mystic Bond seemed momentarily boxed in until Contributor moved wide, opening a dream lane. Mystic Bond seized the gap, accelerating smoothly to build a winning margin and fending off a strong late bid from Ashwa Vedha, last start winner. Contributor settled for third, perhaps still wondering how he let that inside line slip away. Kamath`s strategy left the punters scratching their heads—but Mystic Bond, true to his name, was the one holding all the right moves.

Trainer Warren Singh`s Chotipari came out swinging in the 1600-meter Bottolanda Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Overlooked after finishing a distant 17 lengths behind the winner in the Mysore 1000 Guineas, Chotipari was practically dismissed from contention. Hand of God, the narrow loser in his previous outing, had the market`s backing to finally deliver. But fate had other plans—Chotipari defied the odds with a front-running display, controlling the race from the gates to the post and winning comfortably over a fast-finishing Natural Speed. Confident Game showed early pace but ultimately fizzled, while Hand of God never managed to rally and faded before the action even peaked.

Meanwhile, trainer Lokanath proved his foresight in the 1200-meter R M Puttanna Memorial Trophy for maiden three-year-olds, scoring a well-calculated victory with Connecting Dots. Lokanath had gauged the colt`s potential, having watched him finish a close third in a prep run. The betting ring favoured Mehra, whose last outing was an eye-catcher, and the colt wasted no time setting the pace. But Connecting Dots was in close pursuit and didn`t wait long to make his move. Under jockey Imran Chisty, the horse surged clear early in the straight, putting the favourite firmly in his rearview mirror with an emphatic win. Debutant Eastern Gold, highly backed in the betting, finished third but returned in distress, her debut outing less than stellar.

Chotipari stunned the sceptics, and Connecting Dots connected all the right moves, each defying expectations in their own style.

Jockey Vinod Shinde, fresh off a stellar season as runner-up to Anthony Raj, was in fine form in the 1400-meter Sri C Sashachalam Memorial Trophy for horses rated 20 to 45, guiding Sarvottam to a decisive victory. Though Sarvottam broke a bit sluggishly, settling into sixth or seventh position as Super Sexy set the early pace, he quickly found his rhythm. By the final bend, Sarvottam was poised on the outside and ready to unleash. And unleash he did—storming past the field to claim an effortless victory by over three lengths. Aurele took second place, while Free Spirited closed for third.

The day only got better for Shinde, as he partnered with River of Gold, a horse that hadn`t seen the winner`s circle in over 400 days. Now under the care of trainer M R Singh, River of Gold was backed strongly in the betting and didn`t disappoint. Shinde, seeking his third win of the day, guided River of Gold to an emphatic performance in the 1200-meter Sharan Lakshmanan Memorial Trophy. Seizing control at the top of the straight, River of Gold blazed past the competition, winning by a dominating five lengths. Emerald Queen trailed in for second, with Nimble Spirit taking third.

The 1200-meter Delhi Race Club Trophy (Div I) turned into a two-horse battle royale, with the public fancies going head-to-head in this contest for the lowest-rated horses. Jockey Aravind Kumar took no chances, sending Just Blues straight to the front. By the final furlong, the leader had built up enough cushion to leave the rest scrambling. Dominia, in hot pursuit, went wide under pressure, and by the time jockey Afsar Khan had him straightened out and powering home, Just Blues was already brushing past the finish line with a clear lead. Emeraldo came in third, trailing behind the duel up front.

In the lower division, Monnappa-trained One Diamond saved the fireworks for the last moment. Apprentice jockey Faiz pushed his mount with every ounce of effort, catching the well-backed Cool Winter in the concluding stride to snatch victory by the slimmest of margins. Arigato took the third spot, rounding out the field in a thrilling end to the day`s action.