High Command, trained by Vittal Deshmukh, seems to have rediscovered its lost glory, much to the delight of its connections and the dismay of its rivals. The four-year-old colt clinched the 1600-metre Ghulam Ahmed Memorial Cup (Div I) at Malakpet, a race for horses rated 80 and above, with all the flair of a seasoned performer who`s finally remembered what all the fuss was about. This marks High Command`s second consecutive win, proving that he has some more depth.

Once a starry-eyed juvenile, High Command had inexplicably spiralled into mediocrity, leaving fans scratching their heads. The old fire seems to be back! With jockey Aashad Asbar in the saddle, High Command surged ahead with the kind of determination that kept his rivals including the late finishing Hugh Capet at bay.

The race itself was a spectacle of strategies gone awry. Best Buddy, fulfilling its time-honoured tradition of front-running, led the field gamely before graciously bowing out in the straight. That`s when High Command, perched perfectly in striking position, decided to steal the show. Accelerating like a sprinter, High Command stormed to the front and built a cushion of safety. That cushion was sorely needed when Hugh Capet, who had apparently been daydreaming at the back, suddenly remembered he was in a race and came thundering home. Alas, even his late heroics weren`t enough, and High Command held on to win by just under a length.

As for Huntington, the favourite—well, it seems he`s still trying to figure out the difference between being in the right position and actually winning. Despite a prime spot to launch, Huntington`s turn of foot was more like a turn of limp, leaving him a well-beaten third. Meanwhile, Imperia, who had the audacity to run with the pace early on, fizzled out to finish fourth, but over a trip that may not suit the filly`s style of running.

In the lower division of the same cup, Sreekanth-trained Truth decided it was time to live up to its name and deliver. Truth, the short-priced favourite, had been narrowly beaten by High Command last time, but today it was all business. The gelding overcame a spirited fight from NRI Superpower, who gave it everything but fell short. Shadow Of The Moon, leading from the start, realized halfway through that moonlight isn`t enough to win races and faded to third.

Nilesh Rawal-trained Freedom Touch went from drubbed to dominant in the 1800-metre Aristocrat Plate, a race for horses rated 20 and above. After an unceremonious beating by Das in her last outing, Freedom Touch decided it was time to flip the script. In the final furlong, she powered ahead like she had something to prove, leaving China Town and Skyward fighting over the crumbs. Das, on the other hand, shared favouritism but couldn`t defy the penalty for his last win and folded faster than a cheap tent under pressure.

Faisal Hassan-trained Top In Class had been the talk of the town last time—not for his performance but for the melodrama that followed. After failing to break his winless streak, the desperate jockey Mukesh Kumar lodged an objection so baseless it might as well have been filed for entertainment. This time, however, it was redemption day in the 1200-metre Trade Fair Plate (Div I). Sharper for his last run, Top In Class left nothing to chance, surging decisively in the final furlong to leave Char Char in the dust. Star Cruise made a valiant effort to sneak into second but had to settle for third.

Anant Vatsalya-trained Sucker Punch lived up to his pugilistic name, delivering a knockout blow in the dying strides of the lower division of the Trade Fair Plate. Favourite Lights On, backed with great enthusiasm, looked every bit the winner until about 100 metres from the post, where she decided that leading by lengths was overrated and began slowing down like she was sightseeing. Sucker Punch, seizing the opportunity, unleashed a powerful late run to steal the race right at the post. Meanwhile, Sucker Punch`s more fancied stablemate showed up fashionably late, finishing a neck behind Lights On for third, probably wondering what could`ve been if he`d started running five seconds earlier.

After a brief moment of contemplation—perhaps weighing his career options—Satheesh-trained Dapper Look decided it was time to lead from the front in the 1800-metre Indian Navy Rolling Challenge Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Emulating his stablemates` favourite strategy of commandeering the proceedings, Dapper Look stayed comfortably ahead, even finding a little extra in the tank when favourite Clara tried to challenge. But Clara`s efforts were in vain, and Dapper Look cruised to victory with almost insulting ease. Ampere`s Touch made a half-hearted attempt to snatch second from Clara but ultimately fell short, leaving her as the best of the rest.

Robin Reddy Kondakalla-trained Stars Envied made sure her win in the 1200-metre Sangam Plate, a race for maiden two-year-olds, was the stuff of inevitability. After veering out at the start last time but finishing like a freight train, she was heavily fancied to make amends—and she didn`t disappoint. Despite a wide turn at the final bend that looked like she was sightseeing, Stars Envied switched on the afterburners, blowing past front-running Victory Run with a decisive surge. Victory Run, ironically, didn`t live up to her name, as NRI Blaze flew in late to swipe the runner-up spot, leaving Victory Run with nothing but excuses.

In a whip-free race that left jockeys relying on persuasion and charm, B Mukesh Kumar-trained Elegant Lady was the bettors` darling—and she didn`t disappoint. Under the guidance of K Mukesh Kumar, Elegant Lady made her move from fourth at the turn, taking over proceedings with the kind of poise befitting her name. She galloped to an easy victory, leaving Peppi and Exclusive Spark to squabble over the minor placings. In a tight finish, Peppi edged out Exclusive Spark for second, though both will likely have sleepless nights replaying how Elegant Lady made it look so effortless.