The race card for Monday`s Hyderabad races was about as straightforward as a tax return—confusing, full of surprises, and best handled with caution. However, one name stood out like a beacon of reliability: Truth, a horse that lives up to its name by delivering honest-to-goodness performances every time he steps onto the track. Truth has been so consistent that it probably deserves a pension plan for its reliability. With a resume boasting a place on the board in every race but one, this marvel put on a masterclass in the 1600-metre Qutab Shahi Million, the feature event at Malakpet.

Despite coming off two impressive wins and holding the sort of experience that would make a seasoned campaigner blush, Truth bizarrely flew under the betting radar, with the odds oddly favouring Champions Way—a former Golconda Derby winner who`s been on a journey to rediscover himself—and High Command, who had strung together two wins and a lot of hype. Clearly, the bookmakers missed the memo.

Jockey Kuldeep Singh, partnering with the Sreekant-trained Truth, kept the long shot tucked away at the rear like a secret weapon, only to unleash a devastating final-turn burst that left the so-called fancied runners looking like they were running in slow motion. In the end, Truth not only "graced the board" but completely owned it, proving that while the race card may have been tricky, this horse was the ultimate answer key.

Satish Narredu trained Champions Way whose best was reserved for this track last with wins in the Guineas and the Derby, has lost his way and but on the basis of his two wins, he has been fancied each time he is on the track and every time he has flopped making one wonder how he delivered those two wins. Champions Way went to the post as a favourite. Suraj Narredu took the favourite on a start to finish mission and led the field into the straight. Truth who had settled in the rear, was alerted by jockey Kuldeep Singh after the runners hit the homestretch. Truth covered ground on those in front in a trice and stormed clear to win by a widening margin of six lengths. Siddharth who was running perhaps for the first time at a low weight in recent times ran on late to take the second position while Champions Way had to be satisfied with a tame third position. High Command was not spotted to have any chance, having lost his ability for commanding performance.

Punters at Malakpet would`ve been forgiven for feeling like they`d entered a boxing ring instead of a racecourse, as long shots delivered haymakers throughout the day, leaving only the second and last races as a semblance of reprieve. The chief instigator of this punting carnage? Trainer Anant Vatsalya, who engineered not one but two spectacular upsets along with trainer Vittal Deshmukh and Robin Reddy Kondakalla.

In the Kamareddy Cup (1800m), a race for horses rated 20 to 45, Prasad Raju-trained Black Dust was backed with the confidence of a banker on payday, but the favourite`s rhythm kicked in just a little too late, leaving punters groaning as their tickets hit the ground. Caraxes led into the final furlong but crumbled under pressure, as Federer surged along the rails with a dramatic late run to snatch victory in the last 50 meters. Black Dust crept into second place, while a tiring Caraxes settled for third.

Just as punters were nursing their wounds, Anant delivered another sucker punch with China Town in the Vegavathi Cup (1600m), a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Returning to the winner`s circle after a sabbatical long enough to qualify for a midlife crisis—476 days to be exact—China Town, ridden by Ajeeth Kumar, surged forward in the final furlong and held off a spirited late challenge from Ampere`s Touch by a neck. The well-fancied Just Incredible, on a quest for a hat-trick, found itself stuck in a holding pattern at the rear. Jockey Kuldeep Singh`s delayed wake-up call ensured the favourite`s dash was too late, with the best it could muster being a fourth-place finish.

Adding to the chaos, Robin Reddy Kondakalla delivered a jaw-dropping 20-1 winner through Exclusive Black in the Jangaon Plate (1400m). While Deccan Spirit, the firm favourite, was busy underwhelming everyone, Exclusive Black stormed ahead in the final furlong and clung on desperately to fend off a late surge from Star Forever, who missed by a whisker. Warwick edged out Calista Girl for the third spot in a finish that had punters reaching for a drink.

Trainer Vittal Deshmukh wasn`t about to miss his share of the upset pie. Long-shot Last Wish—who had so far been more about empty promises than delivery—finally found his stride, perhaps motivated by the rare presence of owner Dr. Suresh Chintamneni, who must`ve been as stunned as everyone else. Last Wish powered through the middle in the final furlong, fending off Huntingdon by a whisker to notch an overdue win. The heavily-backed favourite Hugh Capet, meanwhile, decided to spectate from the rear for most of the race, sneaking into third place but failing to justify the hype.

The Saroornagar Plate proved to be a haven for punters, with both its first two divisions going the way of heavily-backed favourites, much to their relief. In the upper division, Lady Jane, trained by K Satheesh, lived up to her regal billing. Backed to the exclusion of everyone else, she led from the front like a queen on a mission, fending off a spirited challenge from Taaliyah under jockey Md Ekram Alam. Bient Pensant snuck past Hoping High to claim third, but by then, Lady Jane had already stolen the show.

The lower division was even more emphatic. Hawk Wing, trained by Nilesh Rawal, was sent off as the shortest-priced runner of the day, and the horse didn`t just justify those odds—he obliterated them. Taking charge right from the gates, Hawk Wing practically ran a race of his own, leaving the rest gasping for air. By the time the final furlong arrived, the winner`s script had already been written. Hawk Wing soared home by a yawning five-length margin over Country`s Maximus and Deccan Ranger, as if to say, “Catch me if you can—but you can`t.”

Trainer Nilesh Rawal wasn`t content with just one win, completing a double with Fortune Art in the day`s opener, the Division III of the Saroornagar Plate. Partnered by jockey Naresh, Fortune Art tracked short-priced favourite Glimmer of Hope deep into the straight, only to pounce with a decisive move in the final 100 meters for a stylish victory. Shubhrak managed third, but the spotlight firmly belonged to Fortune Art, who made chasing the favourite look like a warm-up act.