Golden Thunder thundered away in cloudy skies and drizzle to win the Gr 2 Bangalore St Leger, the last classic of the Bangalore Summer Season, run on Sunday. Trained by Karthik Ganapathy, this long-striding galloper has always given the impression he needed an airport runway to build momentum — not your sprightly, jump-and-scoot type, but more the freight train that doesn`t stop once it`s moving.

The much-hyped Dyf, who has been punching the clock with clockwork consistency, looked like he`d finally had enough. When Trevor Patel tried his usual trick — creeping up from behind — Dyf responded with the kind of enthusiasm one reserves for Monday mornings. The zip was missing, the legs were heavy, and the white flag may as well have been flying by the time Golden Thunder swept past. He still managed to trudge home in second, but that was more out of habit than hope.

Truth was a distant third — eight lengths behind — and if that wasn`t disappointing enough, Indian Derby winner Ranquelino decided the soggy turf wasn`t worth the effort. Clearly a fan of firm footing and shorter assignments, the colt plodded home like someone forced to run a marathon after being promised a sprint. The only thing Ranquelino finished close to was embarrassment.

Trainer Karthik Ganapathy, to his credit, had maintained all along that Golden Thunder was built for the St Leger trip — and the big fellow didn`t let him down. With heavy going and the heavens leaking all over the turf, the race became more of a test of stamina and patience than class and turn-of-foot. Jockey Anthony Raj rode a composed race, tucked in just behind the pace-setter Cape Wickam and Saigon, and seized control around the final bend. From there on, it was a solo performance worthy of a standing ovation — if only umbrellas allowed for such gestures.

As for Ranquelino, the sole “local hope” — his performance begged the question: where are Bangalore`s classic contenders hiding? Once upon a time, Hyderabad races were dominated by outstation challengers. Now, Bangalore is returning the favour — but not in style.

Cape Wickam did the early hard work up front, with Saigon, Golden Thunder, Ranquelino, and Dyf in attendance. But when the serious questions were asked turning for home, it was only Golden Thunder who had any answers — and he delivered them with a booming gallop.

At the racecourse, there`s one announcement that never goes out of fashion — "Racegoers are requested to beware of pickpockets." Touching, really. The management still believes it`s a petty thief in the crowd who`s out to rob you.

But let`s face it — punters don`t need a pick pocketer. The races themselves do a perfectly professional job of cleaning your pockets, that too in broad daylight and with full ceremonial flair. With logic galloping in the opposite direction and chaos taking the reins, it`s not the bookmakers or the bag snatchers you need to worry about — it`s the formbook-defying finishes and vanishing favourites.

So next time you hear that well-meaning warning, just smile. Because by the end of the day, it`s not some nimble-fingered thief in the crowd you`ll be blaming… it`s the horses, the handlers, and a system that runs on “method be damned, madness ahead!”

If there was ever a track that could turn a drizzle into a disaster, it`s Bangalore. Sunday`s racing unfolded under underfoot conditions that were, in the politest of terms, far from ideal. A mere sprinkle and the turf turns treacherous — the grass offering all the grip of a wet banana peel, and the surface beneath behaving like a sponge in distress. Add in patches of standing water, tufts of weed, and a generous helping of ragi grass (African millet, for the botanically inclined), and you`ve got a surface that`s more agricultural experiment than racing track.

Horses are known to enjoy soft going — but what they got was a soggy mess best suited for frogs, not thoroughbreds. Not that it stopped the show. Racing trudged on, with punters clinging to favourites like shipwreck survivors — more out of blind faith than logic. Fitting then, that Blind Faith was the toast of the tote in the Flirting Vision Plate (Div I). Alas, the filly lived up to her name — lots of faith, no results. She finished a limp third behind Eternal Glory, who ran true to her name and delivered the goods by collaring Flash in the final furlong. Priceless Prince finished second, but for punters backing Blind Faith, the only thing priceless was the lesson.

The upper division of the same race brought both surprise and satisfaction — if you were one of the few who stumbled upon Most And More. The long shot from Satish Narredu`s yard swooped down in the final furlong to win comfortably, leaving Mehra and the heavily backed Pursuit of Wealth wondering what just happened.

There was more redemption in store for backers of Winfield, trained by Arjun Mangalorkar. After having bled last time out, the filly returned in style in the Azhar Plate (1400m) for horses rated 20 to 45, putting away the field at nourishing odds. Isabelle tried the catch-me-if-you-can tactic, but her fuel tank hit empty with 200 to go. LG`s Star huffed into third while Continues, the so-called good thing of the race, continued in a parallel dimension. No visual confirmation of its presence on the track.

The Mamma`s Mink Plate, a race for maiden three-year-olds, saw Beauty Star produce a late flourish under jockey Sai Kiran to pip Mutual Trust on the post. The latter had shaped like a winner after hitting the front early, but Beauty Star, despite running all over the place, managed to put her nose in front at the wire. Cashable was a distant third. As for Annabelle, the heavily backed filly showed early signs of rebellion by taking a fly jump and then putting in a performance best forgotten.

Heavily supported Armory, from Narayana Gowda`s yard, justified every paisa of the betting flood in the Raja of Bobbili Memorial Trophy (1400m). The seven-year-old mare made it a no-nonsense affair — hit the front, stayed there, and didn`t let anyone close. Prime Abbess followed her home with The Strikingly finishing third. For a change, a “good thing” didn`t leave the backers red-faced.

The day wrapped up with the Aboline Plate, where trainer Pradeep Annaiah`s two runners decided to make it an in-house affair. Super Kind and Agera fought out the finish, with the former holding sway in a close one. The rest of the field looked like they were just happy to stretch their legs in the slush.