After a nearly five-month hiatus, the Hyderabad racing season resumed with the usual uncertainty surrounding race fitness. Early-season form is often a mystery, and meaningful patterns emerge only once horses get a run under their belts and the trackwork intensifies. Yet, the season opener provided some clarity.

Firm favourite Dashing Charm, from the stables of Vittal Deshmukh, looked more forward than the rest and justified the support in the 1100 metres Con Amore Plate (Div I) for maiden three-year-olds. Hitting the front early, Dashing Charm enjoyed a commanding lead for most of the race. Although she began to tire in the final furlong, she still had enough in reserve to hold off the late challenge of Certainty, who closed the gap to under a length. Moonlite Rose ran on to finish third. This was the first of the three wins for jockey Ashad Asbar.

The lower division of the same race saw Catch The Worm, trained by Hilton Sequeira and piloted by B R Kumar, make no mistake. He was always travelling well and had the race sewn up in the final furlong. Foxy Girl and Gusto`s Baby followed him home, while the favourite NRI High Power failed to live up to expectations and finished a disappointing fourth.

The upper division of the Osman Sagar Cup, the day`s feature event for horses rated 40 to 65, showcased the return of the formidable Mikimoto from Donald Netto`s yard. With an enviable winter record of three wins and a runner-up finish from four starts, Mikimoto justified his billing as the on-money favourite.

Jockey Kuldeep Singh waited patiently on the favourite until the home turn. Once given his head, Mikimoto effortlessly swept past Runlikethewind and Best Buddy, and the result was never in doubt thereafter. The gelding strode out majestically and was hailed the winner well before the finish. Stablemate Ragnarok produced a late run to claim second ahead of Miss Maya.

The lower division of the Osman Sagar Cup also turned into a stablemate duel. Espionage hit the front early and dictated the pace, with Born Brave in close pursuit. Imperia raced third, while the favourite Calistoga failed to make any impact.

In the straight, jockey Varun rode out Born Brave with determination. The gelding, who had won his last start during the winter season, collared a tiring Espionage close to the post. Imperia stayed on in third, while Calistoga only managed to plod into fourth.

Srinivas Reddy`s Brilliant Lad lived up to his name in the 1100 metres Adilabad Plate (rated 20 to 45). In a fast-run affair, Pacific Heights sprinted ahead from a wide draw but faded late. Dubai Touch challenged along the rails, but Brilliant Lad, ridden with confidence by Sai Kumar, unleashed a powerful late burst. Despite being momentarily hampered by Pacific Heights drifting under pressure, he surged past to claim victory. Percept came from the rear to finish second, relegating the exhausted Pacific Heights to fourth.

The 1200 metres Hyderabadraces.com Cup for horses rated 40 to 65 went the way of the well-backed Diablo, trained by Prasad Raju. Coming off a Bangalore win, he was a picture of confidence under jockey Sai Kumar. After assuming control within the first furlong, Diablo was in cruise mode and comfortably held off Glorious Power and High Heels, who found some late support in the betting ring. Diabo thus completed a hat-trick of wins.

Jockey Ashad Asbar showcased tactical finesse aboard Gloria, trained by Vittal Deshmukh, in the 1400 metres Scarlet Prince Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Overcoming a wide outside draw, Asbar deftly angled his mount into a handy position behind the front-running Total Control.

Once in striking range, the lesser-fancied Gloria was given her head at the top of the straight — and the race was effectively over. She surged ahead with authority and left the field struggling in her wake.

The favourite Life`s Journey found herself with too much to do in the closing stages and could only settle for second, while Total Control held on for third.

Jockey Ashad Asbar rounded off a fine day at the office by completing a treble with a commanding win aboard Lego in the 1200 metres Tenacity Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category. Trained by Sandeep, Lego was the subject of heavy late support in the betting ring after initial hesitation saw his odds drift out momentarily.

The market`s confidence proved spot on. Lego tracked Pinatubo into the straight and, once asked for an effort, produced a powerful burst to storm clear and win untroubled. Battle On ran on to finish second, while Pinatubo, who had set the pace, weakened to hold third.