Derby Day at Mysore turned into a real-life game of snakes and ladders, with punters climbing hopefully only to come crashing down moments later. Outsiders ruled, favourites flopped, and wallets took a merciless beating. Aditya-trained Gold Kite set the tone for the chaos, flying home to stun the field in the Bangalore Turf Club Trophy and leaving punters wondering how their sure things had turned into spectacular stumbles.

If horse racing were a game, it wouldn`t be chess, it`s more like Snakes and Ladders, and on Derby Day at Mysore, most punters found themselves sliding down the longest snake on the board. Just when they thought they were climbing toward easy profits, Aditya-trained Gold Kite quite literally took off, leaving the favourites grounded and the punters gasping for oxygen.


In the Bangalore Turf Club Trophy (1200m, rated 80 & above), it was supposed to be a tidy three-way tussle between Knotty Blush, Don Carlos, and Aldgate. The betting ring was buzzing until Gold Kite, the so-called “outsider,” swooped from the clouds, hit the front, and refused to come back to earth. Jockey Darshan Anthony rode aggressively, fending off a determined Don Carlos by half a length. Decacorn tried the “run-them-into-the-ground” method and got buried himself, while Aldgate looked like had taken a day off.



If punters were hoping the earlier races would soften the blow, the day`s opener delivered the first punch. The moody Chisox from Pradeep Annaiah`s yard decided it was finally time to show up, mugging the heavily backed Sunway Lagoon in the last few strides. The irony? Punters had been lulled into complacency after a few days of favourites obliging, only to be reminded that racing gods have a wicked sense of humour.

The Royal Calcutta Turf Club Trophy (Div I) gave them a brief ladder to climb. Apprentice Prabhu Kumar and Smile of Beauty ran off with the race like it was a private gallop, nobody bothering to chase. Master Way was second, Immoral Beauty had no speed and punters regretted for trusting the mare to record an encore over a sharp trip.

Then came the Madras Race Club Trophy, and bookmakers began grinning like cats who found the cream. Bellavita and Knotty Affair, both touted as “good things”, turned out to be disasters, with NRI Victory and apprentice Pavan staging a wire-to-wire coup. The only thing Knotty about Knotty Affair was the knot in punters` stomachs.

In the lower division, Tefillah gave jockey Akshay Kumar some relief after a string of blanks. He guided the Darius Byramji-trained runner to an easy win, leaving Purple Martini to drown her sorrows and Star Symphony to sing the blues.

There was more drama in the Hyderabad Race Club Trophy, where Monteiro, another from Annaiah`s stable, struck again at nourishing odds. Favourite Knotty Scotty didn`t tie anything together, and Fortis briefly threatened before being politely escorted into second place.

Bezawada Sultan, from Joseph Awale`s yard, produced a spirited run in the Royal Western India Turf Club Ltd Trophy, leaving Magic Circle chasing shadows. Punters who had backed Golden Time discovered it wasn`t their time at all — the horse missed the start, and so did their hopes of recovery.


Trainer Bobby salvaged some sanity for his supporters with a double — Smile of Beauty earlier, and Cool Winter in the Delhi Race Club Trophy, who kept rivals Emerald and Trule Gold firmly in their place.

By day`s end, punters were left nursing empty wallets and wounded egos, wondering how they went from “King of the Ring” to “Pawn of Fate” in nine short races. Racing, as ever, proved the oldest truth of all, one day you`re riding the ladder, and the next, you`re hissing down the snake