Saturday had its moment in the sun as “Media Day`` but Sunday was reserved for the believers. In a refreshing change of script, racing unfolded with rare predictability as favourites obliged and form stood tall. There were no ambushes, no dramatic upsets lurking in the shadows, just a clean procession of expected results. For once, punters weren`t left second-guessing fate, but instead enjoyed the unfamiliar comfort of a day where racing ran true to form.

Trainer Pradeep Chouhan, enjoying a season that has him breathing down champion Pesi Shroff`s neck, saddled a winner in the 1400 metres Seth Ramnath Daga Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above and very nearly doubled up, only to be denied by the cruel precision of a whisker in the finale.

Ultimo, who had edged out Market King by that same whisker last time, returned as favourite with punters displaying the kind of faith usually reserved for divine intervention. Trevor Patel, already crowned champion jockey and clearly in no mood for theatrics, sent Ultimo on a start-to-finish excursion. The result was never in doubt, the favourite cruising home while the others squabbled over leftovers. Irish Gold grabbed the runner-up berth ahead of Market King and a rather nostalgic Mojito, who now seems more memory than menace.

Trevor wasn`t done collecting winning cheques. In the 1600 metres M H Ahmedbhoy Trophy, he got Tajiri to collar Juracan in the closing strides. True to character, Tajiri loitered at the rear before being rudely awakened in the final furlong, responding gamely to strong urgings. Juracan played the part of the nearly horse, while Giant Gold completed the frame without quite managing to matter.

Akshay Kumar joined the party with a double, beginning with Azure in the 1000 metres Dopahar Trophy. The favourite did what favourites were contractually obliged to do on the day, win though not before Chelsea made things mildly interesting. Enforcer, after doing all the hard work up front, remembered he had somewhere else to be and faded, while Storm Cloud and Enforcer finished locked together in a dead heat for third. Ensky, meanwhile, seemed to be conducting an independent time trial.

Akshay`s encore came aboard Golden Dancer in the 2000 metres Homi Mehta Trophy. While Endurance and Kimiko engaged in a spirited but ultimately futile duel, Golden Dancer bided time before swooping in with the authority of a tax demand. The race was effectively over well before the winning post, leaving Endurance to cling to second and Kimiko to settle for third, having run a race full of effort but short on impact.

Ministry of Time, trained by Aman Altaf Hussain, finally honoured her long-pending appointment with the winner`s enclosure in the 1400 metres Truefitt & Hill Royal Heritage Cup. After flirting with victory on previous occasions, she decided enough was enough. Trevor Patel ensured the favourite didn`t find another inventive way to lose, getting the better of the game Ashwa Ankara in the dying strides, while Saseka arrived late to claim third.

Just when punters thought the day would pass without a single spike in heart rate, the concluding race attempted a late rebellion. The 1200 metres Racing Journalists Trophy flirted with chaos. Medusa, the early favourite, tragically broke down and reportedly succumbed to a heart attack. Trevor had a bad fall, but he rolled over, and one hopes he escaped with a scare. Money, meanwhile, had been flowing with abandon towards Heaven`s Rhythm and Absolute Gorgeous, as if the betting ring had suddenly discovered generosity.

Absolute Gorgeous looked set to justify the plunge until Heaven`s Rhythm, under an inspired Yash Narredu, came charging through. And then, for a brief, delicious moment, Eloquent threatened to turn the script into abstract art with a storming run from the clouds. Alas, order was restored just in time. Heaven`s Rhythm prevailed by a whisker, Eloquent a neck behind, and punters, having survived a momentary scare, could go back to celebrating a day when racing, quite unusually, behaved itself.