Mysore racing is a puzzle. On some days the pieces fall neatly into place; on others, even the most seasoned punter is left wondering whether somebody has quietly removed a few pieces from the box.

There is method in the madness of racing. But when the madness begins to look as though it has acquired a method of its own, the authorities would do well to take a closer look. Public confidence is the foundation on which racing rests. Punters have remarkable powers of endurance and will keep returning after being knocked down repeatedly, but even their loyalty has limits. Friday`s racing at Mysore certainly provided enough head-scratching material to keep them busy.

Odds fluctuations are part and parcel of the game. But when a horse opens at a short price, climbs steadily into the clouds and eventually settles at 20 to 1, eyebrows naturally rise along with the odds. In the opening race, the 1400 metres Jog Falls Plate for horses in the lowest category, Bipin Salvi-trained Money Exchange opened favourite. It did not take long for the money to exchange hands elsewhere, as his price drifted dramatically to 20 to 1.

Alluring Beauty attracted one-sided support, but the beauty arrived too late. The Whispering, from Surender`s stable and ridden by J Paswan, did the whispering in front and was never persuaded to speak any other language, holding off Alluring Beauty by a whisker. Break Away was a leisurely third.

Something similar happened in the concluding race, the 1400 metres Southern Ruler Plate for horses rated 40 to 65. The price of fancied Mystic Charm began shooting upwards even as the runners were preparing to load, giving the distinct impression that the betting market had already formed an opinion. Night Raider then attracted all the money, only to be withdrawn at the gates. That neatly removed one of the principal actors from the drama.

With the betting plot already sufficiently complicated, Sai Kiran sent Mystic Charm freely to the front. The leader used up plenty of petrol in the straight and, when the fuel gauge hit empty, Red Falcon took off at long odds and won by six lengths. Malet Spring was third. For the punters, it was less a race and more an exercise in maintaining blood pressure.

Thankfully, not everything on Friday required a detective`s magnifying glass.

In the 1600 metres Yelahanka Plate for horses rated 20 to 46, Regal Aristocracy and Forces of Nature were the obvious market choices. Regal Aristocracy led into the final furlong, but as has happened so often before, found one better. Gregory Sandhu-trained Forces of Nature simply overwhelmed the front runner and went on to score comfortably. Darrington was third.

The 1200 metres F K Irani Memorial Million, a terms race for three-year-olds, had only five runners. Born To Rise would probably have started favourite but was injured in the float while being loaded for Mysore and had to be withdrawn. That left Aman Altaf Hussain-trained Storm Majesty with the field effectively reduced to manageable proportions. Storm Majesty duly took advantage, winning by a widening five lengths from Calix and Flavianus.

Sulaiman Attaollahi-trained Valiant Stream justified favouritism in the 1200 metres M P Appayya Memorial Trophy for horses rated 60 and above. He led from the start and gallantly resisted a strong challenge from Never Give In. The runner-up lodged an objection, alleging that Valiant Stream had veered out under pressure and carried him out. The Stewards, however, decided that the interference was not sufficiently serious to warrant changing the result. Irish Coffee was third.

There is another familiar feature of Mysore racing: when horses from Bangalore arrive, they often arrive with a handicap advantage that is not reflected in the numbers.

Local horses frequently pick up penalties for winning against modest opposition, while the Bangalore horses come in with ratings that may make them look far better than their Mysore counterparts. The result is that the visitors often look as though they have been given a head start before the starter has even pressed the button.

Dominic-trained Jersey King certainly looked a cut above the opposition in the Sir Cecil Plate (Div I), for horses rated 40 to 65. Trevor Patel kept Jersey King towards the rear group, but once asked to stretch in the final furlong, the horse devoured the ground and sailed away for a facile victory. The superiority was emphatic. Another Bangalore challenger, Bellavita, was second ahead of Spectacular.

Purushotham-trained Mystikos looked equally superior in the lower division of the Sir Cecil Plate. Veteran Y S Srinath had little difficulty steering Mystikos to an easy victory over Idi Minnal and Mark One.

Srinath is rarely seen on the track these days, so his return was one of the pleasant surprises of the afternoon. He marked it in the best possible fashion, by riding a winner.

Friday therefore had a little of everything: predictable winners, dramatic withdrawals, spectacular odds movements and enough unanswered questions to remind us that racing is not merely a puzzle. Occasionally, it is a puzzle in which somebody appears to have misplaced the instructions.