The early part of the Hyderabad Monsoon racing season has always been marked by a predictable pattern, with favorites dominating most of the races, especially those involving three-year-olds. However, when the favorites falter, picking the winner becomes a challenging task. Sunday`s racing followed this familiar script, with favorites largely prevailing, except for a notable upset in the feature event.

In an unexpected turn, Hugh Capet, trained by Sandeep, broke a long winless streak of over 500 days by defeating the on-money favorite, Last Wish in the 1400 metres Royal Revive Plate, a race for horses rated 60 to 86 the highest rated event of Sunday`s races held at Malakpet. This win ended a series of consistent performances without victory, surprising many who had bet on Last Wish.

Last Wish, recently relocated from Bangalore and now under the care of Vittal Deshmukh, had been heavily favored in his previous race but finished second. Once again, Last Wish fell short, unable to catch up with Hugh Capet, who had surged ahead early. Although Last Wish had not won in nearly a year, his last victory was against formidable competition, including Shamrock, who later achieved greater success.

Alexina took an early lead and maintained it until the final furlong, where she faded. Hugh Capet then made a strong move, taking the lead and holding off Last Wish, who was closing in with determination. Despite Last Wish`s late charge, Hugh Capet`s early advantage proved decisive, securing a win by less than a length. Alexina held on for third place, while several other horses seemed to be using the race as a warm-up.

The well-backed Hurricane Bay from trainer Leo`s yard secured victory in the 1600 meters P.G. Reddy Memorial Cup, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Jockey Afroz Khan, who kept Hurricane Bay in about fifth or sixth position early on, was unhurried by the fast pace set by the front-runners. He made his move only as they turned for home, guiding the fancied runner to pick up tremendous momentum on the wide outside. Hurricane Bay was hailed as the winner well before the finish line. Alpine Girl finished second, while Sundance Kid, who had lost ground at the start and was trailing in last place, rallied impressively to claim third. Favorite Golden Gazelle was unable to meet expectations, finishing a disappointing fourth, narrowly losing third place by a neck to the late-surging Sundance Kid.

In another race, the 1400 meters Malakpet Plate for maiden three-year-olds, Vittal Deshmukh-trained King Immortal had narrowly missed victory in a previous race but faced strong betting on debutant Secret Saint from trainer Bharath Singh`s stable. With jockey Suraj Narredu in the saddle, Secret Saint took charge early in the straight and looked well on course for a win. However, Immortal Beauty, who was in pursuit, gathered strength closer to the finish under jockey Ashhad Asbar`s guidance and managed to overtake the favorite, securing victory. Secret Saint finished second, while Desert Hero was a distant third, trailing by six lengths.

There was an abundance of entries for the Bhakthawar Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, leading to it being divided into three sections. The first division unfolded as expected, with the two market favorites battling for victory. Castiloga, trained by Leo D`Silva, comfortably held off Final Judgement to claim the win. Jockey Afroz Khan made his move early in the straight, targeting the front-running Deccan Daisy. By the final furlong, Castiloga had decisively overtaken Deccan Daisy, pulling clear to secure a lead that was unchallenged when Final Judgement made a late surge. Deccan Daisy finished third, while Catchme If You Can rallied late to complete the frame.

In Division II, Prasad Raju-trained Star Forever lived up to its strong reputation, with the market backing it as the clear favorite. Jockey Sai Kumar had to drive Star Forever hard to overtake Challenger, who led aggressively from the front. However, in the final 100 meters, Star Forever gained strength and secured a comfortable win. Golden Inzio finished a distant third.

Division III of the race saw another favorite, Imperia, from Ananth Vatsalya`s stable, live up to expectations. With short odds reflecting the confidence in her abilities, jockey Deepak Singh pushed Imperia to take the lead from the start. The favorite ran freely in front and extended her lead by the final furlong, making it impossible for her rivals to catch up. Cosmico finished second, ahead of the late-rallying Noble Heart, while Lights On, who had been in the chase, faded towards the end, finishing fourth. The horses finishing behind Imperia were closely bunched, with only a neck separating each of them.

Magan Singh Parmar-trained Deccan Spirit capitalized on a strong previous run to win the 1400 meters Basara Cup, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, as expected. Jockey Mohit Singh delivered a well-timed ride, bringing Deccan Spirit into contention during the homestretch. The fancied runner overtook the front-running Get Lucky and surged ahead for a decisive victory. Get Lucky managed to hold on to second place, fending off Oliver`s Mount, who was heavily backed but failed to find the necessary speed when it counted most.