Pesi Shroff-trained classic winner Santissimo did exactly what was expected—waltzing to a bloodless victory in the 1400 metres A Campbell Trophy, the feature event of Sunday`s Mumbai races. The progeny of Gusto wasn`t so much racing as conducting a solo parade, leaving the rest of the field (if it can be called that) looking like extras.

With Trevor Patel in the saddle, Santissimo led from start to finish, coasting home by a six-length margin. However, in the absence of anything resembling competition, the timing—a sluggish 1 minute 26.768 seconds—was unimpressive, trailing behind the clocking of lower-class winners over the same distance. Clearly, Santissimo had no intention of setting records, and neither did the rest of the field.

The only potential threat, Singer Sergent, decided to spice things up with a touch of drama—staying rooted in the gates before heroically catching up with the pack, only to finish last. Meanwhile, the favourite simply cantered along, responding to Trevor`s cues with the ease of a seasoned professional. Whether this leisurely outing was the ideal prep for the upcoming Indian 2000 Guineas remains debatable, though Santissimo barely broke a sweat.

For the record, Charlie, who hasn`t seen the winner`s enclosure in over 600 days, managed to finish second, ahead of Rambler, while Singer Sergent completed the numbers. As for Santissimo, the race was less a contest and more a glorified warm-up—good for confidence, but not exactly a strong lung opener.

Trainer Karthik Ganapathy`s classic hopeful Golden Thunder didn`t exactly live up to the buzz, rallying late to finish a non-threatening third in the 1600 metres Director General of Police Trophy. If the connections were hoping for a dress rehearsal for the Guineas, they might want to check if the script still holds any promise. The performance left more questions than answers, offering little indication of the colt`s readiness to take on the big boys in the classics.

The race itself had its share of drama. The Panther, a known EIPH bleeder, threw in the towel just when the real racing began, fading out with the kind of predictability that wouldn`t shock a weather report. Meanwhile, Lord And Master went on a kamikaze mission, setting a scorching pace only to find his fuel tank empty in the final furlong. His collapse paved the way for an engaging finish that ultimately belonged to jockey Suraj Narredu and Inquilab.

Narredu`s impeccable timing aboard Inquilab, coupled with the horse`s experience in the Pune Derby, proved decisive. Alexandros threw everything into his chase but fell half a length short at the wire, settling for the runner-up spot. Golden Thunder, lingering in the penultimate position at the final bend, made a spirited move late in the game but failed to trouble the front-runners. Worse still, he barely held off two modest performers who finished uncomfortably close.

While the connections of Golden Thunder might still dream of Guineas glory, they`ll need more than hopes and rumours of English jockey David Allan swooping in to save the day. For now, the colt`s performance suggests he might need a little thunder of his own to strike classic gold.

What is horse racing without its periodic dose of Stewards` Room theatrics? Sunday`s Mumbai races served up yet another spectacle where the adjudicators wrestled with their perennial dilemma: should an objection hinge on whether interference materially affected the result, or merely tick the technical boxes? As usual, the verdict seemed less about rules and more about interpretation—sprinkled liberally with confusion, subjectivity, and a dash of chaos.

The flashpoint came in the 1200 metres contest where Among The Stars, trained by Malesh Narredu, made an electrifying late surge to clinch what seemed like a decisive victory. With Yash Narredu in the saddle, the well-fancied runner bolted past the field in the final furlong, channelling star power until—quite literally—crashing back to earth. Yash caused the horse to roll inwards, squeezing Merlet and cramping Matisse, who was angling for a run on the outside of the horse in front.

While Among The Stars was undoubtedly the better horse on the day, the inward drift and the lack of corrective action from Yash became the subject of an objection. And in a moment of rare candidness, Yash himself admitted he couldn`t correct the horse`s drift in time. That confession, while refreshingly honest, did little to impress the Stewards. In fairness, a confession of helplessness from a jockey of Yash`s calibre isn`t exactly comforting, especially when punters` wallets are on the line.

The Stewards, siding with the majority opinion of the Stipes, upheld the objection, awarding the race to Matisse. Among The Stars was relegated, leaving punters who backed the Narredu ward fuming.

This incident once again highlights the erratic nature of racing adjudication. Similar cases have seen wildly different outcomes depending on who`s calling the shots and what mood the Stewards` Room collectively finds itself in.

Nazak Chenoy-trained Shambala continued his red-hot streak, completing a hat-trick of wins with a commanding performance in the 1200 metres Gateway of India Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. As if choreographed, Trevor Patel timed his run to perfection, bringing the favourite from way off the pace to surge past the field in the final furlong, leaving the opposition chasing shadows.

It was a no-nonsense victory, with Shambala dismissing his rivals with the air of a seasoned professional. The finishing burst was as clinical as it was effortless, reaffirming his status as a rising star. Behind the winner, Azrinaz made a late lunge to snatch second place, narrowly edging out Expedite, who had to settle for third.

Sanjay Kolse-trained Earth proved to be the centre of gravity in the betting ring, justifying the heavy support with a smooth victory in the 1400 metres Dr Jagjit Singh Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 46. With Sandesh in the saddle, Earth tracked early leader Storm Cloud before taking charge midway through the straight, cruising to an effortless win that barely raised a sweat.

The battle for minor places, however, was far from straightforward. Scaramouche produced a late surge to pip Ardakan, who seems to be rediscovering himself after a relocation from Bangalore, and the sluggish Substantial, whose performance fell substantially short of expectations. Despite some buzz around Substantial, the fancied runner spent most of the race in a daze, waking up in the straight only to find the party already over.

In the lower division, Pesi Shroff`s Chagall delivered a dominant performance, with Trevor Patel guiding the favourite to a resounding five-length victory. Relaxed until midway in the straight, Trevor gave Chagall the signal, and the horse responded with a breathtaking acceleration to leave the field gasping.

Rush, true to his name, made a late bid from the rear to claim second, edging out Luminosity for the runner-up slot. Midnight Express, despite its flashiness last time out, ran a reckless race up front, expending energy like a horse unaware it was in a seven-furlong contest.

Chagall`s clocking of 1:23.01 was a revelation, a full three seconds quicker than Santissimo`s in similar conditions, underscoring the winner`s sublime form. Earth and Chagall both delivered performances that had punters grinning ear to ear.

Desert Classic, who had been more of a spectator in his last three outings, decided it was time to steal the show. Under the deft handling of jockey Ajinkya, the underdog galloped to an improbable victory in the 1200 metres Captain G Hall Trophy, leaving punters and rivals equally stunned. The horse which was originally with Imtiaz Sait had moved recently to trainer Pradeep Chouhan.

The race unfolded predictably enough at first, with Trillionaire and Oishika dictating terms upfront. But just when it seemed like they might hang on, Desert Classic appeared on the scene, brimming with zest and unrecognizable from his previous lacklustre performances. Covering ground with an urgency that had been conspicuously absent before, the long shot surged ahead with 300 metres to go and never looked back.

Wind Dancers made a spirited attempt to catch the leader, but Desert Classic was in no mood to let anyone spoil his redemption act. Behind them, Red Mist edged out the well-backed Star Impact, whose late run from the back of the pack was too little, too late to salvage a better result.

Behram Cama-trained Floyd was right at home in the 1600 metres V R Menon Plate, a race for horses rated 1 to 26, and proved why he was the punters` darling of the day. Dropping back to his winning category, Floyd justified the overwhelming support with a polished performance under T S Jodha, who played his cards to perfection.

Tracking ownermate North Bound well into the straight, Floyd shifted gears at the right moment and stormed ahead, leaving the rest of the field struggling to keep up. The win was as comfortable as it was clinical, with Floyd finishing a cut above his rivals.

The Flutist tried to orchestrate a late rally, but it was more a mournful tune than a triumphant crescendo, as he could only secure second. Dianne, who seemed to be daydreaming for most of the race, finally joined the fray when it no longer mattered, managing to grab third after the dust had settled.