If there were awards for boredom, Thursday`s Mysore races would`ve swept the card. Six events came and went with the enthusiasm of a Monday morning meeting, and the so-called feature—the Hotel RRR Trophy—was a one-horse affair. Ocean simply coasted from start to finish without a challenger in sight. The rest of the day followed suit, offering little by way of suspense, competition, or even mild excitement.

Monnappa-trained Ocean, who had been second best last time, needed no competition this time—mainly because there wasn`t any. Apprentice Faiz took the favourite straight to the front, and that was that. Ocean sailed along serenely, unbothered by the existence of other horses, and checked in three lengths clear. The others—Natural Tornado, Grace, and Sherpa—arrived in formation, like they were politely queuing rather than racing.

The only hint of drama came when apprentice Aleemuddin took a tumble. It looked nasty enough to make the crowd gasp—those still awake, that is. Miraculously, he escaped unscathed and even turned up for the Stewards` enquiry. Nothing changed in the placings, but the incident raised an eyebrow: perhaps allowing him to ride the very next race wasn`t the brightest call. Even if the body says “I`m fine,” the shock often says otherwise.

But off he went again, aboard Vayu in the Coorg Plate (1100m). The favourite led confidently and looked home until Klimt, under Sai Kiran, unleashed a late rattle to snatch the verdict on the post. It was the one and only moment that briefly resembled a race rather than a rehearsal. Maple Leaf was a close third, completing the trio of mildly interested participants.

In the Chief Minister`s Cup (1600m), Power of Gold was backed to strike gold but ended up losing shine alarmingly fast. Jockey Akshay Kumar, who`s having a forgettable season, tried to make all but ran out of gas in the final furlong. Yukikaze swooped past stylishly to win with ease, while One Nation and Assurances followed suit. Power of Gold finished a tired fourth—perhaps too tired of the company.

Goddess of War, a short-priced and expected to turn the Gool & Soli Poonawalla Memorial Trophy into a solo act. She won, but not before giving her backers a minor panic attack by wobbling near the finish. Vibrant Queen came back strongly but ran out of ground. Silver Quest finished a close third, as Anthony Raj guided the favourite home safely—if not spectacularly.

The Dupont Plate (Div I) provided a familiar script: Magic Circle led, Authentic Bell followed, and before anyone could yawn again, Authentic Bell breezed past for a facile win for trainer Ganesh. In the lower division, Bipin Salvi-trained Sea of Adventure restored the established order—collaring Just Blues in the straight and stretching away by four lengths. Anushtubha was third, completing yet another parade rather than a contest.

By the end of it all, the bookmakers were barely stretching, the punters were barely breathing, and the stewards were the only ones who had to stay alert—thanks to Aleemuddin`s fall. The rest of the card? A fine study in how to make racing look like routine exercise.