In the world of racing, upsets are as common as post-race excuses. The Cubic Mysore Derby sponsored by the club’s interim Chairman Suresh Kumar, starring a lineup as star-studded as a cloudy night, promised no bold new legend to immortalize. Sure, James McKeown’s John Wick seemed poised to continue his romp through the racebooks after a respectable Guineas win. But he didn’t have that invincible gleam. The best anyone could hope for was a hitch-free performance from both horse and jockey, and perhaps the rest would stumble out of his way. Enter Bourbonaire, who looked set to throw a wrench in the works, ready to press John Wick on the home stretch. The Leader and Hyderabad’s Amigo were also considered potential gate-crashers. But Mandarino? Against a pack that had already left him eating dust, Mandarino was as menacing as a feather in a storm.

Yet racing, in its infinite wisdom, loves a good joke. It wasn’t Bourbonaire, The Leader, or even John Wick who galloped to victory but rather Irfan Ghatala’s Mandarino—running light, free, and blissfully ignored. Paired with rookie jockey Alex Rozario, Mandarino, it seems, relished the ‘underdog’ status, channelling his inner Houdini in the final strides to snatch victory from Bourbonaire. While John Wick lost focus, possibly daydreaming about greener pastures, Bourbonaire galloped into the lead but was found wanting as Mandarino came out of the haze, chewing up the ground, proving once again that Derby upsets make fools of form books. For Ghatala and his Chennai-based owner J Ramesh and his partners, the win must have felt like Diwali came a week early.

John Wick was the favourite, basking in the spotlight as usual, but Bourbonaire had a loyal following hoping for a triumphant return against his conqueror. The rest of the pack were all in the “long shot” category. Jockey J Moulin perhaps decided that John Wick, our beloved action hero, should not run in his usual “I’m here to dominate” style. Instead, he pulled him back to third, like a parent telling their kid to stop showing off on the playground. Meanwhile, The Leader—how original—was living up to his name, charging ahead, closely followed by Bourbonaire. The rest of the horses were spaced out behind, with Amigo clearly not relishing the pace and losing touch with the rest of the horses.

As the horses approached the top of the straight, Trevor Patel, piloting The Leader, was fighting like a lion to maintain his lead, while Bourbonaire, in a bid for redemption, was gaining ground. With just 100 meters to go, it looked like Bourbonaire was on the brink of victory, desperately searching for the finish line. Enter Mandarino, ridden by Rozario, who came charging in like a superhero arriving just in time to save the day.

In a thrilling finale, Bourbonaire, who apparently left his all on the track, was overhauled in the dying moments by Mandarino, securing a second win for trainer Irfan Ghatala in the race. The stamina influence of Mandarino possibly was a decisive factor in the end.

For those unfamiliar with the quirks of the Mysore track, if you take the final bend too wide, you're likely to end up in another dimension. Sadly, John Wick, having drifted wide into the straight, found himself tangled in a web of inexperience. As Bourbonaire decided to shift out, Moulin seemed to have misplaced his GPS and struggled to get John Wick back on track. The favourite eventually limped home in fourth, just ahead of Aabushan, who, to his credit, made a commendable effort to cover good ground in the straight.

Earlier in the day, Suraj Narredu had Shamrock strutting his stuff in the 1400 meters Mysore Race Club Anniversary Cup, a terms race for three-year-olds and over. The favourite was still reeling from a shocking near-miss last time out but came back stronger clearly proving too much for the competition to handle. O Hansini, however, was eyeing the crown with some impressive past performances at Mysore, looking ready to stir the pot.

After Shubankar took charge, leading the field deep into the straight, Shamrock decided it was time to engage O Hansini in a battle for supremacy. Think of it as a heavyweight showdown in the final rounds. But guess what? Shamrock found another gear, powering through the last stages of the race to claim victory with a comfy margin, clocking in at a respectable one minute 22.546 seconds. O Hansini managed to neck out Shubankar for the runner-up spot, proving that sometimes second place really is just the first loser.

Next up, we had Arjun Mangalorkar's Czar, who had to dig deep into his reserves to fend off an unexpected challenge from Vijaya Falcon in the 1200 meters Bangalore Turf Club Trophy—a race for horses rated 80 and above. Apprentice jockey Faiz, riding the lesser-favoured Brave Trooper, decided to be a bit cheeky, taking charge from Star Glory shortly after turning for home. This speedster built up a solid lead, raising visions of an upset.

Meanwhile, jockey Anthony Raj was sweating it out aboard Czar, who was tasked with reeling in the front-runner. In a nail-biting finish, Czar managed to overpower Brave Trooper in the shadow of the post. Just when you thought it was all smooth sailing, Vijaya Falcon charged in from the wide outside, almost crashing the party. In the end, Czar held on for a neck win. Brave Trooper took third place, while Polished Girl continued her quest to find the form of her glory days, finishing fourth.

Kishan Thomas's Free To Play was next on the agenda, taking the 1400 meters Hyderabad Race Club Trophy at nourishing odds. Jockey A Prakash let Free To Play gallop freely in front, and let’s just say, the long shot didn’t feel the need to break a sweat enroute to a comfortable win. The favourite, Dynamic Force, attempted to chase him down in the straight under jockey Trevor Patel, but alas, the front-runner was as relentless as a toddler on a sugar high. Natural One managed to inch past the late-finishing Lg’s Star to snag third place, proving that every inch counts in this game.

Last but certainly not least, jockey Akshay Kumar guided the favourite Southern Force to an effortless victory in the 1200 meters Royal Western India Turf Club Ltd Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Blue Origin led the field like a seasoned pro, but Southern Force had other plans, collaring the front-runner in the final furlong. Heroism made a late charge to pip Blue Origin at the post for third.

Trainer Padmanabhan made a triumphant return to the winner’s circle after an over-a-year-long sabbatical, kicking things off with his very first horse, Mystikos. Fresh off an impressive victory, Mystikos decided to double down, delivering an even more emphatic win in the 1600 meters Madras Race Club Trophy—a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Jockey Vivek G navigated his way from a wide outside draw, patiently biding his time while sitting pretty in fourth or fifth position.

At the top of the straight, Aircraft took charge, clearly feeling like it was time to show off. But, alas, Mystikos had other plans and, with a smooth acceleration that could put a sports car to shame, gobbled up ground like it was a buffet. Mystikos zoomed past for an effortless win, leaving Tigerking and Force of Nature in his dust. Aircraft limped home in fourth.

Next up, we had a king-sized gamble placed on Silver Days Again by trainer Bobby in the 1100 meters Royal Calcutta Turf Club Trophy (Div I), yet another race for horses rated 20 to 45. As the odds quoted on Silver Days Again came crashing down, Chisox steadfastly held its ground, with both horses heading to the post as joint favourites. Chisox took the initiative, pushed to the front by apprentice jockey Faiz, while Silver Days Again lurked ominously in the shadows, ready to pounce.

Chisox couldn’t hold its lead in the home stretch, succumbing to the relentless pursuit of Silver Days Again, who strutted away for a handsome win in the capable hands of jockey Koshi Kumar. Chisox must have been feeling a bit deflated at this point.

In the lower division of the same race, Lokanath's The Grey Geranium showcased its resilience, fending off a relentless challenge from Baltimore to claim victory as the heavily backed favourite, courtesy of jockey A R Pradeep. Rising Sun trailed behind in third, probably contemplating its life choices while watching The Grey Geranium bask in the glory.