Democracy decided to stop living up to her name and took complete control in the 1400 metres Hyderabad Race Club Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of Friday’s Mumbai races. The speedy daughter of Acclaim, who had been on a prolonged sabbatical—382 days, but who’s counting? —finally remembered how to win a race. Prior to this performance, Democracy had been sleepwalking on the track, with her most recent “achievement” being a modest nine-length defeat behind Magileto just 12 days ago. In racing, transformation of this magnitude is called “the Pesi Shroff touch.”

Sent off at a cheeky 5-to-1, while the odds-on favourite It’s My Time confidently strutted around like royalty, Democracy pulled off a performance that can only be described as downright authoritarian. As if auditioning for a late-bloomer drama, she loitered at the tail end of the field, seemingly letting the others burn through their energy like reckless spenders on payday. Up front, Cellini set a brisk pace and then politely handed the baton to Christophany in the straight, probably thinking the race was over. Enter Trevor Patel and Democracy, who decided it was time to show up, devouring ground like a starved marathon runner at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

By the final 100 metres, Democracy poked her nose in front before storming ahead to win as she pleased by a luxurious margin of over three lengths. Christophany clung on for second place, while It’s My Time had to settle for a rather humbling bronze. Turns out, it wasn’t his time, after all—maybe someone forgot to wind his watch. Democracy’s performance was dazzling enough to make us forget her lacklustre history of near-anonymity. Whatever the reason, one thing was clear—on Friday, Democracy ruled.

One couldn’t help but wonder if Constable had been on an extended vacation or perhaps moonlighting as a security guard elsewhere, judging by the way he stormed through the 1200 metres Behram A Engineer Salver for horses rated 40-66. This horse had become somewhat of a serial underperformer, possibly skiving off duty more often than not, but this time he decided to clock in on time—and how! The betting ring buzzed with attention as he stepped up, though his early antics made us question if he'd hit the snooze button again. Detached last and seemingly uninterested, it looked like Constable was about to add another lacklustre entry to his résumé.

But then, enter Trevor, calm as a Zen master, who nudged Constable into action. What followed was nothing short of a miracle—a blistering run that had him hailed as the winner long before he hit the wire. The transformation was jaw-dropping. Fontana, reliable as ever, gave another valiant effort to finish second, while Aperol—a horse that likely makes you think of sipping a cocktail on a lazy afternoon—trotted in for third.

If punters had placed their Credence in the betting trends for the 1000 metres World’s Oldest Barbershop Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 46, they’d have saved themselves from the metaphorical razor’s edge. Apprentice jockey Siddharth, in what was perhaps the calmest ride of his budding career, took Credence straight to the barber’s chair for a clean, no-frills win. Meanwhile, Pradeep Chouhan’s Chelsea, backed with wild enthusiasm, once again fell short—turns out the only thing she swept was hope off the betting board.

Running Star, seemingly back from an extended sabbatical, showed a flicker of form with an eye-catching third, leaving the punters to ponder whether this was a return to glory or just a teaser trailer. As for Maysara, the odds on her drifted faster than the wind, and with it, so did her chances of anything resembling competitiveness.

The lower division of the World’s Oldest Barbershop Trophy saw the punters getting an actual shave—this time, a shiny clean one of their wallets. The aptly named Quicker, last seen missing the party due to an equipment malfunction at the gates, was now entrusted to rookie apprentice Aditya Wydande. With all the enthusiasm of a horse making up for lost time, Quicker lived up to his name, unleashing a ferocious burst of speed at the final bend. He stormed home by a staggering nine lengths, leaving punters wondering why they even bothered with the short-priced Zendaya, who lacked both the speed and the script to carry their hard-earned cash across the finish line. Spirit Bay grabbed third place with a token effort.

Trainer Narendra Lagad must have the patience of a saint—or maybe an elephant—because he seems to believe in the philosophy that good things come to those who wait. And wait he did. Daulat Mai, who hadn’t sniffed the winner’s circle in over 510 days, had slipped so far down the ratings ladder that a win seemed overdue, if not inevitable. With the stars (and odds) aligning, Daulat Mai was confidently backed to clinch the 1200 metres D W Reid Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category.

Jockey S Zervan, no stranger to these pressure-cooker situations, kept Daulat Mai in a cozy third position before sneaking through a gap along the rails. Taking command in the final furlong, Daulat Mai held off a spirited late surge by Operation Finale (who almost staged one) and long shot Dager’s Strike, whose late theatrics gave apprentice Siddharth something to write home about.

Meanwhile, over in the Topspin Plate for maiden two-year-olds, punters eagerly lined up behind Among The Stars, trained by Malesh Narredu. Fresh from winning and then losing a race last time out due to an objection, Among The Stars was heavily backed to set the record straight. But fate, as it often does, had other plans. It was Fourth Wing, trained by Aman Altaf Hussain and ridden by Trevor Patel, who flew under the radar (and to the front) from the word go, stubbornly refusing to give up that spot. Neptune, content to spectate from a distance, rounded out the placings.

The day started with a punter’s nightmare in the 1600 metres Samule Nathan Plate, a race for horses in the bargain bin of racing categories. Daianne, trained by Karthik Ganapathy, was supposed to land the spoils. But nobody told stablemate Swarovski, who decided she wasn’t just there to make up the numbers. Apprentice jockey Bharath Singh put up a fierce front-running display on Swarovski, forcing Daianne to slog the length of the final furlong to catch her. Just when it looked like the favourite might prevail, along came Red Dust, sneaking up like a thief in the night and stealing the verdict by a whisker. With a short head separating the first three, the photo-finish camera earned its paycheck, while punters were left staring at their tickets in disbelief.