Karthik Ganapathy-trained Juliette, the "wonder mare" who had been scorching Indian tracks with her brilliance, found herself extinguished in the Gr 3 1800 metres Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia Trophy, the feature event of Sunday’s Mumbai races. Bidding for a 10th straight win in what had been an otherwise glittering career, the eight-year-old darling of the turf came up against her kryptonite—or perhaps just reality—in the form of Imtiaz Sait trained Geographique, who brought her crashing down to earth with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Juliette, racing after a lengthy 85-day hiatus, looked less like a champion thoroughbred and more like someone who’d wandered onto the track after a long nap. Sluggish at the gates and ambling wide in the straight, she didn’t so much as flicker with the brilliance of yesteryears. If this was the wonder mare at work, one wonders what she’s been wondering about lately. It was painfully evident that time—and possibly a mountain of hard miles—had caught up with her. Even her famed “acceleration” was missing, replaced instead by what could only be described as a leisurely jog to nowhere.

The connections had grand ambitions of running her in the Invitation Cup for a record-breaking fourth consecutive win. However, after this thoroughly dismal showing, one suspects they might need to revise that dream—or wake up from it altogether. Whether Juliette will be given another shot at redemption or relegated to the paddock to embrace her new identity as a prized broodmare remains to be seen. Either way, she’ll need to do some soul-searching—or whatever it is horses do when contemplating their life choices.

On the flip side, Geographique, trained by Imtiaz Sait and ridden with flair by Neeraj Rawal, delivered a performance that screamed, “You snooze, you lose!” While most of the field, including Juliette, seemed to be catching up on their Sunday siesta, Geographique chased the pace-setter Sentinel with clinical precision. By the time the backmarkers realized they were supposed to be racing, Geographique had galloped into a different postcode, crossing the finish line with a commanding three-length lead.

Top-weighted Dyf lumbered into second place, while Once You Black and Zuccaro rounded off the minor placings. Zuccaro, who fancies himself a champion in his own right, had his comfort zone rudely demolished in this genuinely run race and appeared utterly bewildered as he finished a distant fourth. As for Juliette, let’s just say she brought up the rear in a fashion more befitting a ceremonial lap than a competitive race.

The sight of this once-mighty champion sputtering to an unremarkable finish was a poignant reminder that even legends are not immune to the ravages of time. Or perhaps Juliette was just having a really bad day—though that might be giving her far too much credit. Either way, the mighty has fallen, and Geographique has stepped into the spotlight, leaving the rest of the field, Juliette included, in her dust.

Trainer Malesh Narredu had his ammunition well-prepped as his ward Gunsmoke fired a perfect shot to clinch the 1400 metres Gracias Saldanha Memorial Million, a race for two-year-old maidens. The win was particularly poignant given the close bond Narredu shares with the Saldanha family, longtime patrons of his stable. Gunsmoke, owned by Mrs. Saldanha and her regular syndicate, was primed for battle and didn’t disappoint.

The betting market had split loyalties between Gunsmoke and fellow debutant Diego Garcia, but it was jockey Yash Narredu’s decisive moves that tilted the scales. After stalking pace-setter Whirlwind into the straight, Yash pressed the trigger early, sending Gunsmoke into a commanding lead. Though Diego Garcia loomed large in the closing stages, threatening to hijack the spoils, Gunsmoke had just enough firepower to secure the win. Meanwhile, Superstar, benefiting from prior race experience, ran a respectable third, albeit looking more like a sidekick than the main act.

Trevor Patel continued his red-hot streak with two thrilling victories that left punters clutching their tickets until the last stride. The Faisal Abbas-trained Cinderella’s Dream justified her strong support in the betting ring but not without a heart-stopping finish in the 1200 metres contest. Drama unfolded early as Wind Dancer was withdrawn after bolting riderless, leaving Aafreen to set the stage.

Aafreen surged ahead and seemed destined for glory until Trevor and Cinderella’s Dream began their relentless pursuit. Just as the battle reached fever pitch, Ocean joined the fray, making it a three-way duel at the wire. In a photo-finish that could rival the best cliffhangers, Cinderella’s Dream prevailed by a whisker, leaving Ocean an eye-catching third. The latter is one to watch out for in her next outing.

The Pesi Shroff-trained Chagall might have entered the 1400 metres Jayant M Shah and Champak M Shah Gold Trophy as the overwhelming favourite, but his performance left more sweat on brows than confidence in hearts. The gelding, fresh off his maiden win, was backed at cramped odds but nearly left his supporters gasping.

A tardy start saw Chagall lose precious lengths, trailing the field along with Phenom. Jockey Trevor Patel, unfazed as ever, began working his magic from the final bend. Up front, Lord And Master led the charge before predictably running out of steam, while Bashir took over and briefly raised hopes of an upset. However, Trevor, with nerves of steel and impeccable timing, coaxed Chagall into a desperate surge. The duo scraped through by a nose, much to the relief of their backers. Pride’s Prince stayed on for third, while Phenom, recovering from a sluggish start, did enough to grab a place on the frame.

Pesi Shroff’s Arkadian, fresh off his shocking Deccan Derby triumph, was expected to dazzle in the 2400 metres P R Mehta Salver, a race for horses rated 60 to 86. But alas, the Derby winner found himself floundering in open company, where his odds-on favouritism appeared more a nod to his stable’s prestige than his actual chances.

The day belonged to Dream Alliance, from Imtiaz Sait’s yard, a horse who seems to have discovered his racing mojo after a long apprenticeship of mediocrity, having broken his maiden status on his 14th attempt. With C S Jodha aboard, Dream Alliance was a bundle of nerves early, keen as mustard and far from settling. But once the Alpine Star-led field plodded into its sluggish rhythm, Dream Alliance grabbed the moment, surging into a 10-length lead.

The rear-pack strategy adopted by Arkadian and company proved catastrophic, as Dream Alliance romped home unchallenged. Jodha, seizing the initiative, put his mount into overdrive well before the home stretch, ensuring there were no late surprises. Arkadian, all too late to the party, scrambled into second place, with pace-setter Alpine Star holding on for third. It seems Arkadian may need more than his imposing stable reputation to shine in such company.

Gordon’s backers must be suffering déjà vu. The veteran contender, having disappointed with a failed start-to-finish mission last time, again found himself overshadowed in the 2400 metres Jayaramdas Patel Gold Trophy for horses rated 20 to 46.

It was stablemate Tiepolo, piloted by Trevor Patel, who initially stole the show, leading the field by several lengths with Gordon, Caliph, Endurance and Uzi in pursuit. But the script flipped dramatically in the homestretch when Endurance unleashed a blistering turn of foot, devouring ground and sweeping past the faltering leaders to secure an easy win. Gordon managed second place while the more fancied Tiepolo simply ran out of steam.

After a lengthy 280-day break, Divine Intuition returned to action in the 1000 metres Tasawwur Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category, and made quite the statement. Despite pre-race odds drifting ominously, the Aman Altaf Hussain-trained gelding didn’t let his backers down.

Under the capable guidance of T S Jodha, Divine Intuition shadowed the pace-setting Untitled well into the straight before breezing past with consummate ease in the final furlong. The favourite’s decisive win laid any lingering doubts to rest, leaving Adonis to edge past Untitled for second place.