Baby Bazooka, trained by Altamash Ahmed, finally decided to ditch her habit of napping at the gates and got it right when it mattered most. The mare, infamous for her chronic tardiness, managed to wake up on time under jockey Sandesh, proving that punctuality is a virtue.

Chasing Son Of A Gun like a horse on a mission, Baby Bazooka cruised into the straight, shook off the tiring pacemaker, and locked horns with the favourite, Irish Gold, in an electrifying final furlong. Despite Irish Gold’s brief moment of glory—perhaps thinking the race was in the bag—Baby Bazooka had other plans. She dug deep, turned on the afterburners, and crossed the finish line with authority.

It turns out, that all Baby Bazooka needed was a timely start. Who knew? For the first time in what felt like aeons, she sprang out of the gates as if she’d been practising in secret. Son Of A Gun, still apparently working on shedding a few pounds, did his part as a pace-setter, leading the field into the straight before handing over the reins to a determined Baby Bazooka.

Irish Gold attempted to steal the show, even momentarily getting his nose in front, but Baby Bazooka wasn’t in the mood for theatrics. She summoned an extra gear and left her rivals eating dust. Dexa tried to join the party but fizzled out like a damp firecracker, finishing a forgettable third.

David Allan returns to India, makes winning statement

English jockey David Allan, the man with more Indian classics under his belt than most trainers have horses, made his much-awaited return to the Indian racing circuit after a four-year break. And because Allan doesn’t do low-key comebacks, he decided to announce his return with a winning ride on Karthik Ganapathy-trained Caliph.

Caliph wasn’t exactly the toast of the punters this time around. After an impressive win in lower company, the well-bred gelding delivered a shockingly lacklustre performance in his next outing, leaving his supporters scratching their heads. Unsurprisingly, the long odds reflected the collective scepticism.

The betting ring, meanwhile, looked like it was hosting an identity crisis. Neither Scorcese nor Applause inspired much confidence, despite sharing the dubious title of joint favourites. Treasure Gold, the dark horse of sorts, had shown a flash of brilliance in his last race but had the consistency of a weather forecast—unreliable at best.

Goldiva, living up to her name, took a golden early lead, with Sounds of Dubai, Scorcese, and Caliph following in her wake. Meanwhile, Applause missed the memo on punctuality and stumbled out of the gates alongside Treasure Gold, both opting for the “fashionably late” approach.

As the field turned for home, Sounds of Dubai hit the high notes and surged into the lead, but Caliph, with Allan in the driver’s seat, wasn’t here for the encore. Channelling his inner conqueror, Caliph closed in and swept past the tiring leader in the final 100 metres, securing a comfortable victory and leaving no doubts about his quality this time.

Scorcese, true to his name, delivered some late drama to snatch third, while Applause managed to recover enough to finish fourth—though the applause for that effort was definitely muted.

S S Shah-trained Midnight Express decided to ditch the overambitious marathon attempts and stick to what he does best—blazing sprints. After his lung-bursting seven-furlong experiment left him gasping and trailing 10 lengths behind the winner, the speedster was back to his comfort zone in a five-furlong dash, the Greater Mumbai Police Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 46 where he was backed as if defeat was a mere technicality.

Breaking from a wide outside draw, jockey N S Parmar expertly guided the progeny of Western Aristocrat into second place, while Raise The Stakes lived up to its name, setting a sizzling early pace. Unfortunately for Raise The Stakes, it was more bluff than substance, as the leader folded like a cheap deck chair in the final two furlongs.

This was all the invitation Midnight Express needed. Seizing the lead with the confidence of a horse that knew he was the best in the field, Midnight Express cruised ahead, unbothered and unpressured. Behind him, Moonlight Kiss did her best impression of a valiant chaser, holding onto second place while barely fending off the late charge of Cache, who finished a whisker behind her.

Sandesh steals the show in R R Byramji Salver

Adhirajsingh Jodha-trained Timeless Vision lived up to his name, producing a finish that will be etched in memory for a while, thanks to a perfectly judged ride by jockey Sandesh. In a thriller of a race for horses rated 40 to 66, Timeless Vision narrowly outduelled favourite Jade, snatching victory in the shadow of the post.

Jade, trying to redeem her reputation after a forgettable outing in the Guineas, was backed with the kind of enthusiasm reserved for sure things. Dropped back to a sprint, she looked poised to silence her critics, and very nearly did—until Sandesh pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

The race began with Esperanza setting the pace, closely tracked by Aperol, Ultimo, and Star of Romance. From her wide outside draw, Jade steadily improved her position with the quiet determination of a horse on a mission. Meanwhile, Timeless Vision, perhaps still gathering her thoughts after a none too brisk start, trailed by three lengths at the bend.

As the field entered the home stretch, Jade shifted gears and surged ahead, leaving her rivals gasping in her wake. For a brief moment, it seemed the betting favourite would oblige her backers. But then came Sandesh. With an electrifying burst, he drove Timeless Vision into overdrive, covering ground with surgical precision. The two locked horns in the final strides, but it was Timeless Vision who edged out Jade by a neck at the wire in a heart-stopping finish.

Aperol managed to nose out Ultimo for third, saving place money, while Star of Romance hung around for fifth—perhaps auditioning for a supporting role in the drama.

The golden rule every seasoned punter swears by is this: never bet on the four-legged question marks in the lowest category. These equine underachievers are there for a reason—poor form, unpredictability, or both. Unless, of course, there’s a sly plan brewing for a ‘coup.’ Case in point, the 1200-meter Dr. A H Sayed Plate—a race so uninspiring that one could argue the horses were as unsure about winning as the punters were about betting on them.

Enter Imtiaz Sait-trained Milli, a horse whose last win was so long ago (753 days, to be exact) that her victory record could be mistaken for a vintage artifact. She was handed over to young Likith Appu, son of the legendary K P G Appu, a jockey renowned for making a mad dash to the finish line and winning before anyone knew what hit them. Clearly taking notes from his dad’s playbook, Likith sent Milli straight to the front, hugging the rails like they were her only friends in the world. And to everyone’s shock—or lack thereof—she actually stayed there.

She’s A Teaser lived up to her name by giving us all hope that she might pull off an upset, but she got close and fizzled out. Meanwhile, Charming Star suddenly decided to show a glimmer of ability, finishing fourth behind favourite Anoushka. Maybe he’s saving his best for when the betting public throws enough money to make him realize his true potential. Until then, he’ll remain just another name on the “maybe next time” list.

Trainer Antia, the grandmaster of racing's chessboard, once again proved why he's a step ahead of the game. Known for keeping everyone guessing, especially in the races for horses in the lowest category, Antia’s moves are as precise as they are elusive, always staying just within the acceptable margins to avoid the sharp eyes of the Stipes. This time, the betting board told the story: Hagibis was the chosen one, heavily backed in the 1400 metres Raza Ali Plate, while the habitual dawdler Precioso was sent off as the favourite, aiming for back-to-back wins.

As the gates flew open, Luminosity, Hagibis’s stablemate, dutifully set a decent pace upfront, while Precioso jumped out on time for a change but still found himself dawdling in rear. Hagibis, meanwhile, stayed within striking distance, biding his time as Luminosity blazed the trail.

By the final furlong, jockey Amit pushed Hagibis into gear, overtaking the obliging pacemaker who moved out to provide a way along the rails. Precioso, finally waking up to the urgency of the situation, launched a characteristic late dash, but it was too little, too late. Hagibis crossed the finish line comfortably. Luminosity, having done his job as the pace-setter, hung on gamely to finish third.

In the end, it was another checkmate for Antia, the undisputed king of calculated coups. Hagibis delivered the goods, proving once again that in Antia’s game of chess, every pawn has its day.