Rajesh Narredu’s Indian Brocade clearly didn’t get the memo about the so-called competition in the Gr 3 Deltin Juvenile Sprinters’ Million. The daughter of Multitude, who already announced her talent with a flashy debut, turned this three-year-old terms race into an exhibition gallop.

Curiously, Mumbai challenger Elusive Art attracted serious money in the betting ring—prompting the bookmakers to offer a tastier price on Indian Brocade than they probably should have. Punters, no doubt, will be sending them thank-you note!

Once the gates opened, Neeraj Rawal parked Indian Brocade neatly behind the pace-setting Elusive Art, no hurry at all. Midway down the straight the favourite collared the leader with clinical ease, as Indian Brocade switched on the afterburners to coast home without so much as a sweat.

Clearly, this filly isn’t here to make up the numbers. If she handles the mile, she could make a mess of the monsoon fillies’ championships too. Ziva—who impressed last time out—finished somewhere in the next postal code.

Meanwhile, Kishan Thomas-trained Mayne Magic has been quietly collecting wins like they’re on clearance—five in a row now, seven overall—and the handicapper seems perfectly happy to observe. Chennai tried to get serious with a 90 rating, but Bangalore took one look and said, “Let’s not be unreasonable,” dropping him back to 79. Even after yet another win, he somehow eased in at 86, benefitting from this rare display of generosity.

Anthony Raj, who seems to have a secret language with the son of Moonlight Magic, timed things perfectly yet again in the 1600m Managing Committee Gold Cup, a race for horses rated 80 and above. He watched as last year’s Golconda Derby winner Champions Way, apparently thinking he was in a solo trial, built a healthy lead under apprentice Abhishek Mhatre. But Anthony wasn’t fooled. He got busy around the final bend, and Mayne Magic did the rest—swooping in late to snatch the win from under Champions Way’s nose. The other two fancied runners, Galahad and Star of Night had clearly misplaced their GPS somewhere around the final bend.

Trainer Dominic’s favourites keep falling like fireflies — bright at first, then crashing hard. Half a dozen have mastered the art of raising hopes early only to fold like cheap umbrellas when it matters. Raffles was the latest: jumped smartly, led boldly, then hit empty just as Trevor Patel asked for more — showing the VO2 max of a retired sofa. Baltimore flew past to win, Flamingo Dream nabbed second, and punters were left counting excuses.

Irfan Ghatala’s Hyperdrive clearly read its name for the first time and thought, “Why not?”—producing a turbo-charged late surge to mug the well-fancied Neutralist right on the post. Neutralist, under Suraj Narredu’s determined drive, looked all set to seal the deal in the final furlong, but jockey Vivek G decided to ruin the party by angling Hyperdrive out for a last-gasp lunge that actually worked. As for the favourite, Scent of Rain—well, it didn’t catch even a whiff of victory, trailing home third, over five lengths behind the battling duo up front.

Prasanna Kumar’s stable took a rather proprietorial view of the Malakpet Plate, sweeping both divisions.. In the upper division, Sassy Sarah, who had already dropped not-so-subtle hints last time out, decided she’d make it obvious this time. Trevor Patel could have done the job with one hand in his pocket as the odds-on favourite strolled clear by over four lengths—the shortest-priced horse of the day making sure the bookies remembered why they hate favourites.

In the lower division, Out Into Spotlight took that instruction literally, attracting wads of cash in the betting ring before obliging with a three-length win. Favourite Adelanto was last seen playing hide-and-seek in the market and never turned up on track. Adelanto reportedly came back in distress. Blind Faith tried to live up to its name, finishing three lengths behind the winner, while Immortal Beauty was so far back it needed a compass to find the fourth-placed horse. Both divisions of the race were as one-sided as a boxing match between a heavyweight and a featherweight with a sprained ankle.

Elsewhere, High Speed Dive decided to actually live up to the billing—this time without tripping over—smashing the field by nine lengths in the 40–65 rated race. The favourite, Grey Beauty, threatened briefly before deflating like a cheap festival balloon on the final bend, and to complete the drama, reportedly bled in the process. Super Marvella, for its part, decided enthusiasm was overrated, producing a jump so slow the gates had half a mind to close again before it got out.

Meanwhile, in the upper division—the Poonawalla Stud Plate—long shot Star Concept ran with the refreshingly simple concept of leading from start to finish. Favourite Dynamic Force found the concept too advanced, settling for second while Aherne took third. Well-backed Gimmier, ever the optimist, ran out of ground—though it would help if he’d found another gear when the pace picked up, instead of stubbornly sticking in first.