In what could pass off as a photo-finish audition for a thriller, the Gr 2 2000 metres Nizam’s Gold Cup, a terms race for four-year-olds and over and the feature event of Sunday’s Hyderabad races, turned into a four-horse traffic jam at the winning post. Sandesh, who looked all set to lose yet another argument with fate, somehow managed to transform defeat into victory by bullying favourite Pyrite into covering enormous ground in the last furlong. A head, a short head, and another head separated Pyrite, Victor Hugo, Rise And Reign, and Galahad.

With no horse head and shoulders above the rest , it was a dogfight. Once you threw out the three hopeless stragglers who were merely making up the numbers, the first four went hammer and tongs, making the final furlong look like rush hour traffic. Eventually, Waheed-trained Pyrite, who had shocked everyone with a runner-up effort in the Indian Derby, finally remembered how to win a race and bagged her second career success after teasing punters with near-misses.

Pyrite was predictably the favourite, followed by Galahad and Rise And Reign, while poor Victor Hugo—whose form alternates between Mozart and tone-deaf karaoke—was left languishing at generous odds. Yash Narredu took Rise And Reign on a start-to-finish mission, and the Arazan progeny almost pulled it off, refusing to roll over. Galahad couldn’t pick up speed when it mattered and his chances evaporated. Enter Victor Hugo, who stormed into the picture late, while Pyrite—after being nagged, coaxed, and finally whipped into submission by Sandesh—scrambled home to keep punters breathing.

Meanwhile, in the 1600 metres Telangana And Andhra Sub Area Cup, Donald Netto’s Nonpariel made a mockery of the opposition, winning by over three lengths. The on-money favourite Secret Saint, who had looked a serious customer at Bangalore, ran so poorly one wonders if he mistook this for a lazy morning canter. Get Lucky tried to live up to his name but had to settle for second, at least sparing Secret Saint the dubious honour of being the runner-up.

Then came a comedy of errors in the 1100 metres Brown Jack Plate. Akshay Kumar, freshly reunited with his whip after a suspension for overenthusiasm in Mumbai but riding in a race where whips were banned, found himself stuck in the basement division—karma at its cheekiest. Most Beautiful, a lesser-fancied runner, took charge but rolled out alarmingly. Akshay, unable to course-correct without his whip, claimed he was handicapped, and poor Taaliyah, trying to launch a run on the outside, got dragged into the mess. By the time the dust settled, Most Beautiful had almost run off the grass track and still won, with Taaliyah unable to stretch fully. Bien Pensant was third.

Deepak Singh understandably upset, lodged an objection against Akshay. The Stewards took an eternity to uphold a straightforward objection. The Chief Stipendiary Steward’s view was clear, but the committee preferred suspense over swiftness.

Trainer Prasad Raju, fresh off a felicitation for saddling 1000 winners, banged in a double. Racing Ruler, second favourite behind Dapper Look, simply laughed off the competition and strolled home, while the latter lived up to trainer Satheesh’s reputation for inconsistency with yet another flop. Stablemate Black Dust and Freedom Touch filled the frame as Dapper Look sulked into fourth.

The Gadwal Plate (1800m) provided the day’s simplest result: Take A Breath decided the form book was overrated, winning by a street despite being beaten 20 lengths in his previous run. The reason was straightforward—this was an age-group race, not one against sharper three-year-olds. Silver Arrow ran like his batteries were half-charged, and Federer, alas, didn’t serve up any aces.

Back to the juveniles in the 1100 metres Doncaster Plate, where NRI High Power finally found weak opposition to dominate. Akshay Kumar had the easiest job of the day, shooting into the lead at the start and never seeing another rival. Emerald Touch was the best of the beaten, while Foxy Girl turned up so late she could only manage third.

Prasad Raju ended the day with another strike as Cherish The Lady jumped clear in the final furlong and held on gamely. Fashion Icon, heavily backed, came flying but far too late. The final verdict was a neck, though the winner always looked safe. Swiss Girl, after doing the donkey work early, faded to third.