If Mysore racing were served on a plate, Thursday’s fare was nothing more than watery sambar gone cold — bland, limp, and entirely forgettable. Punters arrived hungry for action and left overdosed on drowsiness. The only man grinning was Arjun Mangalorkar, who helped himself to a treble while the rest of us wondered if we had watched a race meeting or just an extended practice gallop in public view.

The “feature,” the B A Nanaiah Memorial Trophy (1400m), was more featureless than featured. Crosswater won her second straight with comfort. The heavily-backed Sekhmet, a mare with the gate speed of a reluctant elephant, lost the race the moment the starter pressed the button. She then did her party trick of flying home late for a cosmetic fourth — too little, too late, too familiar. Winter Agenda briefly entertained as the pacemaker, Vandiyathevan gave a spirited chase, but in the end Crosswater strolled away.

The Dr M A M Ramaswamy Trophy (1600m) was at least mercifully clear-cut. Aashirvad did what favourites are supposed to do — win and win big. Apprentice Faiz waited, pressed, and the mare shot five lengths clear. Chotipari had her fifteen seconds of fame by leading in front till overhauled, while Magic Circle forgot the magic at home and lumbered in third.

Arjun’s second strike came with Perfect Attitude in the Kasargod Plate (Div I, 1400m). Once hyped, then hobbled by niggles, she finally found herself against a bunch so modest that even punters were embarrassed. She blew them away by six lengths, reminding us that talent looks great — as long as the opposition is hopeless.

The lower division brought us Pledge, sent out at odds so short the bookmakers definitely were too miserly for comfort. And how did she reward backers? By making them sweat bullets before finally nailing Elegant Time at the wire. Hardly the kind of “value for money” performance punters had been sold.

Arjun’s treble included a winner in the Eclipse Plate (1200m), where Estefania — with a record of one win in 24 starts — suddenly remembered how to gallop. At long odds, she skipped clear while favourite Flamingo Dream turned into Flaming Disaster. NRI Millennium and Gismo did little more than run past the post. The whole affair was about as competitive as a race between a tortoise and a snoozing rabbit.

The Fleet Indian Plate (1200m) at least provided some edge-of-the-seat drama. Theia, under Anil Baandal, clung on desperately to deny Natural Look, who arrived late but ran out of real estate. Adena looked like she was on a sightseeing tour, drifting all over the straight before vanishing from contention.

The closing Fair Wood Plate (1400m) produced a long-shot kick in the teeth for punters, as Sir Calculus cracked the numbers late and stormed home. Mystic Divine tried the late rush trick but could only finish second, while World Wise nosed out Sound of Cannon’s for third.

And so ended a “big” day at Mysore: no thrills, little skill, and just enough drudgery to test the loyalty of the most hardened racing fan. Trainers got their winners, jockeys got their rides, and punters got — well, what punters usually get at Mysore: heartburn.