If Saturday flirted with form, Monday toyed with it. The Golconda St Leger demanded stamina and sanity, but only Dyf brought both to the table, brushing aside doubts and rivals with equal ease. Elsewhere, favourites took turns in disappointing their loyal followers, some vanishing mid-race, others never arriving at all. Amid the chaos, a few honest performers ensured the day wasn’t entirely a guessing game disguised as sport.

The horses competing in the Gr 2 Golconda St Leger were handed a task that could politely be described as “ambitious” and more honestly as “borderline cruel.” With racing halted due to glanders, most of them had been working overtime behind the scenes, and expecting them to suddenly transform into marathon specialists was a leap of faith only racing can routinely demand. Still, when chaos reigns, class usually clears its throat and takes charge.

Adhirajsingh Jodha-trained Dyf, who had come down for the October Leger and ended up overstaying thanks to travel restrictions, was expected to start a firm favourite. But punters, ever alert and occasionally overimaginative, shifted allegiance to Waheed’s Pyrite, who had flirted with big performances and, more importantly, hadn’t shown the “dip” that Dyf allegedly had before the shutdown.

In the race, however, memory proved shorter than Dyf’s stride. Jockey Trevor Patel rode with the calm of a man who knew the script in advance, letting Get Lucky and Ramiel do the early theatrics. Pyrite, Victor Hugo and Dyf tracked the pace, while Star of Night remained glued to the rear like a reluctant passenger and stayed there with admirable consistency.

Get Lucky tried to live up to his name and almost pulled it off, Ramiel loomed large, but when Dyf decided the warm-up was over, he simply settled the matter. He surged ahead decisively, and though Ramiel attempted a late encore, the winning post arrived like an inconvenient truth. Get Lucky finished third, while Pyrite, the people’s choice, was done and dusted soon after turning for home.

Jockey Mukesh Kumar had a day to remember, booting home a treble, two for Magan Singh Parmar and one for Donald Netto.

NRI High Power was the preferred choice in the Sea Bird Plate, though there was also spirited, if somewhat optimistic, support for Dubai Touch, who looked about as ready as a student who forgot there was an exam. In the race, NRI High Power made the rest look like supporting cast, sweeping past Sharanga and stretching away by five lengths in emphatic style.

The Osman Sagar Plate (Div I) saw Roxxane installed as the betting rage, but the favourite seemed to lose both enthusiasm and direction after the bend, eventually finishing last, much to the disbelief of those who backed her with confidence bordering on devotion. Petra Act, meanwhile, had no such existential crisis and powered home to beat Clarity decisively, with Briar Ridge trailing in third.

Mukesh Kumar’s treble began with Buddy in the Yadadri Plate, who obliged at long odds, leaving favourite Yali looking like a promise unfulfilled. Buddy stormed home in the final furlong to win with authority, while Yali had to settle for second ahead of Quattro.

The opener produced its own twist as Shooting Star, ignored in the betting, made a mockery of market confidence. Cypress and Aquatone attracted heavy support but delivered very little, as Shooting Star surged clear in the final furlong. Cypress did manage to grab second, though not before proving that being “invincible” in the betting ring and on the track are two entirely different professions.

Knight Regent, the shortest priced favourite of the day, at least spared punters further heartbreak. After a strong previous run, he was expected to win and did exactly that, with Trevor Patel guiding him home comfortably. Blue Pantheress improved late to take second ahead of Lifes Journey, while the rest participated in what can only be described as a well-paced exercise.

The concluding Pocharam Plate featured Take a Breath as the strong favourite, and punters did exactly that, only to find themselves gasping soon after. The favourite never looked likely, while last start winner Genie repeated the dose, bolting away for an easy win under Ekram Alam. Anemoi showed some intent but had to settle for second ahead of NRI Star.