Assassin won the feature event, the 1,200m Citi Limits Cup, on Tuesday, the opening day of the monsoon season. The victory of the even-money favourite was authoritative, thanks to the fitness of the Patrick Quinn-trained even-money favourite, and also to most in the opposition for hardly making a serious bid for victory.

The visiting jockey A. Sandesh who partnered the winner, also helped the trainer claim the 1,200m Alibi Handicap which was, however, a close affair, against trainer Bharath Singh`s long shot, Sokudo (R. Vaibhav-up) who fully tested the potential of the 13-20 hot-property. Quinn and Sandesh made the headlines with a double and so did jockey Imran Chisty, having scored a brace of priced winners – Gorgeous and Pick Pocket.

Sandesh is hardly regular on the RCTC`s track on which his senior fellow professionals like Christopher Alford and Imran Chisty have always been very popular. However, it is the riding talent of the champion western India jockey, Sandesh, which attracted support on his two favourites. The visiting jockeys list also included the other two talented riders from the southern circuit – R. Vaibhav and Arshad Alam, retained by Bharath and Arti Doctor respectively – but the former remained luckless on the day-one of the season while Alam displayed his artistry when he notched up a victory on the stable`s fancy Flash, albeit in a tight contest, beating Vaibhav`s charge, Snow White. More will be heard of the two riders as the season progresses.

Coming back to the runaway winner, Assassin: The horse`s recent workouts and the weight advantage definitely worked in favour of the four-year-old horse, who had also done fairly well early in the last winter. The point of interest now centers around as to what our new handicapper, Prabir Koner, thinks about the victory of the Juniper colt who was held back behind the early leaders – Apical Finala and Hurricane Star – till below the distance post and raced away to an eight-length-plus victory. In the same race, Conquest, known for her mid-distance exploits, placed second, ahead of Gallop To Glory and Chala Ja Bachha as Anassa lost her chances at the gates.

The 1,200m trip was considered to be sharp for Grand Design and the six-year-old filly made no secret about it. Held back in fifth, Sandesh also had a troubled galloping room as the jockey had to switch the course, from outside to the rails, during the last furlong. It was Sandesh`s power-packed riding which got the better of Sokudo`s challenge, barely 75m from home.

Chisty`s quest for the double started from the start of the day. Riding trainer Vikash Jaiswal`s 8-1 chance Gorgeous, in the 1,100m Stay In Shape, Chisty had the small-made mare settled off the pace as the even-money favourite, Astatki (Alford-up) tried take the top-weighted runner to a start-to-finish mission. However, the favourite`s efforts came to a naught once Gorgeous walked on to the scene, inside the final 150 metres.

Chisty made his own running, on Pick Pocket, in the 1,100m Andrada Plate for maiden three-year-olds. The Express Wish colt, who has been blazing the track, fully justified tactics adopted by the jockey and scored a decisive victory over Pinball Wizard who may have placed closer to the winner, had jockey Sameer Khan managed to stop the badly shifting out Oath colt. Bharath`s Sunny Side, too, made a spirited effort, coming with a late run to place a good third.

Sameer was, however, at his enterprising best on trainer Sarfraz Khan`s 5-1 chance, Words, in the 1,100m Fairy Heights Handicap. Words was taken to the front almost from the start of the race and the Ikhtyar colt maintained the advantage till the end. In the same race, it was Jaiswal`s top-weighted Romancer (Chisty) who attracted considerable support at 18-10. The horse was also seen drifting out badly in the stretch run and just about managed to place fourth.

No Looking Back (Chisty), another of Jaiswal`s even-money favourite was a big let down in the 1,100m Sweet Senorita Handicap, which was picked up by Flash. The favourite, who is known to relish up with frontrunners, was held back in last and was brought with a late run. The horse could not do any better than finishing a decent fourth.
Bharath, known for delivering jolts, did manage carve out a victory through a friendless winner, Ice Fantasy who made every post of the 1,100m Fairy Heights Handicap a winning one. In the same race, trainer Shyam Habbu`s Sunshine Dancer went to the start as a 5-2 favourite but the horse was good for the place money only.