Trainer Arti Doctor`s hot favourite filly, Shaktiroop, scored a business-like victory on her way to claiming the 1,400m A. Q. Qidwai Cup, Wednesday`s main attraction. Ridden by the visiting western India jockey, Srikant Kamble, the 13-20 favourite made a successful pillar-to-post attempt to have an easy measure of her five rivals. Early in the afternoon, Kamble – the up-coming jockey – had a virtual armchair ride on another heavily fancied runner, Barocci, to present the champion trainer, Patrick Quinn, his first of two winners. Lovely Magic (Surjeet Singh-up) was the other one who completed the day`s tally of Quinn, who was deputising for the suspended schooler Farley Rodrigues, for a drug related offence. Incidentally, Rodrigues` suspension was reduced from 11 months to six months, by the Board of Appeal, which met soon after the last race.

Shaktiroop`s expanding odds, from half-money to 13-20, hardly worried Kamble who took the horse to a start –to-finish mission with two lengths lead over Chala Ja Bachha and the 5-2 fancied runner, Astaire. Shaktiroop was spotted as a winner in the home stretch as both, the tiring Chala Ja Bachha and the improving Astaire, were running under some pressure while the filly was going a double-handful. Kamble did make a sparingly use of the stick but only inside the last furlong to keep the favourite going to as Astaire was seen gaining some ground.

Barocci hasn`t been performing to expectations in his earlier starts over sprints. The horse was also tested against Desert Fox over a mile but found him too good, prompting Quinn to look for a middle distance race and the 2,000m Retort Handicap served the purpose. Kamble, however, held the 8-10 favourite far too back in the six-horse field in the early half of the race. Urged for efforts, close the home turn, there was no stopping of the Carnival Dancer-Empress Ann colt who was brought the shortest way home to score like a season horse over the top-weighted Massachusettes who was also brought into the fray late.

Quinn`s Lovely Magic scored a back-to-back victory, largely thanks to the riding of trainer Vijay Singh`s 14-10 favourite, Ardelia, by apprentice Munna Alam. In the upper division of the 1,200m Contralto Handicap. Surjeet took the 6-1 chance to the front and lasted out to score as the apprentice, allowed the favourite to gallop wide into the straight and also failed to stop his charge from drifting out badly. The favourite, however, covered a lot of ground on the far-side of the track but the winning-post came a bit too early for her.

Vijay`s Romantic Flow and his jockey, Christopher Alford – also a half-money favourite – shook off the memories and the fright given to him by Pick Pocket in the youngster`s last encounter. Expectations were high from highly rated Classic aspirant, on this occasion and the Steinbeck-Romantic Liaison son fully justified the faith bestowed in him, winning the 1,600m Metallic Handicap in a facile manner. Held back almost in the rear of the field, Romantic Flow was quick to be up with the front-runners – Jassi`s Star and Tasveer – and was gone away in a trice to from the field.

The lower division of the Contralto Handicap provided Vijay his second winner on the day when Shailesh Shinde guided Gorgeous Girl, a 6-1 chance in the betting, to a narrow victory over trainer Vikash Jaiswal`s Romancer (apprentice Javed Khan-up). The apprentice, in fact threw away the race as he was man in-a-hurry, galloping in close attendance of the stable`s pace-maker, Do Your Best, instead of holding back the 51- chance at a safe distance. Romancer was a tiring horse inside the last furlong and as a result of this the horse paved the way for the late finishing Gorgeous Girl`s victory. In the same race, trainer Christopher Gleich`s 6-4 favourite, In The Sunlight (Kamble-up), cut a sorry figure after being up with the field till 300m from home.

Trainer Bharath Singh`s Torino made an impressive debut, a winning one, in the 1,200m Aazish Plate, for maiden three-year-olds. Backed down from 5`s to 5-2 in the betting, the Rebuttla-Persian Delight colt`s victory was result of a forceful riding of another visiting jockey A. Sandesh. Held back in the rear till about the home turn, Torino was brought with telling strides to snatch the victory from Aithops who had build up a sizeable lead in the final 100m of the race. In the same race apprentice Azharuddin also gave Treasure Island a poor ride. Up with the field until the last 300m, Treasure Island was twice put into the traffic problems to finish off the board.

Trainer Javed Khan`s piping hot favourite, People Prime, made a heavy weather of her victory in the 1,100m Kaizen Handicap. Ridden by B. Mahesh, the 6-10 hot-property galloped in the mid-division, on the wide out. The youngster produced a strong gallop in the home straight but an equally determined challenge offered by the long time leader, Alicante – a rank outsider -- nearly brought about the downfall the favourite. It was a desperately close finish but the camera verdict went in favour of the favourite. The outcome of the race was, however, strongly disputed by the bookmakers.