The curtain came down to the 35-day winter season, on Tuesday. The overnight heavy shower, which was expected to prove a damper, hardly made things difficult, not only because the last day`s programme went through without any hindrance, but also that punters went back home in a happy frame of mind. As expected, the feature event in the afternoon`s seven-event card, the 1,100m Mysore Race Club Cup, was claimed by trainer Vijay Singh`s 9-10 favourite, Deserving Visit who, however, had to be fully stretched to beat Pick Pocket, the longtime leader. The trainer finished at the top of the championship table while the leading jockey`s crown was claimed by the western India-based P. Kamlesh. The afternoon also witnessed Vijay and trainer Javed Khan saddling a double apiece. While Vijay`s public choices scored, Javed notched up a priced double through his aged runner -- Asian Rocket and Bucharest. Munna Alam, who claimed the leading apprentice`s title, was the only jockey to have scored double in the afternoon`s seven-event card.

Deserving Visit was the public choice inspite of the filly`s 15-week`s layoff from the active running. Jockey Shailesh Shinde, who had been donning the Khaitans` silks, as the stable`s champion jockey, Christopher Alford, had been nursing an injury since the season been in full swing, partnered the China Visit daughter to a short-neck victory. Shinde rode a copy-book race, allowing Pick Pocket to do most of the running and inched his way up to get the narrow measure of the leader, inside the final 100 meters.

Early in the afternoon, Vijay`s 15-20 hot favourite, Masquenada Lyrics delivered the good in the 1,200m Sabre Dance Handicap. Ridden by apprentice Munna Alam, the Win Legend son was held back on the wide out behind Impression; until asked to surge ahead a furlong from home for an easy victory. The victory of the Khaitans` property would have been further easier, had the four-year-old no shifted out in the home stretch.

The baby race, the 1,400m Mothers Boy Plate, was also a close affair but the verdict, on this occasion, went against Vijay`s Santero (Shailesh) who had build up a sizeable lead in the final stretch but knuckled under to the superior horsemanship of the visiting jockey, A. Sandesh, partnering, a heavily fancied Bharath Singh`s charge, Yokumoku. Sandesh is learnt to have asked for the ride after the horse`s last defeat suffered at the hands of Arti Doctor`s Sunset Sail. It was a different matter that Sandesh had to use all his artistry in the saddle to beat Santero.

Javed`s day started with the victory of Asian Rocket (Apprentice Jorawar Singh-up) who handed a solid drubbing to his seven rivals to land the 1,400m Magyar Handicap. The seven-year-old had been knocking at the door but his advancing age had more to do with an easy victory over the slated trip, having failed repeatedly over longer journeys.

Bucharest was handled by jockey Afzal Khan who fully utilised his limited resources to drive home the advantage on Javed`s winner, also a 4-1 chance in the 1,200m Desert Night Handicap.

The story was no different in the 1,400m Andreno Handicap which was claimed by trainer Shyam Habbu`s 9-4 favourite, Secret Talent (Alam), who scored a back-to-back victory. However, the victory did not come easy for the Mr Mallon son as he had to be fully extended to beat a late finishing Luck Luck Lucky.