Trainer Vijay Singh`s Star galloper, Multitude, displayed brilliant past form on his way to recording a business-like victory in the 1,400m Harry The Horse Cup, Tuesday`s feature event. Jockey Suraj Narredu, who partnered the winner, also helped the trainer notch-up a priced treble through Adhira and Sniper. The afternoon`s seven-event card also witnessed trainer Arti Doctor scoring a brace of wins with Mr Fogg`s and Eastside.

Multitude was set to carry 60-kg but the advancing age of the seven-year-old was thought to work against Multidimensional son. However, the 5/4 favourite gave no such indication during the running of the race. The opposition, however, also went kindly for the champion galloper as trainer Vikash Jaiswal`s fancied runner, Big Orange (Akash Rajput), was seen going all over on the wide out, leaving the Delhi Champion horse to cover miles, almost from the wrong-end of the nine-horse strong field, after Lincoln (B. Mahesh) played the come-and-catch-me-if-you-can game. Yet Big Orange managed to place a good second, about a shade over a length behind.

The Vijay-Suraj combination hit hard when their filly Adhira scored a decisive victory over, another of stable`s long-priced runner, Inca (Nikhil Naidu), and the public rage, Topnotch (Neeraj Rawal) in the Annihilator Plate. Allowing James McKeown`s Avebury (Trevor Patel) a marginal advantage in the early furlong, Adhira, a 7/1 shot, skated clear of the opposition, with about four-length lead to score easily under continuous pressure.

Topnotch appeared to be rusty in his running and the outing may furnish the top-weighted youngster while Inca was impressive in defeat, having covered much ground in the stretch run.

Expanding odds of Sniper – Vijay-Suraj`s final winner, in the concluding event, the 1,600m Vagabond Handicap, may have left their followers a worried lot but there was certainly some substance in the thinking as the 2/1 favourite was back on the track after being castrated late in the month of March.

Sniper, a champion galloper in his Classic year, just about managed to deliver the goods, thanks to the muscle-power of Suraj, who had brought about more disappointments than cheers in southern circuit last week.

Sniper was held directly behind Bharath Singh`s Bojangles (Hindu Singh) right from the start with about two-length lead. The lead of Bojangles, however, diminished with every passing furlong to a long-neck defeat. It was trainer Harvinder Singh`s Fiorelle (Shezad Khan) who was impressive in defeat, having also lost by half-a-length, after covering nearly seven-lengths on the wide out, inside the last furlong.

Arti drew the first blood in the curtain-raiser, the 1,100m Jeweller Handicap as her 11/4 favourite, Mr Fogg`s (app. R.S. Bhati) scored a decisive victory over an equally fancied Aquitania (app. P. Tajeshwar). The two favourites fought for supremacy but Aquitania`s pillar-to-post effort fell short inside the final 100m of the race.

On paper, Arti`s even-money favourite, Eastside (Trevor), shaped as a ready-made winner but again, the expanding odds of the Manjari`s runner became a worry factor for many. Eastside had a few takers at 2/1 and Trevor`s holding back tactics added to many speculations during the running of the race.

Eastside and Trevor, of course, had other ideas. Well-covered along rails, as Yukata, Nobleman and the second favourite Windchaser called the shots.

Trevor got out of the cage to make his bid on the wide out. Three hundred meters from home, it was cheers all the way as the Arabian Gulf filly was already in command, increasing the margin of victory by three-four and five lengths. Very impressive, indeed!

There is nothing to write home about the rest of the two events, the 1,400m Pentagon Handicap; which was an easy pick for trainer Javed Khan`s Xlite (C.S. Jodha), who was good second to Multigold in the maiden start this season in an 1,100m race. And also of trainer Manvendra Singh`s long-knife, Midnight Star (B. Mahesh) who always comes from nowhere when in galloping mood. The top-weighted won the race easily. His last run was, of course, a suggestive one but in the presence of good youngsters like Angel Grace, Ruby Cube, Aquaracer and the solidly wagered Sheer Force everything got overlooked.

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Mr Fogg`s (R S Bhati up) winner of the Jeweller Handicap

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Xlite (C S Jodha up) winner of the Pentagon Handicap

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Adhira (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Annihilator Plate

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Midnight Star (B Mahesh up) winner of the Fair Mona Handicap

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Multitude (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Harry The Horse Cup

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Eastside (Trevor Patel up) winner of the Smart Charmer Handicap

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Sniper (Suraj Narredu up) winner of the Vagabond Handicap

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