The Indian St Leger may have been the day`s feature, but make no mistake—the undercard was set ablaze by jockey Anthony Raj, who swaggered away with three wins, while emerging apprentice Aditya Waydande matched him stride for stride with a treble of his own. Between them, the two made sure the rest of the weighing room looked like mute spectators at their own party.

Pride`s Prince, a 1600-metre specialist with five wins already in his résumé, had clearly been rehearsing for his big moment. His season debut was a yawn-inducing “net practice” fifth behind Chagall, and next up he managed only third behind Odysseus over longer ground. But when back to his pet trip in the Amazing Grace Trophy, he turned from “work in progress” to “finished article.” The market saw through the script: Pride`s Prince was backed as though the result was a foregone conclusion, while Chagall`s odds drifted like a balloon losing air. Alpine Star led them into the straight, but Anthony Raj, riding with the confidence of a man who knew he owned the day, pushed the button and Pride`s Prince glided past Chagall, opening up to win by an emphatic five lengths. Singer Sergent`s belated rally salvaged third, but this was a one-horse show.

Narendra Lagad`s Western Star made it three on the bounce in the 1200 metres Suraiya & Masoom Master Cup, and did so with contemptuous ease. Sitting behind the heavily-backed Social Butterfly, Western Star simply shrugged off the challenge, accelerated as if on cruise control, and slammed the field by six widening lengths. Bee Magical trailed in second, Aperol was third, and Social Butterfly—who had suspiciously heavy betting support—collapsed like a punctured tyre, finishing a tame fifth.

The DCN Million, a 1400-metre terms race for three-year-olds, produced the day`s thriller. Anthony Raj, relishing his purple patch, sent Tyrannus on a bold front-running mission with favourite Diego Garcia in hot pursuit. The pair locked horns down the stretch, while Caradoc flew in late to join the dogfight. In a photo-finish cliffhanger, Tyrannus held on by a whisker, Caradoc nosed out Diego Garcia for second, and Anthony Raj grinned all the way back, his “never-say-die” grit sealing yet another win.

Behram Cama`s Scaramouche finally decided to show up at the start, and the result was inevitable. Known for loitering behind before flashing late, Scaramouche this time stayed in touch and pounced in the Mystic Memory Trophy. Kavya looked threatening when she stole a march, but Scaramouche`s relentless finish wore her down, leaving Shirsa to mop up third. Punters who kept faith were rewarded, while those who didn`t probably wished they had a time machine.

The Warsaw Pact Trophy (Div I) was expected to be Foujita`s cakewalk, but Sanjay Kolse-trained Abhicandra tore up the script. At long odds, she blitzed past Foujita in the final furlong, leaving the favourite flat-footed. Foujita scraped into second, only a nose ahead of Cindrella`s Dream. In Div II, Hosidar Daji`s Johnny Mac atoned for his previous flop, leading throughout and comfortably holding off Mojo, with Lion King third.

Waydande`s star shone brightest in the 1600 metres Bay of Treasure Trophy, where he produced a gem of a ride on Giant Gold. Weaving his way through traffic, the apprentice brought his mount with a sustained gallop to nail the race. Beyond Stars was second, Marcus edged Absolute Gorgeous for third, and the young rider had his double.

Trainer Aman Altaf Hussain`s Ariyana Star redeemed herself in the 1200 metres Noble Prince Trophy, the lowest class on the card but not without drama. Settled fourth by Trevor Patel, she breezed past Impulsive in the straight to win comfortably. We Still Believe was runner-up, while Impulsive clung on to third from Coin Empress.

The day started with another nod to Waydande`s rapid rise. He piloted Northbound, the banker in the Caprisca Trophy, to a facile win over Yuletide, with The Flutist grabbing third. It was Waydande`s first of the three winners for the day, taking him to 20 career wins, and giving punters the rare thrill of watching an apprentice ride like a seasoned pro.

Between Anthony Raj`s swaggering treble and Waydande`s career-defining three-timer, the St Leger undercard was less about the horses and more about the men in the saddle—one proving his authority, the other announcing his arrival.