The Indian Derby, billed as a fierce two-horse showdown and a clash of titans, dissolved into a one-horse parade when it mattered. What was meant to be a thunderclap contest arrived more like a polite knock, with the suspense switching off early. Fynbos stamped total authority on the race, treating the field like routine paperwork and clearing it without delay, giving Tom Marquand his first Indian winner at Mahalakshmi. Baychimo, expected to mount the challenge, never found rhythm and remained a non-factor throughout, leaving the margin and the message equally decisive.

The crowd came armed for drama, expecting a Baychimo vs Fynbos blockbuster. What they got was a solo performance and several supporting artists. Baychimo, widely cast as co-hero, declined the role mid-show. He switched off so completely he might well have been on airplane mode. Suraj Narredu tried persuasion, negotiation and mild protest, but the colt had clearly filed for non-cooperation. Detached early, uninterested throughout, and only marginally involved late, Baychimo finished like a horse who had RSVP`d by mistake.

Meanwhile, Fynbos travelled sweetly in third, watched his stable companions Rosario and King`s Gambit do the early housekeeping, then swept past them in the straight with the air of someone overtaking a queue meant for others. The final furlong was less battle, more procession, and the margin stretched to five lengths without visible strain.

The Derby field looked more like an in-house strength demonstration by Pesi Shroff, who saddled five runners and controlled the script. King`s Gambit, third here, would have frightened the life out of many a regional Derby line-up, while the others played their tactical parts with quiet obedience. It was Shroff`s fourth Derby triumph, adding another chapter to a Mumbai career already written in bold type both as jockey and trainer.

The start was unusually efficient, almost suspiciously drama free by Derby standards. All runners loaded without fuss, a rarity on big days when at least one horse usually auditions for a delay. The gates opened to a clean dispatch, barring Pristine Glory who was slow away. Rosario ensured an honest pace, King`s Gambit followed, and Marquand kept Fynbos perfectly placed. Sovereign King and Zacharias settled behind, while Baychimo dropped to the rear and stayed there, charting a very different script from the one expected.

By the final bend, suspense had checked out early and the result was already becoming apparent. Fynbos swept to the front by the final furlong, stopped the clock at 2:27.62, and settled the issue with emphatic authority. Sovereign King finished second with a late flourish, King`s Gambit held third, and Red Bishop was fourth. Baychimo came in fifth, delivering a vanishing act that will be debated longer than the race itself, and with far less agreement.

Trainer Adhirajsingh Jodha and jockey Suraj Narredu were left searching for answers, both openly perplexed by Baychimo`s effort, with post-race checks awaited. From Guineas heroics and a record Ruia Cup to this subdued surrender, the form book now reads like a mystery chapter. Pesi Shroff, meanwhile, could afford a wry smile, the expression of a professional who has made a habit of being right more often than the odds.

A Derby that promised a storm delivered a weather bulletin instead. Indian Derbies have a long tradition of arriving with drumrolls and occasionally leaving like a polite press conference. This year stayed loyal to that tradition. Plenty of hype, modest suspense, and a result that never needed a photo finish or a cardiologist.

Fynbos, who had already lifted the Bangalore Derby in July, once again underlined a familiar turf truth: ignore the Bangalore classics at your own betting peril. They keep sending reminder notes to the All-India calendar. The only smudge on Fynbos`s recent report card was that curious reverse in the Indian 1000 Guineas, which now looks like a statistical prank rather than a serious entry in the ledger. Since then, the filly has returned to her preferred hobby of winning big races, first the Oaks with authority and now the Derby with even greater flourish, leaving the debate behind and the field even further back.