The Hyderabad Monsoon Season trotted off to a lively start with an eight-race card packed to the brim. For a centre constantly reminded that it has "too few horses", Hyderabad has developed the curious habit of producing fuller fields than several of its better-populated cousins. Perhaps the horses simply enjoy proving statisticians wrong.

The only dampener arrived before the first horse even left the gates. The webcast fee, once a viewer-friendly ?300, has been promoted to an eye-watering ?1,000 a day, apparently because uniformity is now more important than affordability. For anyone following multiple racing centres, that little luxury now threatens to gallop past ?2 lakh a year. Visiting the racecourse in person isn`t exactly a bargain either, with GST and entry fees ensuring your wallet finishes last. Spare a thought for those who watch races not to punt but to review, report and promote the sport. They are now paying premium prices for the privilege of doing everyone else a favour.

Enough about the accountants. The horses had their say.

The day`s feature, the 1200 metres Anab E Shahi Plate for horses rated 80 and above, was as open as a politician`s election promises. Diablo, despite not topping the betting charts, emerged victorious at rewarding odds after a finish so crowded the judge probably wished for binoculars with zoom. Donald Netto fielded a small battalion, with One N Only attracting maximum support, but it was the evergreen warrior Ashoka who once again refused to acknowledge his birth certificate. Ridden by Sai Kumar, Diablo grabbed command early in the straight and held on by a length. Behind him, Ashoka and Black Onyx dead-heated for second while Timeless Vision, another well-backed contender, was only a nose away in fourth. Blink and you missed half the finish.

Trainer Anant Vatsalya had Bhairava primed to perfection for the 1400 metres Con Amore Plate (Division I). Chasing a hat-trick, Bhairava wasn`t exactly hiding in the betting but still offered attractive odds. Certainty looked every inch the winner until certainty turned into uncertainty in the final few strides. Bhairava unleashed a powerful finishing burst to collar the leader right on the post, while Secret Saint stormed home to dead-heat with Certainty for second. The judge certainly earned his tea break.

Division II produced one of the day`s bigger puzzles. Arabeska attracted heavy support despite not having troubled the winner`s enclosure for well over 300 days, while unbeaten Perception, winner of four straight races, was allowed to drift to generous odds as though consistency had suddenly gone out of fashion. Exclusive Black did all the hard work in front before waving the white flag in the straight. Perception, partnered by Naresh, swept past with authority to score by over four lengths. Knight Crusader edged out the over-bet Arabeska for second.

The season opener, the 1100 metres Adilabad Plate (Division I) for maiden three-year-olds, went the way of 10 to 1 chance Ojas Maximus. Favourite Yali found the leader annoyingly reluctant to stop. Vikrant ensured the Sreekant-trained colt dictated matters from the outset and Ojas Maximus simply refused to surrender, keeping Yali safely at bay. Love In Paris completed the frame.

Division II saw My Way My Rules live up to the name in a stirring duel with hot favourite Queen Eternal. The progeny of former Bangalore star Knotty Ash made every post a winning one and looked home with a commanding advantage entering the last furlong. Queen Eternal came charging late but ran out of real estate, failing by a neck. Trishika finished third.

Trainer Hilton Sequeira and jockey B R Kumar enjoyed a memorable opening day with a sparkling treble. Their first success came through the well-backed Catch The Worm in the 1200 metres Salar Jung Trophy. The favourite led into the straight and just managed to fend off the persistent Emerald Touch by a rapidly shrinking neck. Mystical Dawn finished third.

Earlier, the same partnership struck with longshot Quattro in the 1400 metres Basara Trophy. Buddy appeared to have pinched the race after sneaking through the rails, but Quattro arrived from what seemed like another postal code to snatch victory literally on the wire. Favourite Garfunkle could only watch from a distant third.

Kumar and Sequeira completed their hat-trick in the concluding Tenacity Plate, where r Ilene produced a devastating late run to sweep past the field with authority at big odds. Always Special and Fortune Star followed home in close order, though neither looked remotely likely to catch the winner once she hit top gear.

All told, Hyderabad`s opening day delivered exactly what first-day racing usually promises: full fields, dramatic finishes, baffled favourites, delighted bookmakers and enough surprises to remind punters that after a four-month layoff, the only certainty in racing is that certainty itself rarely wins.