The Bangalore Winter Season got off the blocks on Sunday, as expected, though the authorities had to wait until rather late to secure the licence to conduct the races. The last-minute clearance provided enough nervous moments for the administrators and racegoers alike. By the end of the opening day`s proceedings, the authorities could heave a collective sigh of relief. The punters, however, had rather less reason to celebrate. If the authorities were waiting for a licence, the racegoers were desperately waiting for a winner!

The opening card turned out to be a minefield for those who fancied themselves as experts in picking winners. Long shots dominated the proceedings, and even when the fancied horses obliged, the betting ring often presented a three-horse puzzle, making it difficult to identify the right one. Where conviction was strong, favourites obligingly disappointed; where there was hesitation, the fancied runners came through. Racing, after all, is a game of snakes and ladders, except that the snakes seem to have a permanent reservation and the ladders are always in short supply!

The day`s feature event, the 1400 metres Rajyotsava Cup, a terms race for three-year-olds and over, saw Efficacy being backed down from a generous quote to emerge as a firm favourite by race time. Ice of Fire was initially preferred, before money began flowing towards Once You Go Black. In the end, it was Efficacy who had the last word. Winless for nearly 100 days, the horse chose an appropriate occasion to rediscover winning ways, leading from the start and winning with a fair measure of comfort.

Ricardo, who chased the winner from the outset, held on gamely until the closing stages before being overwhelmed by the late-finishing Galahad and Emphatic, who fought out the battle for the runner-up berth. Ricardo weakened to finish fourth. The soft underfoot conditions perhaps did not suit Once You Go Black, who was never in the hunt, while Ice of Fire, who was content to bring up the rear, failed to make any meaningful progress. The two horses who attracted considerable attention in the betting ring ended up providing little entertainment on the track.

Darius Byramji-trained Fine Silver, who had gone down as a short-priced favourite at Mysore, made amends in the 1400 metres Bangalore City Police Cup, a race for maiden three-year-olds. Like several progeny of Phoenix Tower, Fine Silver appeared to relish the cut in the ground. She chased the front-running favourite Tyche well into the straight before asserting herself in the closing stages.

Tyche had opened up a substantial lead and looked to have the race in safe keeping, but began to run out of steam in the final furlong. Fine Silver gradually reeled her in and went on to win with something in hand under Aashad Asbar, who was enjoying a particularly rewarding afternoon with a treble. Shining Path stayed on to take the third spot.

The 1400 metres Jog Falls Plate, for horses rated 20 to 45, saw Valor Queen being backed to the exclusion of the rest. The favourite appeared to be travelling comfortably towards victory, but Irfan Ghatala-trained Fortissima had other ideas. Languishing towards the rear until entering the straight, Fortissima began to make rapid progress along the rails. Jockey Alex Roazio then angled her out towards the wide outside, and despite the rather adventurous route, the filly found her stride and came home with giant strides to collar the favourite with something to spare. Kaori finished third, narrowly ahead of Joyful Spirit.

Michael Eshwer-trained Hazel provided another shock in the 1200 metres T B Hanumantharaj Memorial Trophy, for horses rated 40 to 65. Deep Respect, who was withdrawn, bolted while being led to the starting gates and was subsequently taken out of the race. With Doncaster Belle and Auspicious King among the prominent contenders in the betting, the race offered little clarity as to where the winner would come from.

Doncaster Belle, ridden by Trevor Pate, looked the likely winner down the final furlong. But the opening day`s proceedings had already established that looking the winner was a rather dangerous occupation. Hazel, who had moved from Prasanna Kumar`s stable to Michael Eshwer`s care, came from well off the pace, made progress along the rails and was then angled out in the final 100 metres. Despite running into the back of Doncaster Belle momentarily, Hazel gathered momentum and surged past the fancied runner to score an upset win under Shamaz Shareef. Joondalup produced a strong late flourish to finish third.

Prasanna Kumar-trained Knotty Imperador delivered a knockout blow to the punters in the 1400 metres Udupi Plate, for horses rated 40 to 65. Sulaiman Attaollahi-trained Circle of Dreams, who has developed an unenviable reputation for raising expectations before dashing them, once again failed to deliver as a strongly supported favourite.

Knotty Imperador was entrusted with a start-to-finish mission by jockey Arul, and the front-runner had enough ammunition to skip clear in the final furlong and register an effortless victory. Glorious Strides, the second favourite, ran on to finish behind the winner with Mister Brown occupying the next position. Circle of Dreams once again lived up to his unflattering reputation. Punters would perhaps do well to admire this horse from a safe distance, particularly when he appears superior on paper. Some dreams, it seems, are best left unbacked!

Hilton Sequeira has brought Quattro from Hyderabad to Bangalore with an eye on the classics, and the Deccan Derby fourth made a successful start to his campaign in the 1600 metres event. Quattro was the only firm favourite to oblige during the eight-race card, providing some much-needed relief to those who had been looking for a familiar face in the winner`s enclosure.

Aashad Asbar had Quattro settled towards the rear before taking him on the wide outside inside the final 300 metres. The horse devoured ground and stormed home to win by a distance. Irish Coffee just managed to hold off Lux Aeterna to save place money. For once, the punters who stood by a favourite had something to smile about.

Aashad Asbar completed his treble with another well-backed winner, Jade Mountain, from trainer Lokanath`s yard, in the 1200 metres Malaprabha Plate, for horses rated 20 to 45. There was substantial support for Big B, who led the field in earnest from the start. El Rey measured the front-runner in the final 100 metres, but Jade Mountain, who had been travelling in a handy position, produced a powerful burst in the final furlong to sweep past the leaders and score a confident victory. Big B weakened to finish third.

The day`s opener, the 1200 metres November Plate, for horses in the basement class, saw Pradeep Annaiah-trained debutant Victoria Moon installed as a firm favourite ahead of Hold Your Breath. However, Dominic-trained Anzac Parade, who was running well below his past winning form, had other plans. Ridden by apprentice Darshan N, Anzac Parade went straight to the front and made every post a winning one, scoring without much difficulty over the favourite. Hold Your Breath finished third.