Altaf Hussain trained Sultan Suleiman was given a gift in the form of enhanced stake money and an easy outing in the 1600 metres Sir Charles Forbes Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of the opening day`s races of the Mumbai Racing Season on Thursday. After a tumultuous period when racing suffered a big setback because of the Pandemic, the resumption of racing at Mumbai was something that brought cheer to all the enthusiasts. The return of bookmakers was something that both the club and the punters were happy with.

Unfortunately, the feature event had just three runners, with Sultan Suleiman being the prolific performer. While Flying Visit had lost form, Grand Accord was the only one capable of stretching the favourite. Both these horses attracted betting in almost equal measure. The initial pace of the race was a crawl making one wonder whether the jockeys mistook the distance of the race to a mile and a half. The pace picked up midway with Sultan Suleiman enjoying a good break over Grand Accord while Flying Visit was a tailed off last. In the stretch, Grand Accord offered a stiff fight to Sultan Suleiman who had to be goaded to stretch out by jockey T S Jodha. Sultan Suleiman got stronger close to home with Flying Visit third another three lengths adrift of the battling duo. Sultan Suleiman would have won more convincingly if the jockey had given a more confident ride in front.

Shazaan Shah trained Joaquin who was bidding for a hat-trick saw his hopes dashed in the 1200 metres Ahmed I Rahimtoola Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 86. Joaquin was taking on a competitive set despite which Joaquin went to the post at the shortest price that he has run in his career! After Hidden Gold led the field well into the straight, Zervan pushed Joaquin to take charge. The favourite was under siege from Mount Moriah who essayed a strong challenge. Even as these two horses were sorting out the issue among themselves. Sunrise Ruby came home with a big rush under the persevering hands of Pradeep Chouhan and managed to get the nod in the closing strides of the race. Though Sunrise Ruby was running consistently, she hadn`t won for a long time. Mount Moriah shook off Joaquin for the runner-up berth.

Pesi Shroff trained Monarchy had run an eye-catching second behind Pure at Pune and as such, was expected to give a bold show in the 1400 metres Mulraj Goculdas Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 45. The horse duly obliged and more than the comfortable win of the favourite, it was the excellent piece of riding by apprentice jockey Kritish Bhagat that caught the eye. Kritish rode an unhurried race, waiting with the favourite deep into the straight making many wonder whether he would land himself in trouble. The jockey perhaps knew the horse or whether he wanted to follow the instructions to the full that he pulled out Monarchy only in the final furlong to give a clear run. The favourite covered the ground with menacing strides and edged out Multiencrypted who had shaped like a winner. Monarchy won with something to spare. Monarchy looks like a good type of youngster. Sentinel who raced up with the field weakened in the closing stages of the race to finish third.

Kritish found another winner through debutant Sun Gold, the well-bred son of Excellent Star. The three-year-old taking was running in a race meant for the lowest category of horses. Windy City did all the running and even looked like she was going to pull it off. However, in the final furlong, the complexion of the race changed the moment Kritish set alight Sun Gold who covered the ground with a big effort and won with a measure of comfort. Stablemate Emrys came from a long way back with a powerful run and necked out Windy City on whom jockey Sandesh dropped his hands once he was overhauled by the eventual winner and lost a possible second position.

T S Jodha rode a confident race on Treasure Gold to enable the Bezan Chenoy trainee to win the 1800 metres M D Petit Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Treasure Gold was relatively more experienced compared to Chopin who was running for the second time in his career, after an eye-catching effort. Jodha remained unhurried and was content to sit in about the fifth position while the pace-setter Fairmont ran too freely in front for her own good. Chopin was settled in the second position. Chopin stormed ahead in the final furlong but it was clear that Treasure Gold who was coming with big strides once he was asked to produce his best, would pass the front-runner with a measure of comfort which he did so in the shadow of the post. Tasman held off Circle of Love to keep third place.

Imtiaz Sait trained Remus who is a full brother to prolific performer Multitude was running only for the second time in his career. Since his first effort was run of the mill, he was quoted at liberal odds as El Capitan was widely expected to bounce back to winning ways in the 1200 metres Master Shifu Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. El Capitan who looked light in the paddock packed up in the stretch after being prominent to bow out of contention well before the race came to the boil. Remus who led from the start, established a winning lead by the final furlong and won with a measure of comfort. Myrcella ran on late to take the second position ahead of Seminole.

Earlier in the day, Sandesh drove out Sky Storm to a narrow win over late rallying Chieftain in the 1600 metres Maple Star Plate, a race for horses rated 4 to 30. Karthik Ganapathy trained Hela came in for big support and the favourite enjoyed the lead for a brief while in the straight. Sky Storm who was handily placed, easily overhauled the favourite and was not troubled by the late flourish of Chieftain. Power of Thor came from way behind to save place money.