Leo D`Silva trained Livermore fought off a resolute battle with West Brook before prevailing in the final strides of the race to win the Gr 2 Golconda 1000 Guineas, the first classic of the season held on Sunday at Malakpet. The strike by the racehorse owners protesting against reduced stake money and race days had delayed the start of the season. The first day of the season itself saw the Guineas being run. Up-and-coming jockey Siddique Saqlain rode a perfect race on the winner, packing punch in his finishing efforts. Trainer Leo D`Silva saddled three winners.

Livermore had won the Deccan Fillies Championship during the monsoon season but subsequently ran poorly in the Deccan Derby and the subsequent race. Because of this, the filly went to the post at nourishing odds with Sulaiman Attaollahi trained West Brook receiving good support to turn the tables on Livermore. Akshay Kumar took West Brook on a start-to-finish mission with Livermore in proximity. West Brook was not inclined to give up easily and carried the battle right to the post before weakening. Livermore got stronger at the finish to win by a shade less than a length to claim the second classic of her career. The daughter of Speaking Of Which provided yet another classic success to the famed nursery Usha Stud Farm whose produce have had firm grip on the classics run all over India. NRI Doublepower accelerated from the tail end of the field to save place money.

Shashikanth trained Ashwa Morocco produced a winning effort in the 1400-metre Prince of Berar Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 85, after a gap of 85 days. Ashwa Morocco who had won in the higher category was strongly supported to pull it off though the market fancies were Colts Championship Stakes winner Huntingdon and High Command. Apprentice jockey Ajay Kumar had Ashwa Morocco handily placed as Best Buddy set the pace. Ashwa Morocco steadily bridged the gap in the straight and stormed clear to win the race from Huntingdon. Brilliant Star was third while High Command never raised a fluent gallop and was a beaten horse long before the runners approached the final furlong.

Leo D`Silva trained Shadow of The Moon was bidding for a hat-trick and duly accomplished it in the 1800 metres Royal Tern Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Terenga was the market fancy but the favourite did not give hope to his supporters at any stage of the race. Jockey K Mukesh Kumar positioned Shadow of The Moon handily before having the fancied runner move briskly approaching the final furlong to take charge early in the straight. Shadow Of The Moon fought for a while with Indian Sniper who put up a big fight before weakening. Shadow of The Moon then stormed ahead to win by a comfortable margin of three lengths over Indian Sniper who had the lead till overhauled by the eventual winner. Indian Sniper repelled the challenge of Mandela to keep the runner-up berth. Terenga was a well-beaten fourth.

The first race of the season, the 1200 metres Windscale Plate, a race for two-year-olds saw the well-fancied Glorious Power win by a widening margin of nine lengths over favourite Bellingham. There was also strong support for While Pearl who was never in the hunt. Afroz Khan had Glorious Power dictate the proceedings right from the start and the progeny of Shifting Power who ran straight as an arrow, won unchallenged. Bellingham failed to quicken in the straight and had to settle for the second spot ahead of Cannon Rose.

The day`s biggest upset of the day was caused by Leo D`Silva trained Malibu who came up with a flourishing run down the final furlong to down another long shot Alexina in the closing moments of the race to win the 1200 metres Shravan Kumar Memorial Cup (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Prasad Raju trained Commanding Knight was the favourite but the public fancy did not have the speed to take a forward position and, in the stretch, ran into a series of traffic snarls to go out of contention well before the race came to a boil. It was Commanding Knight`s stablemate Alexina who showed more enterprise and very nearly pulled off an upset. Happy Go Lucky nosed out Barbet to get the third spot. The lower division of the Shravan Kumar Memorial Cup went the way of favourite Proud Mary who rallied strongly in the final furlong to get the better of runaway leader Kenna to land the spoils with a measure of comfort in the hands of Trevor Patel who these days is not riding with the old consistency. Colt Pistol was third. Another strongly fancied runner She Can was lost in the crowd.

Prasad Raju trained Capriati who was backed to the exclusion of the rest managed to justify expectations in a tight finish in the 1400 metres Mancherial Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 45. The threat for Capriati came from stablemate Bold Beauty who came from a long way back to very nearly upset the applecart of the favourite. Capriati prevailed by a neck. D Right Time who was sluggish at the start, rallied well in the straight to save place money. In what was an open type of betting, N Rawal trained Brooklyn Beauty won the lower division of the race with a great deal of ease from Australia and Das. The other fancied runner Rochelle disappointed.