Hilton Sequeira, who hasn`t been doing well recently, had a good end to the year 2023. He won two races on the last day, one with Watch My Stride in a 1400-meter race, and another with first-timer Divine Prophecy in a race for two-year-olds. Siddharth, trained by Srinivas Reddy, had a comeback victory in the lower division of the main event after a setback in the Guineas. Jockey K Mukesh Kumar had a rewarding day booting home a treble.

Vittal Deshmukh trained Acrobat was the favourite but in keeping with the trend of favourites playing truant, Acrobat never showed up prominently and finished in the ruck. High Reward led the way from the start chased by stablemate Kingston, with Watch My Stride settled in the third position, followed by the rest. High Reward kept the lead deep into the straight before he was overwhelmed by Watch My Stride. Kingston who had a narrow passage between the front-runner and Watch My Stride nevertheless forced his way but did not have the finishing burst to make a dent to the hopes of the lesser fancied runner from Sequeira`s yard. City of Blessing warmed up rather late and came home with a wet sail only to miss the berth by a neck. Watch My Stride was first past the post after a wait of 363 days and was guided by apprentice jockey Shivansh.

Strauss, who didn`t meet expectations in the previous race, was the clear favourite to win the lower division of the Auxiliary Plate, despite facing competition from the accomplished local performer Siddharth, trained by Srinivas Reddy. Siddharth was offered at longer odds than warranted. However, in the race, Siddharth swiftly moved ahead on the homestretch after a prompt from jockey K Mukesh Kumar. He won convincingly by a margin of three lengths, leaving the favourite well behind in second place, followed by Best Buddy. Given his current form, Siddharth is expected to continue winning in handicap races unless he encounters stronger competition from outstation challengers in graded races.

In the 1200 meters Astonish Plate, the last race for two-year-olds on the year-end day, Divine Prophecy, trained by Sequeira, engaged in a determined battle with the front-running favorite, Flying Fury. Despite Flying Fury leading from the start and appearing set to win, jockey Ismail couldn`t control the outward drift, impacting his chances as his horse made contact with Divine Prophecy, who was making a move. Divine Prophecy strengthened towards the finish and won by half a length, with Imperia finishing a distant third.

Another Sequeira trainee Sundance Kid who was the betting rage in the 1600 metres Dynamic Dancer Cup, a race for horses rated 20 to 45, lost all his chances by going very wide at the final turn, effectively ruining whatever chances he had of figuring at the finish. Long shot Hero Of The East from the same stable for marching towards victory but Carnival Lady descended from the clouds to spoil the party by eking out a narrow win by a neck. Track Blazer was third.

In the 1400 meters Dilage Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46, Mukesh Kumar skillfully guided the favourite, Quality Warrior, from the stables of trainer Leo D`Silva, to victory. Capital Gain led the race but tired in the straight, creating an opening for Quality Warrior to take the lead in the final furlong. Quality Warrior had a comfortable lead, although there was a moment of excitement as Exponent made a late surge, posing a threat to the leader. In the end, Quality Warrior held on for the win, with Exponent finishing strongly in second place and Challenger securing a close third.

It`s becoming more common for long-shot stablemates to surprise heavily favoured horses. Following this trend, Leo D`Silva-trained Miss Marvellous, initially lagging until the final turn, surged forward with strong strides in the homestretch and secured a dominant victory by an impressive margin of six lengths. This upset the heavily backed stablemate Sacred Bond, who was offered at low odds. Sacred Bond managed to secure the second spot by a narrow margin, edging out Lady Danger.

Canterbury went at a scorching pace which was his undoing in the 1400 metres Gangotri Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category. Lesser fancied Dream Jewel who was in the chase, produced a big acceleration down the final furlong to go storming clear to by a widening margin of six lengths. See My Attitude, with a late dash, managed to pinch the second position from the runaway leader.

Canterbury set a blazing pace in the 1400 meters Gangotri Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category, but this aggressive strategy proved to be his downfall. The less-favoured Dream Jewel, staying close behind, made a significant surge down the final furlong and pulled away to win convincingly by a widening margin of six lengths. See My Attitude, making a late dash, secured the second position, narrowly surpassing the runaway leader.