Enceladus (Michael Poirier up), the popular choice in the 8th day’s feature event, The Shantidas Askuran Trophy, blazed away to an impressive victory and justified the favouritism to the hilt. Settling into the fourth position early on, Michael Poirier had difficulty in keeping Enceladus, who was ever eager to break free, in check. Covenant (Nadeem Alam) who was carrying very little on his back had, in a start to finish bid, built up a good 5 length lead in the straight. Haifa Victory (Daniel Grant) failed to quicken as Enceladus joined him along with Blazing Speed.

With 350 metres to go, Covenant still enjoyed a 3-4 length lead. And that’s when Enceladus was given the ‘go ahead’ by Poirier and the Bezan Chenoy filly responded with a terrific turn of foot to not only cover the distance but also add her margin of victory quicker than you could mutter ‘Shantidas Askuran Trophy’! A splendid finishing effort indeed, which should see her in good light in her next outing as well. Covenant barely held on to the second spot from the fast finishing Ming, and Premier Perception came on the rails to edge out Blazing Speed for a place in the frame.

Peaches And Cream (SN Chavan) was heavily supported after her facile last start victory over 7 furlongs. Pebble Beach (Neeraj Rawal) was next in demand and Kempinski (CD Hayes) attracted stray bets. Rhapsody In Red did the early running and led the field home with the rest of the runners in close tow. Peaches And Cream took charge only briefly and could not accelerate. She was found to have bled and could only manage to finish third. Meanwhile, Pebble Beach sped ahead but had Kempinski gamely chasing her. At the distance post, Pebble Beach still had a 2-length lead and looked like she would hold on. Hayes got Kempinski to make a sustained dash and fought out a good 150 m, getting the better of Pebble Beach just a stride or two before the winning post. Pebble beach was a fighting second and may get her chance another day.

Combustion (Samuel Fargeat) caused no anxious moments to his followers and won almost untroubled. Settling into the third behind Arabian Speed and Simply Perfect, Combustion made his move early in the straight, took charge around 300 m and stretched ahead to post a comfortable win but was hard ridden though and went all out. Maybach (Neeraj Rawal) ran on to finish past Simply Perfect and the long time leader Arabian Speed. The last named may do well over a shorter sprint.

Narendra Lagad dropped a bombshell in the third race with Classic Dream. The odds drifted on Mubarras from 1 ¾ to 2 ¼ and as per the indication from the betting Mubarras finished down the field – a poor sixth. Classic Dream (Anil Bandaal) led from the start and kept going till the end surprising one and all. In the straight the leader was a good 2 l ahead of Northern Prince who failed to sustain and let Cinderella Man take up the challenge. Cinderella Man (Vivek) lost his chances if there was one, by drifting out and hampering Nara (CD Hayes) in the process. Nara too was guilty of making a run far too wide even before the bend. However, when she started to warm up and get into serious contention, a) Classic Dream was way too ahead and (b) she had to encounter an interference from Cinderella Man. Vivek ought to be hauled up for this faulty riding thereby causing interference to Nara. However, the winner was the only impressive runner in this race. Mubarras' failure was inexplicable and she ran a very poor race and will take some time before she corners any support again. Fanatic broke a blood vessel and Binee, who refused to go to the gates, was withdrawn.

The fourth race saw an interesting finish. The first six finished really close in a cluster. King's Desire (Vikram Jodha) easily accounted for Star Girl and Elemento Angel who were prominent till after the turn. At 400 m, King's Desire went ahead with Call To Arms (Appu) in close attendance. Really Romantic went for the rails but soon faded away and Firefoot, who was flexing up on the outside, suddenly began to drift alarmingly and lost her chances by doing so - despite shaping up well at that stage. King's Desire was further challenged by the favourite Call To Arms and they fought it out till the finish. Born To Lead (Aadesh Kumar) and Red Dawn (Tony Farina) came with a very good effort in the end to finish third and fourth respectively. Crespo too was a notable fifth just ahead of Firefoot. Crespo and Born To Lead are the ones to note.

Oyster Gem (DK Ashish) was the first choice, but was clearly overwhelmed by the vastly improved See The Truth (Rajendra). Oyster Gem clearly sped past the front-running Medtias Pride and Naseebdar, and established a slender lead at the distance post. See The Truth then started to quicken nicely and when he came up with his final assault, Oyster Gem simply looked pedestrian. See The Truth's final run was very impressive and an encore is not beyond him. Oyster Gem was unlucky to be stunned so late in the race. Amaranza (Shailesh Shinde) covered a lot of ground and passed a number of horses to end just a neck behind Oyster Gem, a noteworthy effort indeed.

Appu finally made the day count for him astride Pacific Zone, the first favourite. Settling close to the front bunch, Pacific Zone started to apply pressure on the leader Cocaine who had garnered a lot of smart money close to race time. Around 300 m, Pacific began to dictate terms but soon found a rival on his haunches in Home To Home. Home To Home ensured that Pacific Zone was not having it easy and extended the favourite to clinch the runner-up berth in good style. Latest News (Nadeem Alam) ran as consistently as he does and once again claimed the place money. Attia In Sunlight too came from behind to figure on the frame.