Elysium, Mahogany and Noraiah caught the eye when the horses were exercised here on Saturday morning, with each turning in a workout that suggested they are holding their form well and may be ready for more demanding assignments ahead.
The morning session on the inner sand offered a useful snapshot of stable readiness, with a mix of easy maintenance gallops, sharper timed efforts and gate practice. While several horses were kept to routine work, the standout names were those that moved with purpose and responded well when asked to quicken, a sign that trainers are beginning to fine-tune their runners for the next stage of the season.
Among the shorter-distance movers, Holding The Fort covered 600 metres in 41 seconds and was described as easy, while Imperial Dawn clocked 39 seconds over the same trip and moved freely. Over 800 metres, Sukoon and Fire Away were timed at 53 seconds with a 600-metre split of 40 seconds, and they moved level freely. Vermeer and Minimus also worked over 800 metres in 55 seconds with a 600-metre split of 42 seconds, with Vermeer finishing one length better. Majestic Warrior posted 53 seconds for 800 metres and 40 seconds for the final 600 metres, moving freely, while Majesticus completed the same distance in 55 seconds and 41 seconds, finishing easy.
The more notable efforts came over 1,000 metres and beyond. Alpine Star completed 1,000 metres in 1 minute 7 seconds, with 800 metres in 52 seconds and 600 metres in 39 seconds, and was said to have moved well. Café Noire was not far behind, clocking 1:08 for 1,000 metres and finishing fluently, while Little John recorded a sharper 1:05, with 800 metres in 51 seconds and 600 metres in 38 seconds, moving nicely.
The strongest impressions, however, came from the 1,200-metre and 1,400-metre works. Diego Garcia was pushed through 1,200 metres in 1:23, with intermediate splits of 1:08 for 1,000 metres, 53 seconds for 800 metres and 39 seconds for 600 metres. Elysium, ridden by Akshay Kumar, covered the same distance in 1:20, with 1:06 for 1,000 metres, 52 seconds for 800 metres and 39 seconds for 600 metres, and responded well to the urgings. Noraiah, under Mosin, also worked attractively, recording 1:20 for 1,200 metres, 1:07 for 1,000 metres, 53 seconds for 800 metres and 40 seconds for 600 metres.
The most impressive of the morning, though, was Mahogany. Working with Vivek, the horse completed 1,400 metres in 1:36, with splits of 1:21 for 1,200 metres, 1:06 for 1,000 metres, 51 seconds for 800 metres and 38 seconds for 600 metres. The report said Mahogany impressed, underlining the sense that the horse is in strong condition and may be approaching a peak effort.
Namiri and Shaandaar worked together over 1,400 metres in 1:39, with 1:24 for 1,200 metres, 1:09 for 1,000 metres, 53 seconds for 800 metres and 39 seconds for 600 metres, and the pair moved level freely. Menorca also covered 1,400 metres, clocking 1:37 with splits of 1:23, 1:08, 54 seconds and 41 seconds, and worked freely. Chagall was kept to a lighter 600-metre effort in 45 seconds and was easy.
Gate practice was also noted on the inner sand, an important part of race preparation that often reveals how sharply a horse is beginning to settle into its starting routine. True Promise worked 1,000 metres in 1:10, with 800 metres in 54 seconds and 600 metres in 41 seconds, moving freely. Mila matched that pattern with a 1:09 effort and moved well. Absolute Honour and Priority Road were paired for a 1,000-metre gate practice session, finishing neck and neck in 1:05, with 800 metres in 50 seconds and 600 metres in 38 seconds, both moving freely.
Taken together, the morning's work suggested a stable of horses in generally healthy order, but it was Elysium, Mahogany and Noraiah who made the strongest impression. Their fluent movement, responsive finishing and strong timing will likely keep them on the watchlist as racing plans take shape in the days ahead.