Mumbai, Feb. 2 -- At the Mahalaxmi Race Course is a rectangular building with a red roof. Inside, betting booths are neatly arranged in a circle with a large screen televising the horse races suspended in the southern end of the enclosure called the Bookmakers Ring. Punters moved towards the screen followed by a crescendo of noise. Words were yelled, but none quite understood as the decibels rose rapidly with each gallop of the horses on screen. It would last for around two minutes before those who placed the winning bets would jump in celebration, while the others would yell a few expletives at the loss. Moments later, as the horses - with their jockeys still astride - made their way to the paddock, spectators would flock to the sidelines. The ones who lost their bets showered choicest words as the specific horse walked past, while flowers were tossed in the direction of the winning duo. All this for the early races of the day. On Sunday, the biggest race in the national calendar took place, and around 17,963 flocked to the course for the 84th Indian Derby. On the grass banks and the stands bordering the track, spectators jostled for room to watch the 11 steeds race over the classic distance of 2400 metres. The sound of the galloping was just about audible for those close enough, but as Tom Marquand astride Fynbos crossed the finish line first again the expressions on the punters told a tale of triumph and loss. For 27-year-old Marquand, a British jockey competing in his third Indian Derby, the win was never in doubt despite his filly trailing in the early stages of the race. "She felt like she was going to win from two furlongs (400 metres) out," Marquand said. "She was strong and the lead had just started to weaken, that's when I thought her stamina was good and she never felt like she was going to be beaten." As Fynbos made her way to the front, there was a mixture of groans and cheers. It all ended with tremendous applause as the thoroughbred crossed the line in 2:27.620 minutes. In the minutes that followed, the crowd dwindled. Two more races were on the cards, but the showstopper event had added another chapter to the history of the Indian Derby....