This is Calcutta Races, Winter Meeting – First Day, Thursday, 1st January, 2026, and the card kicked off with the 1st race, The So Amazing Cup Div I, a Class V contest for horses rated 1–26 over 1200 metres, run at 11:30 AM. In a sharp and well-judged performance, Live It Love It delivered the first success of the day under Mukesh Kumar, giving trainer Aashay Doctor an early boost. Racing for an expansive ownership group comprising Mr Enrico Piperno, M/s Deciding Factor LLP, Mr Anand Chopra rep M/s Speedex Livestock Pvt Ltd, Mr Bal Krishan Agarwal, Mr Ashok Kumar Agarwal, Mr Vivek Choudhary, Mr Aashay Doctor, Mr Sharat Jhunjhunwala, Mr Lalit Baid & Mr Rajesh Kabra, the winner stopped the clock at 1:13.722.
Settling into a handy position soon after the gates opened, Live It Love It travelled smoothly through the early exchanges as the field sorted itself out. Mukesh Kumar waited patiently before asking his mount to quicken approaching the final furlong, and the response was decisive. Drawing clear under a confident ride, Live It Love It asserted authority in the closing stages to seal the verdict cleanly, setting the tone for what would follow on a busy Calcutta card. Early race watchers tracking the Calcutta race result 1 jan–style updates would have noted the authority with which the favourite stamped his class despite the modest grade.
The runner-up honours went to Diamond Gold (J: M S Deora, T: Rutherford Alford), who stayed on resolutely to finish second in 1:14.577 after giving the winner a brief scare. Cupid’s Way (J: Shezad Khan, T: Patrick Quinn) completed the frame, clocking 1:14.868, not far adrift in a closely matched finish behind the front two.
With the opener safely concluded, attention now turns to The So Amazing Cup Div II, scheduled for 12:00 PM, as the Winter Meeting continues to build momentum through the late morning at Calcutta.
Stay tuned to Racebuzz for more updates from the Winter Meeting action.