Within 11 days of his sensational Deccan Derby win, the Pesi Shroff-trained Jeremiah inflicted another crushing defeat on his 11 rivals in the grade 1, Nanoli Stud Pune Derby when, in the hands of jockey S Zervan, he galloped away to a glorious victory at the Pune racetrack on Sunday.
This was the grey got-abroad’s (by Jeremy out of Acciacatura) third straight victory, and it raked in another Rs 42 lakh for owners Haresh and Manva Mehta of Rohan Bloodstock, stock broker Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and real estate magnate Jaydev Mody.
Pesi Shroff
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There was some apprehension before the race as bookmakers, perhaps advised by their experts that Jeremiah was attempting do the impossible trying to win two Derbies in a span of 11 days, vigorously laying the horse, sending his ante-post odds of 11-to-10 to almost double up at 9-to-4.
But within minutes the champion trainer’s supporters entered the ring and started hammering down the price till it dropped to 18/10 at post time. It was quite a sight when hundreds of jubilant — and richer — Shroff supporters jumped over one another and the fence to shake hands with the winning trainer.
On the racetrack, jockey S Zervan took no chances as he kept Jeremiah in mid-bunch, but on the outside so as not to face any traffic problems at the final turn.
Within moments, Jeremiah started breathing down the neck of leader Majestic Reward, and even before the heads turned for home, Zervan grabbed the lead and asked Jeremiah to accelerate. Within moments the horse bounded forward and the race was all over.
After the race, a relaxed and happy Pesi Shroff told MiD DAY that Jeremiah had earned his rest with two splendid back-to-back win. “You’ll now see him in action in Mumbai, and the winter Classics will obviously be his main target,” said Shroff.u00a0
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