Baychimo (Antony Raj S up), the one yours truly thought would fight for the top honours, had a day to forget
Zacharias gallops across the finish line in Pune. Pic/RWITC
Three-year-old Zacharias (Western Aristocrat - WatchMyScript), a strapping dark bay colt trained by Pesi Shroff, galloped into the history books on Sunday at the Pune racetrack, leaving rivals practically gasping for breath. Bred at Broadacres Stud and owned by Mr & Mrs Vijay Shirke, Jay Shirke, Martand Singh Mahindra, Rina Mahindra and Neville H Bilpodiwala, the winner was piloted to perfection by jockey Vivek, who celebrated his first ever Pune Derby victory by rising in the saddle and throwing his fist into the air even before passing the winning post.
Backstory
Ram Shroff, steward of the race club, revealed at the trophy presentation ceremony that he had overheard Vivek swearing to his trainer he’d settle scores after last month’s heartbreaking photo-finish loss to Baychimo in the SA Poonawalla Million. And settle he did, with an absolutely faultless ride! Vivek was all business, breaking clean from the gates, staying close to the rails--even recovering instantly from a minor stumble near the mile marker, and then angling out to make his move in the center of the track, emerging from the pack like a leopard who spotted his prey at the distant winning post. It was a commanding display that had the crowd roaring.
Damp squib
Baychimo (Antony Raj S up), the one yours truly thought would fight for the top honours, had a day to forget. A wayward jump at the start threw his rhythm off, and he further compounded his problems by criss crossing all over the racetrack. And then there was the first favourite, Prokofiev, who perhaps ran the worst race of his career, actually decelerated in the final furlong to finish in the ruck in the hands of none other than ace jockey Suraj Narredu, who two months ago made India proud by winning a race at Royal Ascot in the UK.
Silver lining
Putting the forgettable Derby ride behind, Suraj soon smiled for the cameras when the race club chairman Surendra Sanas presented him with a glittering trophy for his Royal Ascot achievement with the crowd cheering all around.
Adding to the grandeur, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, the man who stepped in as the sponsor for this year’s Pune Derby, pledged to bankroll not just the Pune Derby but also the Indian Oaks (Gr 1) and Indian Derby (Gr 1) at Mahalaxmi for the next five years.
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