The Shirke-owned Signor Sassi (Alnasr Alwasheek – Si Senorita), trained by Pesi Shroff was assisted ably in the saddle by rookie Tushar Nemane - a five-kilo claiming boy, pulled off a thrilling victory to clinch the Division I of the Charon Trophy. Nemane, who is gaining in confidence with each ride, handled the pressure beautifully and kept at the task until the very end. Signor Sassi initially settled into the fifth spot and had some distance to cover as Spirit of Ecstasy led the field into the straight. Nemane was well-prepared and moved up a couple of places at the turn to be a prominent third with a little over 400 to go.

Spirit of Ecstasy although yet unleashed, looked vulnerable as Signor Sassi started to mount pressure. Festival Night fell back from second as Signor Sassi took charge approaching the distance post. Meanwhile, Diamond Zip had taken the turn slightly wide and was quickening nicely. Stuntacular was right by his side and he too went into battle mode. In the final furlong, Signor Sassi had a clear upper hand as he stretched away from a tiring Spirit of Ecstasy. The last 100 meters saw Diamond Zip gaining considerable ground and he was getting too close too fast. Nemane pushed with vigour and Signor Sassi too put up a bold show to nose the wire just in time as a stride later, diamond Zip had passed them. It was a breath-taking finish which Signor Sassi pulled off by the moisture on his nose! Stantacular also put in a good run to end between the top two. Scintillo finished on well to take the final berth in the frame.

Tushar Nemane is learning the ropes quickly and looks a good prospect. He has a compact seat and in the little we have seen of him, he has shown commendable aptitude. He has a promising future and I reckon he won’t need too much time to develop into a jockey of substance. He has what it takes to succeed in this highly competitive field and the first goal to achieve the coveted 40-winner mark will not take too long for this boy.

Plan B (Rock of Gibraltar – Speckled Band) owned by Theron C Desouza won the lower division of the Charon Trophy with Jockey Akshay almost caught napping at the post. Plan B entered the straight with a handy lead and accelerated further to gain a clear advantage early in the homestretch. Mahima, who was in chase of the leader, made it look that Plan B was sailing away as she was not making any progress. Winchester too was thereabouts and did not look threatening. Inside the final furlong, Plan B still had a decent lead when This Ones For You started to cover ground briskly. Akshay assuming that he had the race in his pocket eased up in the last couple of strides which nearly proved fatal. This Ones For You came steaming down and almost got him on the post, falling short by half a length covering more than three lengths in the final fifty.

“They were heart-pounding moments – the last 100 meters at least, when This Ones For you came dangerous close to my horse. I am not a betting man and own just a couple of horses for the thrill of it. Its moments such as these that spin you to a high – seeing your horse win. I am delighted and also relieved, the excitement was extreme but so was the pleasure,” said Mr Theron Desouza.

Song Dynasty (China Visit – Great performance) came from well off the pace to score a facile victory without exerting too much. Settling way behind the leaders, Song Dynasty took her own time to make her journey to the front.

Sheer Romance took the initiative to lead the field, with Something New close behind, Song Dynasty was going at a leisurely pace at the rear. At the turn, Something New drifted out alarmingly and was galloping closer to the outer rails. Sheer Romance picked up well and kept a stranglehold on the lead managing to keep Mylastwish and Angel’s Mine at bay. However, Song Dynasty was looming large and gaining with every stride. Sheer Romance tried hard to stay ahead but Song Dynasty was imposing in her gallop and Sheer Romance gave in to the inevitable. Earlier Big Black and Marengo were withdrawn at the gates.

Destined to Glory (Glory of Dancer – Double Wish) literally fought hard for his victory, both on the turf and in the stewards’ room. It was a crowded bunch that chased down leader Charlie Cool in the straight. Visionist was rough in his gallop and he moved inwards at a crucial stage. This hampered Destined to Glory and the jostle was passed on by horses on his inside. Destined to Glory rallied on again and while Visionist held on by a narrow margin, Destined To Glory finished on his inside. Jockey Sandesh promptly lodged an objection against Rajendra the rider of Visionist.

Both jockeys argued their case with the Stewards. The Stewards interviewed both jockeys and repeatedly viewed the clippings before reversing the original order of placing, thus awarding the race to Destined to Glory.

Ishpingo disappointed and jockey Dashrath will be the first to admit that this was one of the few forgettable rides of his otherwise brilliant season. He failed to settle Ishpingo prominently early on and when he made the attempt he got into the midst of traffic depending more on the other horses to make way for him rather than skirting around the bunch which he finally did. Ishpingo, once in the clear, covered ground fastest but by then it was too late. Limitless Hills ran on and finished in the money.

Dashrath however made amends in the very next race to partner Celsius (Emerald Cat – Savoy) to a closely fought victory. This time Dashrath, probably smarting from his earlier loss, kept Celsius right behind the leader Tomorrows Dreams. Mountain Lion was next up on the rails as they turned for home. Celsius quickened soon and went well ahead of Tomorrows Dreams, To The Moon was also with them. The rest were out of contention. Celsius galloped on and looked heading for a comfortable victory when Tomorrows Dreams began to gain on Celsius. However, Dashrath managed to keep his mount going and scored a narrow victory. To The Moon did well to earn the place money.  

Houdini (Placerville – Romantic Memories) carried on from where he had left to stretch out nicely to score an even better victory this time. Taking over the running early on, Houdini galloped on gamely in the straight to draw away from the hapless field. None from the rear could match his speed and Houdini won handsomely. Tipping Point did well to gain places in the final standing ending a good 6 lengths behind Houdini. Zorba too emerged from the rear to beat Chasing Memories for the third spot.

Seven Seas (Placerville – Ramada) added another impressive victory scoring his second in five outings. He is improving by the run and showing that he is a good middle distance runner. His victory over a sprint last time was a come-from-behind effort and this over an extended furlong he sprang to the lead early in the straight and won drawing away in the final furlong.

Seven Seas got past leader Mumbai King without jockey Nirmal Jodha moving a muscle. Voyager made a good forward move along with Gibran attacking from the middle. Star Mountain was just behind them as the charged towards the winning post. Seven Seas looked comfortable as he kicked on to improve over the rest. Star Mountain warmed up nicely and managed to wrest the runner-up berth from Gibran and Voyager who finished in close order.

For the professionals, trainer Imtiaz Sait and jockeys Dashrath Singh and apprentice Tushar Nemane scored a double each.