A packed house thronged the Pune racecourse for the highlight of the season, The Nanoli Stud Pune Derby (Gr 1). Nine colts and a filly faced the starter. Rigoletto was the prime fancy with stablemate Continental being the next in demand, and only Bullrun among the rest at single digits.

The excitement had already reached near the peak with the Noshir & Dolly Dhunjibhoy Sprint producing a dead-heat and a short-head verdict in a three-way photo finish.

The decibels soared as the gates flung open for the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby (Gr 1) 2015. Intelligence overdid her role of a pacemaker, as jockey Akshay cut a strong pace right from the outset. Bullrun and Bold Appeal were up with the pace, while Rigoletto chose to sit in the mid-bunch and Continental tracking his stablemate close behind.

The furious early pace at which they galloped seemed to have taken its toll. All the top contenders were off the bridle well before the bend and their jockeys were seen to be scrubbing with all their might to hold their positions.

Bold Appeal entered the straight first but was soon joined by Rigoletto and the two were waging a hard battle. Bullrun and Continental began covering ground and went past the fighting duo midway in the straight. With a furlong to go, Bullrun had seized the initiative with Continental looming large. The roar of the cheering crowd quickly changed to a gasp of shock as Continental seemed to have lost his footing, stumbled and fell unseating jockey Suraj Narredu. Bullrun galloped on relentlessly to record a two-and quarter length victory over Rigoletto, who short-headed Bold Appeal. Jigsaw filled the frame ending a tame fourth.      

The joy of winning the Derby was short-lived for the winning camp as Bullrun, soon after returning to the unsaddling enclosure, was in severe distress and dropped to the ground. He was fortunately revived by the Club’s Vets who were quick to provide immediate medical aid.

Continental however succumbed to the drastic fall and was euthanized.

A stewards’ enquiry ensued to clear any doubts about Continental’s fall since Bullrun and he were racing close together. It was apparent that Bullrun had nothing to do with the incident and the race result remained as declared by the judge.

The Dhunjibhoys presented attractive trophies to owners Mr Jimmy Homi Sarbh, Ms Vandana Berjis Desai, M/s Akshay Chudasam & Ashish Kapadia, trainer C D Katrak, jockey P Kamlesh and breeder Usha Stud.

The Dhunjibhoy family deserves kudos for sponsoring the Pune Derby and the association has remained for 19 years! “Yes it has been a long association alright, and the journey has been remarkable over the years. This is one event that is close to me and I intend to continue this partnership long in the future as well,” said Mr Khushroo Dhunjibhoy who owns the Nanoli Stud Farm. “I am glad to have the IGCC’s Oktoberfest on board as well. Mr Peter Dubet who has been instrumental in organising the fest has worked relentlessly over the years and the success of the endeavour is for all to see.”  On Rigoletto, Mr Dhunjibhoy said “I felt that the feel of the track towards the inner rails is a bit different to the stand side and the latter portion looked much better for the horses to gallop on. Bullrun ran a terrific race but I do feel that had Rigoletto been on the outside, it would have been a much closer fight. However, I am not too disappointed and I am convinced Rigoletto would be right in the reckoning for the Indian classics.”    

“But for the tragic fall, the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby was highly enjoyable and the sheer number of people at the racecourse is testimony to the popularity of this race,” said Mr Zavaray Poonawalla, Chairman, RWITC. “We love our horses and any such incident is immensely heart-rending. Overall the Derby day was highly successful and with the Oktoberfest in full flow, the festive atmosphere made it a memorable day for everyone,” concluded the chairman.

For jockey P Kamlesh it was a first Pune Derby conquest. The seasoned jockey has had a success in the Indian Derby astride Velvet Rope (if my memory serves me right). “My joy at winning the Nanoli Pune Derby is short-lived knowing what happened to Continental. Such incidents do make an impact. As for Bullrun, he fought on bravely and was giving his best in the straight. His last victory over the distance was absolutely encouraging and we were quiet confident he would fare well. He responded well in the straight and once I got past Rigoletto, I knew he would kick on. Continental did come at us, but I still felt Bullrun had enough in him to stand up to the challenge,” said jockey P Kamlesh.  

Another scintillating Nanoli Pune Derby has gone by and the revelling spilled over late into the night with the German flavour taking over, post the racing action. A highly enjoyable weekend concluded on a terrific note. Bullrun returned the star of the day. Not only was he courageous on the track, but also in bouncing back, responding to the Club’s Vets’ all out efforts in reviving him. It was heartening to know he was back on his feet after some traumatic minutes in the unsaddling enclosure. Continental was not as fortunate. Every sport has its’ share of risk. Be it cricket, Formula Car racing, Skiing, football or even tennis, each sport has endured mishaps some big, some small. The respective governing bodies do everything possible to ensure the casualty is minimal and far between. Yet such incidents do occur and that somewhat dilutes the glory to an extent. RIP Continental, you did make an impact in your short career!