Pesi Shroff trained Sacred Roman (Holy Roman Emperor – Clicquot, Jai Govind Stud) proved far too superior to his three rivals, Raees included, to pull off a start to finish victory in the 2800 meters Byculla Club Trophy.  

Jockey Leigh Roche gave his charge full freedom to gallop away merrily and amass a massive lead which Sacred Roman built steadily within the first quarter of the race. Through the backstretch and Sacred Roman was so far ahead that the other jockeys would have needed binoculars to spot Sacred Roman. Realising this was going to be a tough chase, Raees moved up from the last position to bridge the gap and not let Sacred Roman get out of reach. However, the freedom with which Sacred Roman was galloping, was simply too good for anyone of the trio to match. Sure enough, Sacred Roman carried on his good work and stayed well clear of Raees and the other two to swamp his rivals and score a facile victory.  

Shroff’s Mozart (Dream Ahead – Desisterna, Nanoli Stud) dominated all through, right from the start, to win the Indian Air Force Trophy displaying pleasing form and raw speed, especially in the final furlong.  Jockey NS Parmar took off from the gates and was quick to take the lead. Dandi March, Rising Brave and Night Hunt were right behind with the rest not too far away.

Mozart got into fine rhythm and bounced forward once they entered the homestretch. Dandi March wriggled out from the inside rails and set about in chase, however Mozart was scuttling further ahead to seal the issue within a couple of strides and it was all a futile effort for the rest. Dandi March ended chasing the winner, while Gallantry improved positions and did well to finish in the money.

Soaring High (Win Legend – Sky Liner, Dashmesh Stud), saddled by Vishal Gaikwad, did soar high at the business end of the race, catching up the front runners with a late blitz. Rising sun was in charge as they entered the straight, with El Capitan looming large on the outside. Soaring High had some ground to cover and jockey Akshay made progress along the rails. El Capitan collared Rising Sun alright, but then stuttered a bit and ran green at that stage. Soaring High seized the opportunity and flashed past Rising Sun and sped ahead to take charge in the final 100 meters. El Capitan’s hesitation cost him dearly and although he tried to rally, Soaring High had the momentum going and carved out a narrow victory on debut.  El Capitan would certainly do better in his next, but for now he had to be content with the second slot. Rising Sun had his chances, but failed to capitalize on a good start, ending a tame third. While Finalist disappointed, Menilly improved to take a slot in the frame.

Galloping Goldmine (Arazan – Messalina, Poonawalla Stud) had to work the hardest for his third career win and this time the fight spilled over to the stewards’ room.

Fleur De Lys led them into the straight and bowed out sooner than expected. Galloping Goldmine, who was in second all the way, soon got past the leader, but had Rainbow Trout challenging him on the outside. These two pulled away from Fleur De Lys & company and fought hard, going neck and neck all the way to the wire. They fought a good part of the homestretch, but in the closing stages, Rainbow Trout not only failed to keep a straight course, but also cramped Galloping Goldmine for room. Jockey Trevor however, was up to this challenge and held his ground and then pushed through the narrow gap to stick by Rainbow Trout at the wire.

The judge’s verdict went in favour of Rainbow Trout, but it was obvious that Trevor would lodge an objection for coming on to him and squeezing him as well as making contact at a crucial stage. It was an open and shut case for the Stewards and the objection was upheld and Galloping Goldmine was declared the winner.

An exciting finish between trainer Imtiaz Siat’s Honourable Eyes and Adhiraj Jodha’s Saffron Flower culminated in a dead-heat in the six furlong Advantage Plate division one. Honourable Eyes seemed to have a firm grip on the race as he took over from Smart Choice soon on entering the homestretch.

Honourable Eyes, with Joy Chinoy in the saddle made an early move and surged clear of those close behind. Saffron Flower had some leeway to cover and the mare, ridden by Santosh, picked up speed inside the 400 meters. It did look an interesting chase as Saffron Flower was closing in at a good clip and Honourable Eyes too showing no signs of slowing down. Both ran hard all the way with Saffron Flower a tad faster at the finish. They flashed past the post locked together and were inseparable in the photo finish. The judge declared a dead-heat between the two. Golden Eclipse came on late to pip Hi Ho Silver for place money.

Solo Mission (Arazan – Age of Fable, Poonawalla Stud) produced a fluent start to finish effort to win the lower division of the race with ease. Charging in to grab the lead soon on start, Solo Winner galloped fluently all through and entered the straight with a handy led. Apprentice jockey Prakash was impressive in guiding the Karthik trainee all the way as he kept urging Solo Mission on. Cray Cray was close behind but failed to make an impact. Nusrat made a late charge, but could only end chasing Solo Mission home. Run Happy finished on fast to finish in the money.

Cama trained Kalina (Mull of Kintyre – Kaimana, Sohna Stud) who returned after a long layoff and finished a notable third last time out lived up to the expectations and this time was way too good for her rivals. She was up in front and jockey PS Chouhan had it easy in th homestretch. With little effort, Kalina shot further ahead and looked the winner a long way from home. Adam’s Beginning ran on to finish second, while On Va Danser recovered from a tardy start and did well to peg back Multibagger for the third place.

Chouhan later rode Direwolf (Abeyside – Flight to Glory, Dashmesh Stud) to a facile victory, bringing up the filly’s maiden victory on her fifth start. Direwolf had no worthwhile performance to show in her previous four outings, but her latest track movements had been noteworthy.

Red Carnation led them into the straight and soon Direwolf was up with his challenge. Golden Steal was along the rails with Sandra’s Secret not far behind. Red Carnation resisted for a while but eventually had to give in as Direwolf was galloping strongly on the outside. Golden Steal too got past the leader along the rails, but just could not catch up with Direwolf the latter winning by a lngth and half. Red Carnation finished third while Tough Cop improved positions to take the last slot in the frame.

For the professionals, trainers Pesi Shroff and Noshir Cama saddled a double each, while jockey PS Chouhan scored a double as well.