The outcome of the seven-race card framed for the inaugural day of the Pune racing season 2026 appeared too easy to guess for the followers of form, and unsurprisingly, six races were won by prime favourites. Champion jockey A. Sandesh was the toast of the evening for punters, as both the winners he steered arguably scored thanks to the enterprising skill he showed in the saddle. The tantalising finish for the Dr SR Captain Salver almost had Sovereign King biting dust at the hands of the Indian 1000 Guineas winner, Kavya. After chasing initial leader Irish Gold and later top-weighted Western Star into the straight, Sandesh made his move on Adhirajsingh Jodha-saddled Sovereign King, who wore down Western Star in the last furlong. Mansingh Jadhav-nursed Kavya who, after being steadied shortly after the start, clearly didn’t have the luck of the race as she was denied a clear run when NS Parmar tried to take the shortest route home. Parmar had to switch lanes before Kavya could challenge the hot favourite. She made a gallant effort and nailed Sovereign King (Top Class – Scarlet) in the shadow of the winning post but the bay colt literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and eventually triumphed by a nose. Western Star, Market King and Irish Gold followed them home in that order.

Any heartburn caused by Kavya for her master vanished did not linger long, as her stablemate Beast Mode annexed the DK Ashish Salver without raising a sweat. Parmar-ridden Beast Mode (Plumatic – Woman O War) tracked Marius and Agatha until the heads turned for home, then cruised past them to record his second straight success. The timing clocked by Beast Mode over the seven-furlong event was barely half a second slower than Sovereign King. The ten-kilo weight difference between Beast Mode and Sovereign King indicates the former’s latent potential. Agatha finished runner-up ahead of late-finishing Come September, while Bright Button ended fourth.

Three-year old Lady Scarlet (Top Class – Scarlet), who is bred as half-sister to Sovereign King and was quoted at equally cramped odds in the betting ring, scored a fluent win in the hands of Antony Raj. After being settled behind the leaders, Storm Cloud and Manor House, Lady Scarlet took over the running on entering the home to claim the Columbia Plate, achieving her second career effortlessly over Ashwa Gypsy, Cinderella’s Dream, and Skandha.

In stark contrast to the easy conquest of the two youngsters, debutant Invisible Force from trainer Malesh Narredu’s yards was seen labouring hard before he could foil the start-to-finish bid of Yinsiruk in the Certainty Plate, a race reserved for maiden juveniles. Trevor Patel hit the front with Yinsiruk while Suraj Narredu-piloted Invisible Force stayed in close attendance. However, Suraj had to drive Invisible Force vigorously and at the same time had to ensure that the bay gelding did not veer towards his left. After the hard fought race, Yinsiruk finally surrendered to Invisible Force  (Make Believe – Nameless) opposite the stands and went down by half a length. Avante was also hard-ridden by Sandesh to save place money, while Red Lightning ran thereabouts to be fourth.

Suraj  displayed a similar aggressive approach aboard Paloma, also saddled by Malesh, in the season's curtain raiser. Apprentice A. Omkar-partnered Viennoise made a start-to-finish bid and was in command till the fag end of the five-furlong scurry before winner Paloma and runner-up Santana Row caught up. Paloma (Fiero – Bubbly Bellini) lacked initial speed as she raced in the mid-bunch and Suraj brought her into contention with some forceful riding from the top of the home straight. Paloma warmed up late but just in time to overwhelm both Santana Row and Viennoise in the last few strides. Absolute Emperor, who had a lot of smart money flowing his way in the betting ring, was prominent till the turn but ended fifth behind Allez L’Etoile after failing to quicken in the last furlong and half.

Sandesh gave another display of his gutsy demeanour when he helped favourite Aeon Flux to repel the vicious attack of Phantasmique in the concluding race of the day. Rank outsider Adonis led all the way till reaching the two-furlong marker where Sandesh spurred Aeon Flux into the lead. Meanwhile, when alerted by J. Chinoy, Phantasmique made steady progress to range alongside Aeon Flux in the last fifty metres. But Sandesh’s resilience helped Faisal Abbas-trained Aeon Flux  (Tenth Star – Astra) to tide over the crisis by a neck. Whisper managed to finish in the money ahead of Ma Cherie, who found her rhythm a bit late.

Earlier in the day, Abbas led in Silver Strike, the solitary fluke winner of the day. Despite being inconvenienced at the start, favourite Staria raced in a striking position behind her main rival Lucky Diamond, who wrest the initiative as soon as the gates opened. Trevor got Staria to join the issue with Lucky Diamond about a furlong away from the wire and soon gained the upper hand after a brief tussle. Before Trevor could steer Staria into the comfort zone, K. Nazil brought Silver Strike (Total Gallery – Elysee) with a powerful run to scuttle the former’s bid to land the spoils. Majestic Warrior ran third, while Crimson Pirate took the fourth spot after Lucky Diamond faded out of contention.