The afternoon racing card at Pune Racecourse’s Ninth Day (Saturday, 4th October 2025) came alive with the 4th race — The October Handicap, a Class IV contest for Indian horses aged three years only, rated 20 to 46 (0 to 19 eligible), run over 1200 metres at 3:00 PM. In a performance marked by speed and precision, Darcy (J: A. Sandesh) stormed home to victory for trainer Faisal A. Abbas, clocking a brilliant 1:09:292 for her winning effort. Racing in the colours of M/s Chanakya Sanjeevkumar Gaur, Cowas D. Bajan & Narendra Kumar Ambwani, Darcy delivered an emphatic display that thrilled the punters.
From the break, Darcy settled well just off the pace, conserving energy while keeping a keen eye on the front runners. As the field rounded the home turn, Sandesh urged her forward with clinical timing. Darcy responded with a powerful burst, taking command inside the final 200 metres to assert dominance in decisive fashion, leaving little room for rivals to challenge.
Ministry of Time (J: Prashant P. Dhebe, T: Aman Altaf Hussain) finished strongly to claim the runner-up spot in 1:09:974, chasing Darcy all the way to the line. Esteban (J: C. Umesh, T: Narendra Lagad) closed well in the final strides to secure third place in 1:10:009, rounding off an exhilarating top-three finish separated by fine margins.
With the curtain-raiser of the afternoon complete, attention now turns to the Threptin Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes (Grade III), the feature race of the day at Pune, set to start at 3:40 PM — promising another thrilling chapter in this spectacular meeting.
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