Pune Meeting 2025, day 3 opens with Ghirardelli’s sharp victory
The third day of the Pune Meeting 2025 unfolded under cloudy skies on Friday, 15 August, with the Royal Western India Turf Club hosting an action-packed card at Pune Racecourse. The centrepiece of the afternoon is the prestigious Teena Katrak Memorial Independence Million, a class IV contest for Indian horses aged four years and older, offering a total purse of ₹10,00,000.
The meeting opened with The Unforgettable You Plate (class III; handicap for horses rated 40 to 66) run over 1400 metres. With ₹6,50,000 in prize money at stake, the race was contested on a good track with a penetrometer reading of 4.5 (Longchamp Method).
Ghirardelli’s Commanding Display
Ghirardelli won The Unforgettable You Plate with a polished performance under jockey Antony Raj S, who kept the Nirad Karanjawala-trained runner perfectly poised before unleashing a decisive turn of foot in the straight. The winning time was a sharp 1:25.997.
The four-year-old, owned by Mr Akhtar Adamji Peerbhoy, Mrs Shahnaz A. Peerbhoy, Mr Sudendu Shah, Mr Bharat V. Epur rep. Hallmark Racing & Equine Services LLP, Mr & Mrs Shapoor P. Mistry rep. Manjri Horse Breeders’ Farm Pvt Ltd, Mr Chaitanya Shah & Mr Ajay K. Arora, justified the stable’s confidence with this smart effort.
Chasing Home the Winner
Opus Dei finished a close second for trainer Imtiaz A. Sait with C. Umesh in the saddle, stopping the clock at 1:26.056. The tote-favourite Spanish Eyes, ridden by A. Sandesh for Dallas Todywalla, was a neck away in third, timing 1:26.108.
As the opening race set the tone, attention shifted to the next contest, The B. K. Lagad Salver. Stay tuned for its results.
For more on Pune’s racing season, explore RaceBuzz’s Pune race reports and check the Royal Western India Turf Club for official race details.
