The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) is all set to host another thrilling race day on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at the iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai. The day’s card features eight competitive races, headlined by The Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders’ Juvenile Colts’ Championship (Grade III), a prestigious 1600-meter contest carrying a purse of ₹25,00,000.
This race, scheduled for 5:30 PM, will see a strong lineup of contenders, including GUNSMOKE, ridden by Yash Narredu and trained by M. Narredu. Other notable entries include OLIVER (Jockey: Vivek G, Trainer: P. Shroff), RED BISHOP (Jockey: P. Trevor, Trainer: P. Shroff), DIEGO GARCIA (Jockey: A. Sandesh, Trainer: Adhiraj S. Jodha), LITTLE JOHN (Jockey: Akshay Kumar, Trainer: Dallas Todywalla), MIRACLE OF HANUKAH (Jockey: Mustakim Alam, Trainer: Aman A. Hussain), and STORMY SEA (Jockey: Antony Raj S, Trainer: M. K. Jadhav). Last year’s edition was won by BREAK POINT, guided to victory by R. Ajinkya in a time of 1:37.67, securing the win by a length under the training of S. K. Sunderji. DIVINE HOPE, trained by M. Narredu and ridden by S. Saqlain, finished second.
The second highlight of the day is The Forbes Breeders’ Juvenile Fillies’ Championship (Grade III), also a 1600-meter race with a prize pool of ₹25,00,000. The lineup features FYNBOS (Jockey: P. Trevor, Trainer: P. Shroff), MYSTICAL DAWN (Jockey: A. Ashhad Asbar, Trainer: L. V. R. Deshmukh), AMAZE AND INSPIRE (Jockey: A. Sandesh, Trainer: Adhiraj S. Jodha), ARABESKA (Jockey: Akshay Kumar, Trainer: L. V. R. Deshmukh), HEART (Jockey: Yash Narredu, Trainer: Deepesh Narredu), PRISTINE GLORY (Jockey: Antony Raj S, Trainer: Karthik Ganapathy), and ROYAL CHAMP (Jockey: C. S. Jodha, Trainer: Imtiaz Sait). In the 2024 edition, PYRITE claimed victory in a time of 1:37.22, winning by 2¾ lengths under jockey Vivek G, with SPANISH EYES finishing close behind in 1:37.45.
The race day will feature an exciting lineup of races, including The Star Shine Trophy Division II (Class IV), The J. P. Vazifdar Trophy (Class II), The J. Rustomji Soparivala Trophy (Terms, Maiden Indian Horses), The Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders’ Juvenile Colts’ Championship (Grade III), The Forbes Breeders’ Juvenile Fillies’ Championship (Grade III) , The Lahinch Trophy (Class V) , The Star Shine Trophy Division I (Class IV), The Mogadishu Trophy (Class IV).
The action kicks off at 4:00 PM with The Star Shine Trophy Division I (Class IV, Handicap, horses rated 20 to 46), a 1200-meter race offering ₹5,50,000 in prize money. Among the contenders are CINDERELLA’S DREAM (Jockey: Bharat Singh, Trainer: Faisal A. Abbas), WINDBORE (Jockey: C. S. Jodha, Trainer: Adhiraj S. Jodha), MANOR HOUSE (Jockey: P. Trevor, Trainer: Aman A. Hussain), SHIRSA (Jockey: S. G. Prasad, Trainer: S. N. Joshi), and FLEETWOOD (Jockey: P. Vinod, Trainer: Shazaan Shah).
The J. P. Vazifdar Trophy (Class II) follows at 4:30 PM, featuring eight horses competing over 1600 meters for a prize purse of ₹9,00,000. Key runners include REGAL COMMAND (Jockey: Bharat Singh, Trainer: Karthik Ganapathy), ARDAKAN (Jockey: A. Sandesh, Trainer: P. S. Chouhan), CELESTIAL (Jockey: Vivek G, Trainer: P. Shroff), PRIDE’S PRINCE (Jockey: Antony Raj S, Trainer: Imtiaz Sait), and SPLENDIDO (Jockey: Bhawani Singh, Trainer: S. Padmanabhan).
At 5:00 PM, The J. Rustomji Soparivala Trophy (Terms, Maiden Indian Horses) will take center stage over 1000 meters with a prize of ₹12,00,000. A field of 12 horses is set to compete, including MAJESTIC (Jockey: Mustakim Alam, Trainer: Narendra Lagad), AZURE (Jockey: Antony Raj S, Trainer: Imtiaz Sait), BISHOP (Jockey: Vivek G, Trainer: P. Shroff), DREAMER (Jockey: N. S. Parmar, Trainer: M. K. Jadhav), and FOXY (Jockey: T. S. Jodha, Trainer: Behram Cama).
The Lahinch Trophy (Class V) follows at 6:30 PM over 1400 meters, offering ₹5,00,000 in prize money. Contenders include CRYSTAL CLEAR (Jockey: Neeraj Rawal, Trainer: Imtiaz Sait), RED DUST (Jockey: Amyn Merchant, Trainer: Faisal A. Abbas), BALTHAZAR (Jockey: Bhawani Singh, Trainer: Karthik Ganapathy), RHYTHM OF NATURE (Jockey: S. Mosin, Trainer: S. S. Shah), and YOU (Jockey: Antony Raj S, Trainer: Imtiaz Sait).
The penultimate race, The Star Shine Trophy Division I (Class IV), a 1200-meter race with a purse of ₹5,50,000, will begin at 7:00 PM. Among the runners are VINCERO (Jockey: Aditya Waydande, Trainer: Shazaan Shah), ESCAPE VELOCITY (Jockey: Santosh G, Trainer: Adhiraj S. Jodha), DULARI (Jockey: Bharat Singh, Trainer: Faisal A. Abbas), ZENDAYA (Jockey: A. Sandesh, Trainer: Sanjay Kolse), and APPLAUSE (Jockey: S. Zervan, Trainer: Altamash A. Ahmed).
The evening will conclude at 7:30 PM with The Mogadishu Trophy (Class IV), a 1000-meter sprint with a total purse of ₹5,50,000. The field includes GOLDEN SPARSH (Jockey: S. Sunil, Trainer: Nirad Karanjawala), ELOQUENT (Jockey: P. Trevor, Trainer: Shazaan Shah), MAJESTIC WARRIOR (Jockey: Mustakim Alam, Trainer: Narendra Lagad), STAR ROMANCE (Jockey: S. G. Prasad, Trainer: S. N. Joshi), and NELSON RIVER (Jockey: Abhishek Mhatre, Trainer: H. J. Antia).
With a mix of exciting juvenile championships and competitive handicaps, racegoers can expect an action-packed day at Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
