The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) kicked off the Pune Meeting, Special Raceday, Saturday, 08th August 2026 with the 1st Race, The Western India Trainers’ Association Trophy DIV II, a Class IV Handicap for Indian horses aged four years old and over, rated 20 to 46 (0 to 19 eligible) over 1200 metres at 01:30 PM. In an impressive front-running display, ESTEBAN (J: Avinash Paswan) powered home for trainer Narendra Lagad, stopping the clock in 1:09:043. Representing Mr Balam Mohla, Mr Jehangir Mehta, Mr Anil Saraf, Mr Kishore M. Dingra & Mr Rajiv Tinaikar, Mrs Minal Pitale, Mr Suresh Pitale & Mr Nihar Pitale rep Green Turf Racing LLP’s, the winner produced a polished performance to open the afternoon in style.
The Pune race result 8th August began with a strong display from Esteban, who travelled comfortably through the early stages before quickening decisively inside the final furlong. Avinash Paswan judged the pace to perfection, allowing the Narendra Lagad-trained runner to assert authority at the right moment and hold off the late challengers with confidence. Esteban’s finishing burst ensured a memorable start to the day’s racing programme.
Runner-up honours went to SPOTLIGHT (J: A. Sandesh, T: Aman Altaf Hussain), who chased gamely throughout and crossed the line in 1:09:239, finishing closest to the winner. MAJESTIC WARRIOR (J: J. Chinoy, T: Narendra Lagad) stayed on steadily to secure third place in 1:10:167, completing the placings after another consistent effort.
With the opening race concluded, attention now turns to The Rajaram Chhatrapati Trophy, scheduled for 02:00 PM, as the Special Raceday programme continues to gather momentum at Pune Racecourse.
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