Yesterday’s action-packed race day at the Bangalore Turf Club reached its peak with the much-anticipated HPSL Bangalore Derby (Gr.1), offering a staggering total prize money of ₹1,24,81,425. This Grade 1 race, exclusively for four-year-old horses, tested endurance and strategy over 2400 meters. The race concluded with RANQUELINO emerging as the star of the day, clinching the top prize of ₹74,88,855. Trained by the renowned Darius Byramji and ridden by jockey A Sandesh, RANQUELINO finished with an impressive time of 2:29.87. Owned by Mr Pallon S Mistry, representing Manjri Horse Breeder’s Farm Pvt Ltd, along with Mr D R Thacker (DT Racing & Breeding LLP), Mr Mukul A Sonawala, Mr Kishore M Dingra, Mr Ashok Ranpise, and Mr S R Sanas, the champion displayed exceptional form.
REDEFINED, trained by Prasanna Kumar and jockeyed by Akshay Kumar, secured the second spot, finishing in 2:30.61 and earning ₹24,96,285. Meanwhile, MANSA MUSA, trained by P Shroff and ridden by P Trevor, completed the race in 2:31.17 to claim the third prize of ₹12,48,143.
Adding a historical context, the record for this race remains unbroken since 2024, when JAMARI set the benchmark of 2:28.20. Despite this, the latest edition proved to be a gripping spectacle, with elite competitors vying for the ultimate glory in Indian horse racing.
The day’s action began with The Saddle Up Cup, where ELVEDEN, trained by Arjun Mangalorkar and ridden by Aleemuddin, triumphed to claim ₹2,41,250, followed by LEGENDARY IMPACT, trained by V Lokanath and jockeyed by Akshay Kumar, securing ₹1,05,000. In The C Narayana Reddy Memorial Million, MOUNTAIN JEWEL, guided by Prasanna Kumar and jockey Akshay Kumar, claimed the top spot with ₹5,41,250, while GLORIOUS STRIDES placed second.
The highly competitive Mysore Race Club Cup saw MAYNE MAGIC, trained by Kishan Thomas and ridden by P Sai Kumar, taking the win with ₹3,31,240, while ELFIN KNIGHT, trained by Darius Byramji and ridden by A Sandesh, came in second. In the Stewards Gold Cup, ROMAN SPIRIT took home ₹3,31,240 under the guidance of S Dominic and jockey P Trevor, followed by METZINGER in second place.
As the day progressed, VIVALDO, trained by Prasanna Kumar and jockeyed by P Trevor, stole the show in The A R Trophy, securing ₹3,50,000, while BHARAT, another of Prasanna Kumar’s trainees, finished second. The evening concluded with The Indian Republic Cup Div-1 and Div-2, where PERFECT LEGEND and DR ASH claimed the top spots in their respective divisions, showcasing thrilling performances to close an unforgettable day at the Bangalore Turf Club.
