On the first day of the HPSL South India Derby, the Madras Race Club (MRC) hosted seven races in succession. The highlight of the day was the 2000-meter Madras Race Club Commemoration Cup, with a total prize pool of Rs. 21,80,000. The prestigious race was won by SHUBANKAR, owned by K G Gamini Jayaratne, trained by Warren Singh, and ridden by C Umesh. SHUBANKAR completed the race in 2:08.18. TEHANI, trained by SS Attaollahi and ridden by Akshay Kumar, secured second place. CHAMPIONS WAY, trained by Satish Narredu, and TOUCH OF GREY finished in third and fourth positions, respectively. EVALDO claimed fifth, followed by RULING DYNASTY.
The atmosphere at the MRC was electric, with a decent turnout of spectators who were eager to witness the thrilling races. The air was charged with anticipation, with fans cheering for their favorites and showing great support for the jockeys and horses.
The first race of the day was the Delhi Race Club (1940) Ltd Trophy, a 1200-meter contest. SANTAMARINA STAR, trained by R Ramanathan and ridden by SF Ansari, won the race in 1:17.46. WAR EMBLEM, trained by Fahad Khan and ridden by Koshi Kumar, took second place, finishing in 1:17.54. FOREST LAKE earned third position, securing a prize of Rs. 75,000.
In the second race, the Bangalore Turf Club Ltd Trophy, contested over 1200 meters with a prize pool of Rs. 6,12,000, SOVEREIGN SPIRIT emerged victorious. Trained by B Suresh and ridden by Akshay Kumar, SOVEREIGN SPIRIT completed the race in 1:16.43 and earned Rs. 1,50,000. MAGICAL BAY, trained by Suraj Shaw and ridden by Suraj Narredu, finished second in 1:16.93. ARJUN took third place, while ASTAPOR and WORDS WORTH claimed fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
The Dashmesh Stud Million, a term race for maiden three-year-old horses, was won by JOONDALUP, trained by James McKeown and ridden by P Trevor. Owned by Dilip Thomas (representing Rajagiri Rubber & Produce Co. Ltd), JOONDALUP completed the 1200-meter race in 1:15.50. The total prize pool for this race was Rs. 14,50,000. CHIEF ADMIRAL finished in second place, while SASSY SARAH came third. MINDFUL and MEADOW SPRINGS took fourth and fifth places, respectively.
The fourth race, the Royal Western India Turf Club Limited Trophy, was a 1200-meter event for horses rated between 40 and 65. CELESTE, trained by K S Mandanna and ridden by SF Ansari, won this closely contested race, finishing in 1:15.61. GOLD RIDE, ridden by David Allan, took second place, just 0.04 seconds behind, with a time of 1:15.65. CYNOSURE claimed third, followed by ROYAL CHIVALRY and LAVISH GIRL.
Next was the Nanoli Stud Fillies & Mares Championship, a 1600-meter race with a total prize pool of Rs. 16,36,000. WEST BROOK, trained by SS Attaollahi and ridden by Akshay Kumar, triumphed in this race, finishing in 1:45.35 and earning Rs. 8,99,800. SOMETHING ROYAL took second, while ANDORRA finished third. SIERRA DELA PLATA ended in fourth place.
The day concluded with the Mysore Race Club Ltd Trophy, a 1600-meter race. MOMENTOUS, trained by Fazal Ul Rehman, emerged as the winner, while STRAORDINARIO finished second. FLOURISH took third, WINDSOR WALK claimed fourth, and ROYAL FALCON finished in fifth.
