Racegoers at the Bangalore Turf Club Ltd. witnessed a dramatic finish in the day’s second race, The World No-Tobacco Day Plate, as Sunshine edged out rivals in a pulsating 1400-meter contest reserved for maiden 3-year-olds. Held at 2:30 PM on May 31st, 2025, the race offered a generous total purse of ₹11,00,000, with the winning connections collecting ₹5,50,000.
Trained by Irfan Ghatala and piloted by S. Saqlain, Sunshine delivered a stellar performance, capping off a strong run with a perfectly-timed lunge at the wire to claim top honours in a photo-finish. Displaying great maturity and grit for a maiden, the filly dug deep in the final strides, showing that she may be one to watch as the summer season unfolds.
Challenging closely and narrowly missing out was Efficacy, guided by Shreyas Singh S for top trainer S.S. Attaollahi. The colt ran a tenacious race, staying prominent throughout and responding well to pressure, only to be denied victory by the slimmest of margins.
Finishing third was Knight Regent, with Neeraj Rawal up for L. V. R. Deshmukh. Though slightly off the pace in the early stages, the duo rallied late to secure the final spot on the podium, signaling promise for future outings.
The race, held on World No-Tobacco Day, was a symbolic reminder of vitality and potential—aptly reflected in the spirited performance of young thoroughbreds. With Sunshine emerging victorious in such a competitive field, her connections will be buoyed by her potential as a future contender in stronger company.
Up next on the card is The Romantic Dance Plate (Div II), a handicap for horses rated 20 to 45, scheduled for 3:00 PM. Stay tuned for more from this action-packed race day at BTC.
