The evening of March 6th 2025, at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse witnessed an exciting lineup of six races organized by the RWITC (Royal Western India Turf Club). The event featured The T.M. Goculdas Plate, The Sir Charles Forbes Trophy, The A.F.S. Talyarkhan Salver, The R.N. Kanga Trophy, The Edgar DeSylva Salver, and The Narayandas J. Dave Plate. With lush green tracks providing an ideal racing surface, a total of 48 horses, from maiden runners to seasoned competitors, competed under clear skies. The penetrometer reading stood at 4.0 (Longchamp method), and false rails were positioned at the starting points. The performances of both horses and jockeys delivered thrilling finishes, rewarding connections with well-earned victories.
The highlight of the day was The R.N. Kanga Trophy, the only Grade 1 race on the card, contested over 1600 meters by horses rated 80 and above (60–79 eligible). Five contenders faced off GOLDEN KINGDOM ( Jockey Akshay Kumar, Trainer Adhiraj Singh Jodha), MOJITO (Jockey N.S. Parmar, Trainer M.K. Jadhav), SON OF A GUN (Jockey Dashrath Singh, Trainer Narendra Lagad), RASPUTIN (Jockey Antony Raj S, trainer Imtiaz A. Sait) and COEUR DE LION (Jockey Mustakim Alam, Trainer Narendra Lagad). MOJITO, set an early pace with C tracking closely behind. Under a well-judged ride by Akshay Kumar, GOLDEN KINGDOM surged past the leader and powered home to victory. The six-year-old clocked an impressive 1:36.37, securing the winner’s purse of Rs. 5,64,000. The performance was just shy of TROUVAILLE’s 2019 record of 1:35.68.
The day’s action began at 5:00 PM IST with The T.M. Goculdas Plate, a Class 3 contest for horses rated 40–66. The tote favorite, CREDENCE, a four-year-old trained by Shazaan Shah and ridden by Aditya Waydande, lived up to expectations with a commanding performance, securing victory in a time of 1:08.73 and earning a winner’s purse of Rs. 3,05,500. SPANISH EYES (Jockey A. Sandesh, Trainer Dallas Todywalla) secured second place, followed by APERSOL (Jockey C.S. Jodha , Trainer Adhiraj Singh Jodha) in third. FLASHING FAMOUS (Jockey Mustakim Alam , Trainer H.J. Anita) and LAZARUS (Jockey S. Siddarth, Trainer P. Shroff) completed the top five.
The second race, The Sir Charles Forbes Trophy, was a 1400-meter maiden event. ZACHARIAS, guided by Vivek G. and trained by P. Shroff, dominated the contest, stopping the clock at 1:22.87. CARADOC (Jockey A. Sandesh, Trainer Dallas Todywalla) finished second, while ABHYANKAR (Jockey Neeraj Rawal, Trainer M. Narredu) claimed third. TYRANNUS (Jockey Antony Raj S, Trainer Imtiaz A. Sait) and TROPICAL PARADISE (Jockey T.S. Jodha , Trainer S.S. Shah) rounded out the top five in a well-contested finish.
The third race, The A.F.S. Talyarkhan Salver, another maiden race over 1200 meters, saw FOURTH WING claim victory under jockey P. Trevor finished the race in 1:10.3. Trained by Aman A. Hussain and owned by group comprising of Mr Harisharan Devgan rep Niche Agriculture & Pharmaceuticals Limited, Mr Dinsha P Shroff, Mr Munchi P Shroff, Mrs Aban N Chothia, Mr Waahiid Ali Khan rep Sshaawn Horses and Sports Pvt Ltd, Mr Anil Saraf & Mrs Ayesha A Hussain, FOURTH WING was already the Tote Favourite for this race which carried overall prize money of Rs. 12,00,000. BEE MAGICAL , ridden by Jockey Neeraj Rawal, trained by Imtiaz A Sait finished second while WINGS OF FURY ridden by Jockey Shrikant Kamble and trained by Adhiraj S Jodha clinched the third spot in this contest.
In The Edgar DeSylva Salver, a Class 4 race for horses rated 20–46, MEDUSA (Jockey A. Sandesh, Trainer Faisal A. Abbas) emerged victorious, earning a winner’s purse of Rs. 2,58,500. FABLE (Jockey Bharat Singh, Trainer Adhiraj S. Jodha) secured second place, followed by ALEXANDRIA (Jockey P. Trevor, Trainer Altamash A. Ahmed) in third.
The final race of the day, The Narayandas J. Dave Plate, a Class 5 event over 1200 meters, wrapped up the evening’s proceedings. SORRENTO SECRET, ridden by A. Prakash and trained by Dallas Todywalla, crossed the line first in a time of 1:11.74, securing a prize of Rs. 2,35,000. As the sun set over Mahalaxmi, the race day concluded on a high note, leaving fans eager for the next thrilling showdown.
