The final day’s racing at the Pune racetrack turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax as the trainers’s championship tug of war which promised a thrilling finale ended rather tamely as none from the top quartet, except Pesi Shroff, managed to lead in a winner. Shroff won the RWITC Ltd Trophy (Gr 2) with long shot Duke Of Tuscany whom jockey P Trevor gave a spectacular ride to clock the new record time of 2 minutes, 2.242 seconds for the 10-furlong trip. This was the seventh championship title at Pune for Pesi Shroff, which also marked the silver jubilee of championship crowns for the top trainer who has 18 Mumbai titles in his kitty.
Jockey A Sandesh, who won 33 races this season to finish streets ahead of the other jockeys, was declared champion jockey. Apprentice Aditya Waydande (13 wins) was adjudged as champion apprentice rider with allowance. Horse owner Vijay Shirke and his family emerged as leading owners; and Shyam Ruia’s Equus Stud farm was declared the leading breeder with 31 points.
The 19-day Pune season 2025, which began on July 18, turned out to be the most popular monsoon season in the country, with 19 days of extremely competitive racing. About 150 races were run during the three-and-a-half month-long season in which over 450 horses participated for the prize money of over Rs 12 crores.
Mumbai season to commence on Nov 27
The race club (RWITC) stewards, in view of the prevailing November rain situation in Mumbai, have decided to postpone the start of the Mumbai racing season 2025-26 from Sunday, Nov 23 to Thursday, Nov 27, as a matter of precaution. If rains continue, the decision may be reviewed again.
