PUNE: Sultan Suleiman ridden by jockey A Sandesh put on a good show winning the prestigious SA Poonawalla Million at the Pune Race Course here on Sunday.
Jockey A Sandesh was in an aggressive move as he passed it on to his mount as Sultan Suleiman upped the ante soon on turning for home. He sped away to build a handy lead and accelerated at a good clip.
Trouvarilla was the first casualty dropping out of contention. Victorious Sermon too was going all out to stay in contention but got nowhere. Trouvaille brought anxiety in the final furlong gaining considerable ground on Sultan Suleiman. However, Sandesh confidently rode out the ward to stay ahead and win by a neck.
Sultan Suleiman (Arazan-Saffron Dancer (IRE) justified the cramped odds and thrilled his supporters by dishing out a fluent gallop leaving his opponents panting for breathtrying to make a race of it.
Sultan Suleiman, owned by M/s Dinsha P. Shroff, Munchi P. Shroff, Aban N. Chothia and Saleem Fazelbhoy, earned a great victory to claim the top honours in the prestigious Grade 3 race and bring home an exquisite trophy along with a rich purse of a little over a million in winning stakes.
PUNE DERBY NEXT
Sultan Suleiman will now target the Pune Derby and with more than just hope, he showed the class factor and the fact that he won giving weight to the rest, also raises his credentials. His career graph is certainly soaring in the right direction and trainer Alfta Hussain too is progressing well as a trainer of substance.
The winning trophy was presented by Zavareh S. Poonawalla and Yohan, Poonawalla. The only person who was missing was Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla who is in England. It was a memorable day for the Poonawala Stud Farm and for trainer Nazzak B Chenoy who saddled a double.
COPPER QUEEN IMPRESSES
The Villoo C. Poonawalla Million saw unfancied Copper Queen with Yash.Narredu come up on the rails and sweep past the grand stand to a smashing victory by winning by half lenth over the field. Copper Queen took charge from the start with no one posing a challenge. Questina failed in her attempts to keep pace with the filly.
Knight Superior ran a steady race to finish third. Close on its heels was Highland Path who impressed all with its run.
RESULTS
Race 1: 1. Brazos, 2. Dazzle N Daze, 3. Jager Bomb, 4. Fanfare. Won by: 8 1/4, 2 3/4, 1, 3. Time: 2:34.348.
Race 2: 1. Lorraine, 2. Barack, 3. Bakhtawar, 4. My Precious. Won by: 1 3/4, 1 1/4, 2 ¾, 7. Time: 1:38.921.
Race 3: 1. Pleiades, 2. Super Mario, 3. Enid Blyton, 4. Ustad Pedro. Won by: 1 3/4, Neck, 3 ½, 1 1/2.Time.1:11.270.
Race 4: 1. Intense Stylist, 2. Flaming Martini, 3. King Khalil, 4. Joplin. Won by: 1, Neck, ¾, 2, Neck. Time: 57.13s.
Race 5: 1. Copper Queen, 2. Questina, 3. Knight Superior, 4. Tudor Hall. Won by: 1/2, 3 3/4, 1 ½, Long neck. Time:1:10.563.
Race 6: 1. Sultan Suleiman, 2. Trouvaille, 3. Victorious Sermon, 4. Prince Valliant. Won by: Neck, 2 3/4, 2 ¼, 3 1/4. Time:1:38.584.
Race 7: 1. She’s A Tiger, 2. Star Silver, 3. Hi Ho Silver, 4. Nightfall. Won by: Long Neck, 3 3/4, ¾, Long neck. Time:1:27.206.
Race 8: 1. Eternal Dancer, 2. Cristo Boss, 3. Lilibeth, 4. Dream Trail. Won by: 1 1 1/2, ½, 3/4. Time.1.27.773.