Pesi Shroff-trained Temerity bounced back after a disastrous outing in the Indian 1000 Guineas by decisively getting the better of stablemate Mrs Patmore to win the Gr 1 Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks, a terms race for four-year-old fillies, the feature event of Sunday`s Mumbai races. Mrs Patmore was ideally placed to strike but her stamina came into play and she withered in the final stages of the race.

Mrs Patmore had got the better of Hall of Famer in the Indian 1000 Guineas and the latter had gone on to win the Calcutta Derby in smashing manner which should itself have enhanced the credentials of the got-abroad filly but there were doubts about the progeny of Holy Roman Emperor tackling the mile and half as effectively which was the reason why the odds were generous. On the other hand, Temerity had been the victim of a mishap at the gates which resulted in the filly finishing down the field. Temerity showed greater maturity as she gave no problems while being stalled and travelled well within herself before unleashing a winning burst in the final furlong.

The preferred horse from the stable was Mrs Patmore and she had the support of two horses sporting the same colours in Book Thief and Frosty to set a suitable pace. Mrs Patmore raced keen but settled down after traversing some distance in the race in about the third position ahead of Et Voila and Temerity with Silver Beauty relaxed behind. Aster Rose was in the rear. Mrs Patmore got the better of pace-setters with about 300 metres left in the race but could not breathe easy as Temerity charged home with a powerful effort. After a brief duel, Temerity asserted her supremacy for a comfortable win. Mrs Patmore just about held off the late charge of Silver Beauty to retain the runner-up berth. Aster Rose showed some flourish in the straight but packed up obviously, the throat operation that she had been subjected to a few months ago, affecting her progression.

The Oaks has completed the classic picture for the Indian Derby to be run on the first Sunday of February. On the evidence of performances of horses which are expected to be in contention, Ice Glacier, Hall of Famer and Serjeant At Arms stand out.

Dallas Todywalla trained Ruffina was an outstanding winner of the 1200 metres Gr 3 Gool S Poonawalla Million, a terms race for three-year-olds. The three-year-old daughter of Excellent Art toyed with the opposition before storming clear to win by a widening margin of seven lengths in a timing of one minute 09.80 seconds which was fractionally slower than the course record. Summer Rays and Elysee occupied the next slots. Judging by the quality of win, Ruffina should be a frontline contender for the Poonawalla Multi-Million as the filly has advertised her immense potential in no uncertain manner.

David Allan who guided Ruffina to victory, had a double for the day. He was at his brilliant best on Lady In Red in the 1200 metres Tricumdas Dwarkadas Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Wild Jack and Dolphin appeared to have a stolen a march inside the final furlong with Lady In Red taking her own time to put her best foot forward. The perseverance of David along with his strong riding ensured the desired result as Lady In Red measured the front-runners to get the nod in the shadow of the post.

Vishal Gaikwad trained Miss Saigon completed a hat-trick of wins in the 1400 metres Mirchi Million, a race for horses rated 40 to 66 by staving off the challenge of lesser fancied Flashy Wings inside the final 100 metres to record an impressive win. Charging Tigress ran on to finish third to once again highlighting her talent as also her inconsistency.

M K Jadhav trained Paramour looked a cinch in the 1200 metres P D Avasia Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 86 because her last run was good enough to ensure her an aura of invincibility as the horses which could pose her threat had already been beaten in their head-to-head clash on the last occasion. However, Paramour who shot ahead in the final furlong could not sustain her superiority to the post as Shivalik Shine who is traditionally a slow starter, producing a winning gallop to nail the favourite in the closing strides of the race. Hidden Soul staved off the bid of Incentio to save place money.

Sandesh drove out Big Sur to contain the late rally of Rochester to land the spoils in the 1400 metres Lt Col Govind Singh(VRC) Trophy, a race for maiden three-year-olds. Big Sur shot ahead along the rails in the final furlong but faced a serious threat from Rochester but managed to prevail by a neck thanks to aggressive riding by Sandesh. Gloriosus was third.

Another top performance by Sandesh saw Rehanullah Khan trained Vice Admiral to get the better of Glorious Hymn and Care Free to win the 1600 metres Harrish Mehra Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Vice Admiral who enjoyed strong support in the ring despite his last two efforts at Pune being below par, showed his prowess was seen in different light with the right money giving the horse the needed impetus.