It was part rodeo, part miracle, and all heart as champion jockey A. Sandesh pulled off what can only be described as equestrian theatre atop the fearless Time And Tide in the 1200 metres Zavaray S Poonawalla Sprinters` Challenge, the curtain-raiser to the glitzy two-day Racing Carnival. And fittingly so — after all, the race bears the name of Zavaray Poonawalla, a man who`s done more patchwork on Indian racing`s finances than a team of Swiss bankers in a meltdown.

As if to prove that his childhood antics of riding bareback in the hills of Matheran weren`t just folklore told over chai, Sandesh channelled every ounce of that rustic training when his saddle went rogue in the final furlong. With stirrups abandoning ship and balance hanging by a thread, Sandesh turned acrobat and held on like a man possessed — refusing to let gravity or panic spoil the party. Not only did he stay aboard, he won, urging Time And Tide to the front with the kind of cool-headed brilliance that would make even seasoned cowboys applaud.

It was vintage Sandesh. It was vintage Time And Tide. It was edge-of-your-seat stuff — if you weren`t already on your feet yelling.

The son of Dali out of Starlet, Time And Tide registered the 12th win of his burgeoning career, reminding everyone why he`s the talk of every paddock from Pune to Panvel. Under the astute guidance of trainer Adhirajsingh Jodha — whose career graph is currently trending upwards like a meme stock — the sprinter proved once again that class isn`t bothered by weight, saddle shifts, or even chaos.

And though challengers have lined up with dreams of dethroning him, none have managed to even ruffle his mane. With each outing, Time And Tide isn`t just racing — he`s building a legend.

As the gates flung open for the six-furlong dash, there was no sign — not even a whisper — of the chaos that was about to unfold. The field settled into formation like good schoolchildren on a field trip. Dream Seller took the early lead, ears pricked and pace lively, with Magileto, Miss American Pie, Time And Tide, and Constable jostling politely behind. All seemed routine, dare we say, even dull — until the racing gods decided to spice things up.

At the two-furlong marker, sharp-eyed punters may have noticed something a little off. No, not their trifecta tickets — something far more precarious: Sandesh`s saddle had started to shift. By the time they hit the final furlong, it wasn`t just a slight slide — it had gone full rebel. The saddle had moved.

But did Sandesh panic? Not a chance. Clinging on with the tenacity of a man who had more riding on this than just prize money, he somehow threaded Time And Tide through a narrow crevice between Dream Seller and Magileto — a gap most wouldn`t dare send a bicycle through. Meanwhile, Constable charged up the inside rail like he`d just heard last orders at the bar.

Yet, cool as ever, Sandesh balanced grit, guile, and just a touch of defiance to push Time And Tide to an electric finish — edging out the rampaging Constable in a photo-worthy climax. Magileto clung on gamely for third, Miss American Pie got a slice of fourth, while early leader Dream Seller, having sold the dream early, faded to fifth.

If there was ever a ride that deserved both applause and a chiropractor — this was it.

If there was a man who could walk on the course and have winners follow him like pigeons behind a breadcrumb trail, it was Trainer Pesi Shroff on this particular day. With a triple strike — each one piloted by a different jockey — Shroff wasn`t just stealing the limelight, he was practically renting it out to others by the hour.

First up was the eye-catching filly Jade, daughter of Multitude, who had quietly finished seventh behind Time And Tide in her last outing. But in the 1400 metres Aakriti Art Gallery Million for horses rated 60 to 86, she looked like she knew it was time to put on a show. Navanith Bhosale played it cool, keeping her in fourth while Celestial and the hot favourite Bashir jostled up front.

As they turned for home, Jade was gliding on invisible rails. Bhosale so much as breathed on the reins and she rocketed past the front-runners as if they were standing still. The race was over with 200 metres still to run — the others were just chasing shadows. Celestial just about nosed out Bashir for second in what could generously be described as a moral victory. The rest didn`t matter.

Then came the 1200 metres Zavaray S Poonawalla Juvenile Multi-Million, and while most punters were obsessing over the well-fancied Vegatha, it was the unfancied Bishop — another Shroff trainee — who made divine intervention look routine. The early pace was set by Foxy, with Anthony Raj making a flashy move on the outside, while Bishop sat quietly boxed along the rails like he was waiting for divine inspiration.

When Vegatha kicked clear in the final furlong and opened what looked like a winning lead, most thought it was a done deal. But A. Prakash, cool as a cucumber in a deep freeze, angled out Bishop, gave him a clear view of the target, and pressed the launch button. What followed was a withering burst of speed, and Bishop flew past Vegatha in the dying stride like a thunderclap from above. Merlet took third without troubling the scoreboard, and Solidarity put in a performance so invisible you`d think he never showed up.

The hat-trick spree started in the 1600 metres Mystical Million, the third race of the day, and this time it wasn`t one of the flashier names that delivered. No, it was the lesser-fancied Chagall, who under apprentice jockey Siddharth, turned the race into a tale of allowance-ridden opportunism. The favourite, Perfect Legend — trained in Bangalore and full of promise on paper — had the services of Suraj Narredu and moved like a winner when he took over at the top of the straight.

But the final 100 metres turned into a full-blown ambush. Siddharth on Chagall and another five-claiming apprentice Bharath Singh on Kimiko came barrelling in, catching the favourite mid-victory speech. Chagall surged ahead in the final strides to win by a neck, while Perfect Legend held on for second by the width of a whisker over Kimiko. Ironically, Mighty Sparrow, the more-fancied stablemate of Chagall, who was expected to do the heavy lifting, merely brought the field into the straight before promptly fading like yesterday`s hot tip.

Sangramsinh N Joshi may not be a name that routinely burns up the betting boards, but he lit up the tote with a long-priced gem in Shira, who picked up right where she left off. In the 1000 metres Hornby Vellard Million for horses rated 20 to 46, Shira chased the favourite Divine Star like a quiet stalker with a plan. And by the time they hit the final furlong, the plot twist was complete — she had Divine Star measured, mastered, and left in her wake, skipping away to win by a cool three lengths with barely a sweat broken. Divine Star clung on for second by a neck, just ahead of Mojo, who had some but not quite enough.

In the 2000 metres Open Spaces Million, Land of Plenty — trained by Subhag Singh — showed the rest of the field what it means to dominate with quiet confidence and zero mercy. If there were any doubts about his ability to stay the trip, they were laughed off by the final furlong, where he opened up a yawning gap and strolled home like he`d just remembered to turn the gas off. The rest ran for minor medals, with Luca, Doctor Dolly, and Alexandros putting up a decent scuffle before finishing in that order, roughly half a postcode behind the winner.

The Arktouros Million over 1600 metres was as straightforward as they come, thanks to Northbound, who decided early on that leading from the front was more fun than getting caught in traffic. Trainer Pradeep Chouhan`s ward jumped out, hit the front, and never looked back — mostly because there wasn`t much happening behind. Jockey Ajinkya rode like he had dinner reservations, keeping things smooth and businesslike. The only minor shake-up was Yuletide producing a late, if not fashionably so, run to snatch second from Crystal Clear, who found the finish line a few strides too early for her liking.