Pesi Shroff trained Jendayi made a spectacular winning debut in the 1400 metres Race of Hope Trophy, a race for maiden three-year-olds, which was one of the highlights of the long-drawn card of nine events that were gone through on Sunday. With form horses winning most of the races, racing was predictable to a great extent. The Mumbai Racing Season will conclude next week with an extravagant Racing Carnival which will also see the participation of about 40 outstation horses beside the stake money for the week alone being to the tune of Rs 3 crores.

If Jendayi had belonged to any other stable, one would have hailed the victory of Jendayi as the gamble of the season because of the circumstances. For one, Jendayi who was showing out in the workouts was not assigned to any of the jockeys who ride for Pesi Shroff. The horse had also not been worked by apprentice Haridas Gore. Declaring the apprentice to ride in a race where the allowance cannot be claimed also put off many people notwithstanding the imposing pedigree that Pesi Shroff horses always command. As a result, the well-performed Irish Gold went to the post as a short-priced favourite while Jendayi was at big odds. In the event, the spectacular victory recorded by Jendayi when recording a timing of one minute 22.527 seconds had everyone sitting up and taking notice of the potential of this got-abroad who appears to belong to the highest league. Jendayi is by Irish champion horse Gleneagles who in his career, won many graded races including the 2000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas and St James`s Palace Stakes and has had a decent start in his stud career as well.

Be that as it may, Irish Gold who had two wins to his credit was made the firm favourite despite conceding weight to his adversaries as those in the reckoning were either debutants or had not anything significant. Jendayi who was tracking with the Super Mile winner Northern Lights was in some betting though nobody had a clue as to the shape of things to come. Haridas Gore settled Jendayi in the penultimate position as Supreme Spirit did the pace-setting. Sandesh pushed Irish Gold to take charge on turning for home on the inside of Supreme Spirit who was veering out. Irish Gold plodded ahead. The complexion of the race underwent a dramatic change when Haridas Gore brought Jendayi on the wide outside and asked for an effort. The filly covered the leeway in a trice and blew away the field to win by a widening margin of nine lengths over Irish Gold. Stablemates of Jendayi, Chenevix Trench and Chagall occupied the third and fourth slots in the frame.

Malesh Narredu trained Count of Savoy was rewarded for his consistency in the 1400 metres Indian Association of Equine Practitioners Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above. After Son of A Gun and Bellator expended their energy by running freely in front, Neeraj Rawal who brought Count of Savoy the shortest way home, managed to get a good opening early in the straight. The fancied runner picked up steam and went ahead and held off the others quite comfortably. Favourite Successor nosed out last start winner Flying Visit for the second spot. The latter could have easily got the second slot but was cramped for space towards the closing stages of the race.

Pesi Shroff trained El Greco was widely expected to win the 1200 metres Dady Adenwalla Trophy (Div I), a race for maiden three-year-olds though the colt had finished far behind in his debut effort. The one with a better chance was Imtiaz Sait trained Opus Dei who though was running for the first after being gelded. Ugly Truth ran freely in front but could not sustain the lead for long in the stretch as Opus Dei pounced on him midway through the stretch and bounced clear to win by a widening margin of four lengths despite running green. El Greco gave a chase without hope. Ugly Truth stayed on to save place money. Shiraz Sunderji trained Ultimo had gone down narrowly last time out. Sandesh had Ultimo lead by several lengths from the start. The favourite had no problem checking in clear of the rest to win the lower division of the race. Bubbly Boy and Kings Love occupied the next slots on the frame.

Altaf Hussain trained Magileto had gone down by a whisker over seven furlongs in his last outing. Backed to the exclusion of the rest to win the 1200 metres Wiroha Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 86, the progeny of Sedgefield readily obliged expectations. Jockey N S Parmar had Magileto take charge early in the straight. The favourite had enough lead when Raffaello made a late rally from way off the pace and the latter could only edge past Star Romance to get the runner-up berth.

The consistent Murwara Princess made amends for a narrow loss last time out, by accounting for Key To The Mint with a measure of comfort in the 2000 metres Trainers Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Key To The Mint led from the start and had a good lead going into the final furlong. However, he ran out of his reserves as Murwara Princess warmed up to the task deep into the stretch and breezed past the front-runner. Keifer ran on late to get the third position at the expense of Empower.

Dallas Todywalla trained Balenciaga had no problem in obliging expectations in the 1600 metres Jockeys Trophy, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Trevor Patel had Balenciaga take a firm grip on the race by the final furlong and Balenciaga spared two lengths at the finish to Kirkines who gave a chase without hope. Hooves of Thunder was third.

Midsummer Star from the stables of Shiraz Sunderji recorded an encore with an authoritative performance in the 1200 metres Racing Officials Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Sandesh had no hesitation in taking Midsummer Star to the front and the progeny of New Approach who is bred for tackling the longer distance, won by a widening margin of four lengths over Demetrius and Trinket. Nazak Chenoy trained Ataash had served notice of striking early when she had run a suggestive third in her last outing. She justified the expectations with an easy win by a widening margin of four lengths in the lower division of the race. Remy Red and Daulat Mai from the stables of Narendra Lagad occupied the next two slots on the board.