In an exciting finish at Pune's Saturday races, Prasanna Kumar-trained Evaldo took full advantage of a weight concession to narrowly defeat favorite Jamari in the Grade 3 Idar Gold Trophy, a terms race for horses aged four years and older. Evaldo, known for his slow starts, once again hesitated out of the gate, but jockey Sandesh masterfully navigated the pace, allowing him to recover ground without exerting his mount prematurely.

The race was a tactical chess match, with trainer Pesi Shroff's dominance being tested by Prasanna Kumar’s cleverly placed runners. Despite only three horses contesting the race, the tension was palpable. Jockey Vivek G, riding Jamari, seemed constrained by strategy, maintaining a steady pace instead of accelerating, perhaps believing Evaldo's sluggish start would keep him safely behind. This miscalculation allowed Sandesh on Evaldo to make up ground comfortably, setting up a dramatic final sprint.

As the race progressed, pacemaker Ruling Dynasty set a brisk early tempo, holding a clear lead while Jamari and Evaldo bided their time at the back. However, as the field turned for home, Ruling Dynasty's pace began to wane. Jamari surged to the front, but Evaldo, moving with resolve, was hot n her heels. In final furlong, Evaldo edged past Jamari, clinching victory by just under a length. Ruling Dynasty managed to stay on for third, but was well beaten, trailing by more than three lengths.

The Idar Gold Trophy highlighted a recurring theme in Indian racing: a lack of fresh contenders in long-distance events. The same horses frequently line up for these challenges, resulting in predictable races. Saturday’s showdown was an exception, with outstation horses like Evaldo injecting some much-needed excitement. Despite the odds being stacked in favor of Jamari, the well-orchestrated run from Evaldo turned the tables.

When Hoshidar Daji-trained Brave Beauty decides to make a move, she does so with dramatic flair, often delivering unexpected results. For the second consecutive race, Brave Beauty pulled off a stunning upset, narrowly fending off fierce challenges from both the heavily favored Julius and the determined Break Point in a thrilling conclusion to the 1600 meters Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 66.

Meanwhile, Imtiaz Sait-trained Dream Alliance once again failed to meet expectations, despite being sent off as a joint favorite alongside Julius. Dream Alliance has a history of underperforming when it matters most, often giving a false impression of superiority. This has caused problems in the past, most notably resulting in a one-year suspension for jockey Sandesh due to a controversial narrow defeat. Fortunately for jockey C.S. Jodha, there was no such controversy this time around as Dream Alliance showed little interest in putting up a fight, languishing at the back of the pack and finishing where he started.

At the start of the race, Ricochet took an aggressive lead, with Brave Beauty close behind, followed by Julius, Break Point, and Waikiki and Dream Alliance. A and Dream Alliance. A and Dream Alliance. As the field entered the home stretch, Brave Beauty surged to the front. Despite strong challenges from Julius and Break Point—who had been stuck in traffic earlier and couldn't find a clear passage—Brave Beauty held on courageously to win by a neck at surprisingly long odds. Break Point, aiming for a hat-trick of wins, put up a strong fight and looks likely to redeem himself in upcoming races.

This victory once again showcased Brave Beauty's knack for defying the odds and seizing the moment when it counts. For bettors and racing enthusiasts, she remains a wildcard who can shake up any race, as her recent performances have proven.

Prithviraj, who recently moved his base from Bangalore to Pune, celebrated his first win of the season with the well-regarded Madam Rich, who lived up to expectations in the 1600 meters Macchupicchu Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above. The race began with the swift Alpine Star taking his customary lead, followed closely by Golden Kingdom and Madam Rich. Magneto, who had a sluggish start, found himself in fourth position, ahead of Chopin, who also broke slowly from the gates, and Rasputin, who was the last to jump out.

As the field approached the final turn, Golden Kingdom swung slightly wide, giving jockey Saqlain the perfect opportunity to push Madam Rich through on the inside. A brief battle for supremacy ensued, but Madam Rich quickly asserted her dominance, pulling away to secure a comfortable win over Golden Kingdom. Chopin finished third, just ahead of the early pace-setter Alpine Star.

Last start winner Shambala continued her winning streak with a commanding performance in the 1200 meters Col Kaikushroo Maneckji Bharucha Memorial Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Wanderlust led the field from the start and maintained the lead deep into the straight. However, Shambala, making good progress from her outside draw, found an opening along the inside rail as the race approached the final furlong. She accelerated impressively, easily overtaking Wanderlust to claim a decisive victory. Goddess of Dawn finished third, with Kinzhal trailing in fourth.

In the lower division of the same race, Aman Altaf Hussain-trained Mazal justified her favoritism with a dominant performance. Taking command within the first furlong, Mazal stormed clear in the home straight to win comfortably. Lion King, initially lost in the crowd, made a late surge to snatch second place from Arbitrage and Daulat Mai. The latter is showing signs of improvement and could be one to watch in upcoming races.

In a dramatic conclusion to the 1400 meters Southern Command Trophy, a race for maiden three-year-olds, the well-supported Inquilab from the stables of trainer Imtiaz Sait had to dig deep to justify his favoritism. The race began with Chelsea setting a brisk pace, leading the field confidently before fading in the home stretch. As Chelsea weakened, Psychic Star seized the opportunity, making a strong move in the final furlong and appearing to be the likely winner.

However, Inquilab, who had been trailing towards the rear, launched a powerful surge from the wide outside. In a thrilling finish that had the crowd on the edge of their seats, Inquilab managed to push his neck in front in the dying moments of the race, narrowly edging out Psychic Star to take the victory. Zendaya finished a distant third, six lengths behind the leading pair.

Red Dust, hailing from the stables of trainer Faisal Abbas, delivered a commanding performance to win the 1400 meters Capitulate Plate, a race for horses rated 1 to 26. Jockey Sandesh rode a patient race, keeping Red Dust in third or fourth position along the inside rail for much of the race. As the field approached the home stretch, Sandesh made his move, urging the well-fancied mare forward.

Red Dust responded with a powerful burst of speed, smoothly overtaking the front-runners and pulling away for a fluent and convincing victory. Tyrone Black made a strong late run to secure second place, finishing ahead of Precioso in third. Unfortunately, the race wasn’t without incident, as Showman unseated his jockey, Mistakim Alam, inside the final 300 meters.