Sulaiman Attaollahi’s West Brook had everything fall perfectly into place in the 1600 metres Fair Haven Trophy, the feature event of Saturday’s Pune races, held amidst a downpour. The consistent West Brook got the best of both luck and opportunity as her main threats—Mojito, who lingered at the back, and favourite Rasputin, who faltered at the gates—had to play catch-up. Jockey Akshay Kumar positioned West Brook handily in fourth, and the filly by Western Aristocrat showed her class when it counted, delivering a winning gallop. She first brushed off Golden Kingdom’s challenge at the top of the straight and then fended off the late charges of Mojito and Rasputin, who came flying in the end but simply ran out of real estate.

West Brook surged ahead by the final furlong and had just enough cushion to hold off Mojito, who barely edged out Rasputin for second place by a whisker. Having finished six lengths behind Juliette in her last outing, West Brook had the weights in her favour this time, with Rasputin and Mojito burdened by the considerable weight they had to concede to the younger horse.

Rasputin’s woes didn’t end at the gates; he found himself stuck at the rear when the field turned for home, forcing Anthony Raj to navigate a crowded inside track. Mojito, on the other hand, swung wide in the straight. Meanwhile, West Brook enjoyed a trouble-free passage, perfectly positioned to strike when it mattered most, and clinched a well-deserved victory.

Trainer Malesh Narredu finally managed to crack the code, saddling a winner in his 42nd attempt—yes, you read that right. It was Rosabelle, the half-sister to Indian Derby winner Enabler, who saved him from that drought, clinching the season’s first race for two-year-olds, the 1000 metres Prudential Champ Trophy. With such a lineage, it’s no surprise that Rosabelle was touted as a standout bet, and the odds practically screamed it.

Yash Narredu put her on a start-to-finish mission, and she stuck to the script perfectly—leading from the get-go, cruising home without breaking a sweat. Golden Dancer, sired by first-season stallion Deauville, tried her best to catch up but eventually resigned to the reality that Rosabelle was in a league of her own. Given Golden Dancer’s breeding as a stayer, this race was probably more of a warm-up than a serious shot.

Giant Gold, meanwhile, looked like she was still shaking off the cobwebs, finishing a tame third in what turned out to be more of a parade than a race. As for Among The Stars, things went south right from the start; the jockey struggled to keep the wayward horse on course, and they ended up trailing the pack miserably.

Adhirajsingh Jodha’s Pure For Sure delivered a commanding performance in the 1200 metres Nitrous Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46, with jockey C S Jodha steering her to a wire-to-wire victory. The General, trained by Karthik Ganapathy, had caught some eyes with a solid third-place finish last time out. So naturally, connections and punters alike convinced themselves that the time had finally come for the four-year-old to snap his 17-race winless streak, especially with the five kg advantage from apprentice Bharath Singh.

Pure For Sure, despite having some form to her name, hadn’t won in over a year, and surprisingly, she went off at long odds as the betting public flocked to The General. But the filly clearly wasn’t interested in the odds; she bolted out front, with Khaleesi, The General, and Beyond Stars giving chase, while the rest seemed more interested in a leisurely outing.

As the race reached the final bend, Khaleesi threw in the towel, leaving Pure For Sure to storm ahead, and storm ahead she did. The General tried to put up a fight, but Pure For Sure had already reached the winning post without breaking a sweat. Beyond Stars picked up the pieces to secure third, just ahead of Mount Sinai. Looks like The General will have to keep waiting to win that elusive battle.

Adhirajsingh Jodha’s Fiery Red, a model of consistency, had the punters backing him with absolute conviction to take the lower division of the Nitrous Plate. Jockey Sandesh had the easiest job of the day—just hold the reins and let the horse do the talking. Fiery Red comfortably tracked the early pace set by Daulat Mai before deciding it was time to get serious at the top of the straight. Without a moment's hesitation, she surged ahead, leaving the rest with nothing but kick back and established an unassailable lead.

Nairobi did her best to run on for second, while two-time winner Spirit Bay, who had her fair share of fans, saw her chances fizzle out. Apprentice Bhosale, who previously enjoyed an unchallenged victory, watched helplessly as his mount veered off to the outer rail under pressure, effectively waving goodbye to any hopes of a challenge.

As for Jodha, he’s quickly becoming the punters' best friend—his horses have a knack for showing up just when the money’s on them, making him the saviour of the betting faithful.

Trainer Dallas Todywalla’s streak of bad luck seems to have developed into a full-blown saga. Despite rolling out horses that get the punters buzzing, he's still struggling to find his way back to the winner’s circle. It’s almost as if his stable has a personal vendetta against finishing first—no matter how much hype the betting board stirs up.

The favourite in the 1000 metres Legal Steps Plate (for horses rated 1 to 26), Mi Arion had the kind of one-sided betting that makes you think he’d cruise to an easy win. Instead, he put on a performance worthy of a yawning yawn—a total flop, not even managing to pose a threat.

Meanwhile, the eight-year-old mare Moment of Madness, trained by Rehanullah Khan, was having none of it. This old-timer, ridden by new apprentice Bharath Singh, decided to show the field how it’s done—no fuss, no drama. Bharath, clearly not interested in overcomplicating things, sent her straight to the front, and the mare happily stayed there, keeping a comfortable distance from the chasing pack. Mi Arion, despite the hype, couldn’t keep up, lost steam, and ended up scrambling to finish third, behind Lightning Blaze. Moment of Madness, on the other hand, practically waltzed to victory, enjoying the fresh air all to herself. Bharath Singh clocked his second career victory keeping it simple and letting a 29-race veteran like Moment of Madness who clearly knows how to handle her business.

Picking a winner in a race like the 1600 metres Star Millionaire Plate, a race for horses rated 1 to 26, was like trying to find a needle in a haystack—if the needle actively moves around to avoid you. And when the field is made up of horses that consistently fail to impress, anyone brave (or foolish) enough to bet is practically signing up for disaster.

The betting pattern was like watching a carousel—horses taking turns as the favourite, as if each one was trying out the spotlight for size. In the end, however, it was the horse no one saw coming—Marlboro Man from trainer Subhag Singh’s yard—that decided to pull off a heist. With a decisive burst of speed from the top of the straight, Marlboro Man left his rivals staring at his tail, cruising to victory by a comfortable margin of over four lengths. The Flutist put in an effort to finish second, ahead of Toofan, the rank outsider that most punters wouldn’t even care to look at. Marlboro Man’s win came after a casual wait of just 590 days. That little detail alone speaks volumes about the quality of the contestants in the Star Millionaire Plate.

Hoshidar Daji’s trainee, Chat, pulled off a major surprise in the 2000 metres D N Zodge Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. The event, held after a heavy downpour, saw Chat, ridden by Trevor Patel, take the lead from the get-go and never look back, comfortably clinching victory ahead of Regal Command and Zarak.
Booster Shot, the second favourite, made a brief appearance at the final bend but fizzled out when it was time to kick into gear. Regal Command, who took the scenic route by swinging wide into the straight, managed to snatch second place, while Zarak just nosed ahead of Booster Shot for third. As for the heavily backed Multiverse, it might as well have been invisible—no show, no surprise.

Trevor Patel, who seemed to have been on autopilot last week by hanging at the back of the pack, clearly had a change of heart. This time, he went all-in with a start-to-finish strategy on Chat, a horse known for its unpredictability—sometimes blasting off from the front and other times taking a nap at the back. Eaton Square didn’t help its chances by losing ground at the start, and Regal Command also took his time waking up. But Chat’s front-running mission paid off, sealing the upset victory.

The day's final race was called off thanks to the relentless rain.