The Noshir & Dolly Dhunjibhoy Sprint Championship wore a wide open look. Rejuvenite was the favourite alright; after all, how many horses can claim to have beaten Oasis Star? However, experts felt that Rejuvenite had not had enough time to rest after a gruelling race such as the Chantilli Challenge and this could be his undoing. This conclusion proved precise. Lago Medio and Escravos have been racing hard and too often. Pampered Princess is not the same what she was and anything over 5 furlongs seemed a stride too much for her. Englehart hasn't proved that he can beat a set of this quality. That left only Pepe Junior who Rehan had raced only twice this season and was probably the freshest horse in the fray. Wonderful analysis this, but a pity that such wisdom dawns only on hindsight.

Rehanullah Khan got it spot on and Pepe Junior (Cruachan–Ganadora) seized the chance when he got it! His two races before this one were no mean runs despite his 'Well-off-the-frame' result in the Chantilli Challenge. Pepe Junior was in the rear at the turn and was widest as well. He, however, finished on eight among the 15 runners but was less than 3 1/2 lengths from the winner.

Pepe Junior

As they began to sprint, Pampered Princess spurted ahead with Rejuvenite and Escravos right behind; Pepe Junior was a close fourth striding alongside was Englehart with Lago Medio behind. At the turn, Pampered Princess was loosing ground as Rejuvenite joined her along with Escravos; Pepe Junior sprang forward between horses and at the distance post Pepe Junior galloped away with his fresh legs showing how shrewd placing also helps matters in winning races. Rehan can take a bow and it was a race well won both on the track and off it. Lago Medio came from the last position to beat Rejuvenite for the runner-up slot.

Pesi Shroff compiled a fantastic hat-trick winning the last three races on the trot. Phenomenale won him the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby after which Sea Princess and Brad followed suit. 

Sea Princess with Malesh in the saddle was the most impressive. Star Adventure led the field with Gatravat, Star Legend and Wahy in close attendance; Sea Princess was in the rear bunch but not too far away from the front group. Malesh eased the filly forward and at the turn was in striking distance from the leaders. Star Adventure was made to fight hard to stay ahead, Gatravat going all out to topple him. Wahy joined in from the outside and just then, Sea Princess got the opening she was looking for and pounced on the fighting trio. Malesh relied on his strong pushing skills, stowing away the whip and once into the lead at the distance post, Sea Princess bounded forward leaving the rest to fight for the minor placing. This was a solid and an effortless victory and Sea Princess (Razeen–Ocean Sunset) will undoubtedly win again.  

Brad (Aldeburgh–Courbette) didn't have it as easy and had to earn his maiden victory the hard way. Setting the pace, The Giant went ahead, closely followed by Exotic Star and Star Luxurious. Brad was an unhurried fourth initially. At the 600 metres, Exotic Star was pushed to take charge and close on his heels on straightening up were Star Luxurious and Brad, who by then had covered good ground to be right with the pair. Past the distance post, the three were engaged in a fierce battle with none giving a quarter. They went for the line in a threesome finish for a thrilling - head, head verdict that went Brad's way. Rajendra's powerful finish helped.   

Mansoor Shah had a delightful start on a day when he would have hoped to win half the race card. Barring War of Attrition in the 7th race, Mansoor had four other runners on the day and a quadruple wasn't a fantasy. Each of them had a realistic chance to win the race. Mansoor had a dream start as well in the first two races, but Rejuvenite and Dancing Dynamite just failed to continue the dream run. Yankee Lane (Case Law–Zeisha) carrying most of the public money provided a great start for both Mansoor and the punters in the day's opener.

Alohamora took charge early on and established a handy 3-length lead as they turned for home. Yankee Lane was in chase all the time and the rest were not anywhere close to make an impact. Alohamora was still in front at the distance post and that's when Yankee Lane powered by Suraj Narredu collared the leader and passed him by to win convincingly. Alohamora would do well over a shorter sprint and Yankee Lane is sure to improve further.

Star Attraction (Alnasr Alwasheek-Azzilfi) carried an even heavier purse than the first winner and was backed down to 7/10 on at race time. Jockey KPG Appu wasted no time and hit the front soon on start. Mypethoney and Moonstorm raced close behind with Tattenhoe with them. Shabdeez was another two behind but finished on well to earn the place money. Meanwhile, Star Attraction led the field home and as Moonstorm began to get closer, Appu unleashed the favourite who galloped further away from her challenger and surged homewards to win decisively. Moonstorm was next best and Shabdeez covered ground to end third.

Inch Perfect and Oh So Romantic garnered most of the betting but Swahili also had her share of supporters. Aegina darted to the front early on and kept that momentum going right till the end. Only, Swahili accelerated well in the dying moments of the race even as Aegina renewed her battle and stretched the fight till the post. Aegina had a useful lead and Swahili (Alnasr Alwasheek–Singita) realizing that, quickly began to eat up ground and was right on the trail of the leader as they turned for home. Aegina galloped gamely and Swahili also quickened well. With 200 metres to go, Swahili got past Aegina but the latter did not give up and went down fighting. Swahili did extremely well considering this was her first run this season and showed good fighting qualities. Inch Perfect was a tame third. Oh So Romantic was never prominent.

Warcraft disappointed a large following and found no answer to Veera Wang's powerful assault. Wings Of Angels led the field with Mr. Greedy and Warcraft in tow. Veera Wang (Alnasr Alwasheek–Merry Lea) was settled into 5th along the rails. The rest were huddled closely but none confronted the frontrunners. Artistic Liason, who was with the front bunch, dropped out early in the straight. Wings Of Angel brought the field home and Warcraft was right there raising hope. Veera Wang came with a bang at this juncture and snuffed out any possible threat to coast ahead for an impressive win despite the heavy weight on her back (61 kgs). Veera Wang had had a good lung opener last time out and Altaf seemed to have done his homework right. The filly had encountered a check in the straight last time and Altaf must have instructed his jockey to steer clear this time. Jockey TS Jodha did exactly that and Veera Wang getting a free run on the outside relished the homestretch and put in a strong finish to land the spoils with conviction. A repeat is not ruled out for the Altaf ward.  

The Nanoli Stud Pune Derby (Gr-I) day was definitely a memorable one more so for Pesi Shroff and his superb treble will not be forgotten in a hurry. Mansoor Shah saddled two winners and jockey Rajendra picked up the last race as well after a great Derby victory.