Jockey Vivek G, Ms. D.P. Adenwalla, Ms. Anita J. Captain, K.N. Dhunjibhoy, Zavaray Poonawalla, Behroze Poonawalla, Delna Poonawalla, Mysore Race Club chairman K.T. Balakrishnan, Yohan Poonawalla, trainer Pesi Shroff & D.P. Adenwalla at the presentation ceremony for the Zavaray Poonawalla Indian Turf Invitation Cup on Sunday.
| Photo Credit:
M.A. Sriram
Zuccaro, the six-year-old son of Kingda Ka trained by Pesi Shroff, kept his tryst with destiny when he cruised home to win the Zavaray Poonawalla Indian Turf Invitation Cup here on Sunday.
Jockey Vivek G. settled him nicely in mid-bunch and, after straightening for home, pressed the button. In an explosion of raw acceleration and power, the likes of which the historic Mysore Race Club track has never seen, Zuccaro left the opposition trailing to be hailed the ‘Champion of Champions’. For the Khushroo Dhunjibhoy silks, it was a Grade 1 double, with Dyf having won the Zavaray Poonawalla Stayers’ Cup a day earlier.
Trainer Pesi Shroff has done an incredible job of keeping this champion going and nursing him back from an untimely injury that forced him to miss this race in 2025. It took Shroff almost a year to get Zuccaro back to his best and ‘produce’ him in March 2026, but the horse hasn’t looked back since, reeling off six wins in a row. He certainly ranks among the all-time greats of Indian racing.
The Major P.K. Mehra Memorial Super Mile witnessed drama even before the race began, with two fancied runners — Alfonsine and Once You Go Black — being withdrawn. The field was reduced to five, but the contest turned out to be an absolute thriller.
Echoes Of Time, a son of Planetaire trained by Arvind Ganapathy and ridden by A. Ashhad Asbar, turned in a courageous performance to peg back Pride’s Prince in a battle that lasted all the way down the straight. The victory was an emotional one for owner S. Ganapathy, who has trained many Grade 1 winners, as the horse was owned by him and trained by his son Arvind.
Jockey Akshay Kumar had a weekend to remember, as did jockey-turned-trainer S. John. Akshay rode four winners, including two Grade 1 victories on Saturday and a Grade 2 triumph the following day. John saddled the winners of the Zavaray Poonawalla Sprinters’ Cup and the Suresh Mahindra Multi Million. Both sported the colours of Arun Kumar. It might well have been another Grade 1 success for the same connections had Alfonsine not been withdrawn just before the start of the Super Mile.
The results:
1. KARNATAKA RACE HORSE OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION MILLION (1,200m): SPOTLIGHT (Trevor) 1, Marzgovel (C.A. Brisson) 2, Silent Achiever (Inayat) 3 and Cynosure (Neeraj) 4. Not run: Idi Minnal and Gordon. 5-1/2, 1/2 and 1-3/4. 1m, 12.84s. ₹24 (w), 14, 73 and 44 (p), SHP: 131, THP: 84, FP: 1,777, Q: 790, Trinella: 14,394/6,169, Exacta: 25,586 (c/o). Favourite: Spotlight. Owners: Mr. Avinash S Gadkar, Mrs. Ayesha A Hussain, Mr.Anil Saraf & Mr.Aziz A Virani. Trainer: Aman Hussain.
2. ROYAL WESTERN INDIA TURF CLUB MILLION (1,800m): MAANA (Trevor) 1, Moon Oracle (Akshay K) 2, Magnus (Antony) 3 and Moon Star (Suraj) 4. 6, 4-3/4 and 1. 1m, 53.11s. ₹58 (w), 10, 11 and 13 (p), SHP: 27, THP: 30, FP: 63, Q: 18, Trinella: 170/197, Exacta: 276/75. Favourite: Moon Oracle. Owners: Dr. Ameeta Mehra, Capt. Jamshed J Appoo & Mr. Atul N Amersey rep. So Blest Trading Co. Pvt Ltd. Trainer: Darius Byramji.
3. JAPAN CUP (1,400m): KISS OF GREY (Md. Talib) 1, Your Sri Shakthi (S. Sachin) 2, Shamsheer (S.F. Ansari) 3 and Agrador (Antony) 4. Not run: Jade Mountain and The One and Only. 2, Nk and 1-3/4. 1m, 28.01s. ₹117 (w), 20, 15 and 33 (p), SHP: 38, THP: 114, FP: 691, Q: 177, Trinella: 3,493/3,742, Exacta: 54,860(c/o)/23,511. Favourite: Your Sri Shakthi. Owners: Mr. Rajendran rep. Rapar’s Galloping Stars LLP, Mr. B.P. Devaraja, Mr. Teja Gollapudi & Mr. S. Narredu. Trainer: S. Narredu.
4. SURESH MAHINDRA MULTI MILLION (1,400m): FREDERIKA (Akshay K) 1, Money Bags (Trevor) 2, African Gold (G. Vivek) 3 and Gachchhatu (Neeraj) 4. 3/4, 2-1/2 and 2. 1m, 25.38s. ₹31 (w), 11 and 13 (p), SHP: 23, THP: 22, FP: 149, Q: 41, Trinella: 206/228, Exacta: 248/78. Favourite: Money Bags. Owner: Mr. P. Arun Kumar. Trainer: S. John.
5. SMT GAYATRI DEVI AND SARDAR K.B. RAMACHANDRARAJ URS MILLION (1,200m): GOLD KITE (Antony) 1, Tom Cruiser (S. Sachin) 2, Emphatic (Akshay K) 3 and Touch Of Grey (G. Praveen) 4. Lnk, 3/4 and 3. 1m, 13.08s. ₹97 (w), 25, 25 and 22 (p), SHP: 108, THP: 49, FP: 3,299, Q: 1,259, Trinella: 7,658/11,487, Exacta: 96,737 (c/o). Favourite: Excellent Lass. Owner: Mr. Kunal Natwarlal Sharma. Trainer: K. Aditya.
6. MAJ. P.K. MEHRA MEMORIAL SUPER MILE CUP (1,600m): ECHOES OF TIME (A. Asbar) 1, Pride’s Prince (Antony) 2, Shamrock (Suraj) 3 and Prokofiev (Sandesh) 4. Not run: Alfonsine and Once You Go Black. Lnk, 7-1/2 and 1-1/4. 1m, 38.33s. ₹69 (w), 10, 10 and 10 (p), SHP; 33, THP: 27, FP: 494, Q: 294, Trinella: 665/134, Exacta: 969/581. Favourite: Shamrock. Owner: Mr. S. Ganapathy. Trainer: Aravind Ganapathy.
7. ZAVARAY POONAWALLA INDIAN TURF INVITATION CUP (2,400m): ZUCCARO (Kingda Ka-Mahali) Vivek G 1, Redefined (Phoenix Tower-Symi) Akshay K 2, Duke Of Tuscany (Cougar Mountain-Nicollini)) R. Ajinkya 3 and Sovereign King (Top Class-Starlet) Antony 4. 10-1/4, Lnk and 4-1/4. 2m, 34.99s. ₹13 (w), 11, 12 and 10 (p), SHP: 29, THP: 35, FP: 37, Q: 22, Trinella: 137/65, Exacta: 203/74. Favourite: Zuccaro. Owners: Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy and Mr. Z.K. Dhunjibhoy & Ms. Anosha Meyers rep. Five Stars Shipping Co Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Vispi R. Patel, Mr. A.S. Narielwala, Mr. Eruch Adi Mody & Mr & Mrs. D.P. Adenwalla. Trainer: P. Shroff.
8. BANGALORE TURF CLUB LTD MILLION (1,600m): ICE OF FIRE (A. Asbar) 1, Forseti (Lave Kumar) 2, Mind Games (Neeraj) 3 and Ultimate Blues (B. Dharshan) 4. Not run: Tolkien and Mahler. 2-1/4, 4-1/2 and 3/4. 1m, 40.07s. ₹15 (w), 10, 24 and 15 (p), SHP: 87, THP: 37, FP: 365, Q: 298, Trinella: 1,523/415, Exacta: 22,062. Favourite: Ice Of Fire. Owner: Mr. P. Arun Kumar. Trainer: Pradeep Annaiah.
Jackpot: ₹11,892; Runner-up: 2,482; Mini Jackpot: 1,429; Treble (i): 2,225; (ii): 2,289 (c/o); (iii): 234.
