The concluding day of the Pune racing season was a spectacularly bad day to be a punter who still believes favourites owe them loyalty. They don`t. They never have. They never will. The only reliable certainty was the usual Pesi Shroff phenomenon, the multiple–entries safety valve. Pesi has such a surplus of horsepower that if one of his horses misbehaves, the other two ask to be counted. So, in the 2000 metres RWITC Ltd Trophy, the feature event of the final day, Psychic Star arrived armed with her two wins, Golconda Derby winner Duke of Tuscany turned up with his credentials, and the St Leger winner Odysseus added ballast to the armoury.

And after all the theories and all the fancy pre–race micro analysis — it wasn`t the obvious profile horse, it wasn`t the recent consistent horse, it wasn`t the sentimental pick. It was Duke of Tuscany. The horse who had spent the season behaving as if racing was optional suddenly rediscovered pride. Trevor Patel waited, waited, waited, and then sliced through late and the Cougar Mountain gelding sailed past Regina Memorabilis in the dying strides to snap a 297-day drought and also help Pesi grab the championship trainer title, nudging past Imtiaz Sait.

Regina Memorabilis looked like she had stolen it when Suraj pushed her the moment they straightened, Redefined who had won the Invitation Cup in March returned after the setback and his mock race and looked good till the bend. And then simply said no thank you and disappeared from relevance. Psychic Star didn`t sparkle, Odysseus got third ahead of Dream Alliance who had to come from as far back as Lonawala to get into the frame, while Ruling Dynasty and Mojito set the early pace and disappeared.

Nazak Chenoy`s Ataash finally got her professional revenge on life. After repeatedly finding one better, she found the right partner in raw apprentice Omkar and hunted down favourite Credence in the Delhi Race Club Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above. The six-year-old mare seems to have taken a fascination for apprentice Omkar for whom she won in succession. Irish Gold edged out Turn And Burn to save third.

Dallas Todywalla`s Giacomo completed a hat–trick in the General Rajendrasinhji Million, a race for three-year-olds and made it look like a Wednesday morning gallop. Rosario from Pesi`s yard was backed like he was the only horse in the race but Tyrannus did the front running and Giacomo breezed past him inside the final furlong, leaving Rosario to fight merely for crumbs.

Encino in the B Prakash Salver, a race for horses rated 40 to 66 was one of the two short priced favourites on the entire marathon of ten events and thankfully for punters, one of the rare ones who read the script in the hands of jockey Trevor Patel. He straightened for home, shifted gears, and went away comfortably from Treat who held off Amazing Ruler.

The season`s only race for two–year–olds, the Mayor Baburao Sanas Memorial Million Powered by SRS Group, saw Prasanna Kumar trained Starlight Serenade turn the exercise into a solo parade. Vivek G went to the front, built a wall between himself and the others, and stayed there. Stablemate Bravion nosed out Nebula for minor honours.

The Pune Cantonment Board Trophy had so many entries, they sliced it into three divisions. First Division: Storm Cloud tried to steal it from the front but Star Impact slipped through the inside and won stylishly. Easter Monarch came flying but too late and the favourite Chardikala remained invisible in the finish. Second Division: Pesi`s Crimson Pirate was trusted to deliver, Believe was the second choice, and Believe restored the faith by brushing past Majestic Warrior and winning at rewarding odds, with Flashman third. Third Division: The start was pure Bollywood. Sky Full of Stars dropped her rider at the jump out, caused chaos, but Dancing Cloud from Hosidar Daji`s yard pounced late to pip Mila and Spotlight. Favourite Red Mist was only a rumour. Stewards took a look and said carry on.

Trainer Waheed who got success through Believe earlier, added one more lucrative winner when Exotic Star swooped in the Aster Rose Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category over nine furlongs, beating Yuletide while Silver Braid who had done all the hard work found herself bypassed. Favourite Alexandria was not in the mood to impress anyone.

The final race of the day and of the Pune season fittingly was won by a long shot. 12-year-old Untitled, the oldest horse currently racing in Western India, led from the start in the hands of apprentice Ritesh Gocchi and thwarted Adonis. Favourite Arbitrage once again behaved like favourites had behaved all day, no meaningful acceleration when it mattered.

For the formal record, Pesi Shroff emerged champion trainer of the season and Sandesh was champion jockey by a street. For the informal record, punters would much prefer this day be struck off the archives entirely, erased, unpublished, unremembered, and would be happiest if the bookmakers at least offered a sympathy rebate.