Noshir Cama trained To The Manor Born came up with a good rally in the final furlong to edge past favourite Circle of Bliss to win the 2000 metres Gr 3 Eve Champion Trophy, the feature event of races held on Independence day at Pune. The day`s races did not run kindly for punters as several horses which looked invincible faltered much to the chagrin of race goers who were at their wits end in trying to spot a winner. Jockey Sandesh had yet another quadruple.

Circle of Bliss has enjoyed great hype and this was reinforced by her consistent show in the classics. For a horse rated at 100, she is the winner of just one race which itself tells a tale. The got abroad four year old has always found the winning post elusive but considering the fact that she was at the bottom of the scales, she was backed enthusiastically as at level weights she had beaten some top contemporaries. Perhaps her reputation was made by jockey Richard Hughes who rode her with tremendous understanding, preserving for the final assault while keeping in mind the filly who had been operated for a wind problem could choke under pressure. Hughes had ridden some splendid races on her though the filly narrowly missed winning. Circle of Bliss hasn`t produced the same burst of speed as she did in the Oaks and the Derby. Even given all these limitations, most race goers were not reconciled to her getting beaten by a horse of the caliber of To The Manor Born who had put up a tame performance at Bangalore in her last run. But then racing is all about possibilities and even the best argued theory takes a toss.

Caesars Star did the job of a pace setter as the field set out for the 2000 metres trip with Circle of Bliss in a handy third or fourth position with To The Manor Born tracking her behind. As the final bend approached there was frenetic activity with An Acquired Taste quickly improving to take a striking position. However, last Pune season`s Horse of the Season is yet to recover from the setback he had during the Bangalore Summer Season and faded out of contention when the race came on the boil. It was Circle of Bliss who shaped like a winner when she broke into a good lead in the final furlong and looked good to pull it off. However, Circle of Bliss faltered close home as To The Manor Born made a strong rally and got her in the final strides of the race. Montreal ran a suggestive third.

A Dajee`s Way Out had won four races in a row, two of them coming in last year`s Pune season. Her unbeaten run surely should have made her as a strong favourite in the 1200 metres Antonios Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above. However, Rio who has proved to be mixed bag, being unpredictable most of the time, was made the favourite. A quote of 5 to 1 on Way Out was indeed a steal for those who were determined to back her. Jockey Sandesh, who had another excellent day in office, had the speedy daughter of Exceed And Excel take charge from the start and went on to win untroubled. The filly was travelling so well that jockey Sandesh could affor to look back to see for a possible threat well before the final furlong. There was none. One Kept Secret moved from behind to claim the second spot ahead of Sea Treasure.

Shivalik Storm who had won the Gr 1 Poonawalla Multi-Million was running in open class for the first time and essaying a trip of nine furlongs in the Rajaram Chhtrapati Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 86. The dramatic odds drift indicated that something was amiss. Since Shivalik Storm was taking on modest lot of horses, she was expected to beat this lot unless there were some issues which were not known to the public. The price quoted on him was enough to dissuade many from backing him. Shivalik Storm raced keen, had the lead going into the final furlong but was beaten not by one but many runners. Reynolds looked like a winner till Fortune Favours came up with late flourish to land the spoils. Zidaan was third ahead of late finishing Haunting Moments who came from the back of the field with a good effort. Shivalik Storm weakened to finish fifth. Shivalik Storm`s defeat had nothing to do with him running in open class for first time but something to do with the level of preparedness for this race and as such, this runs needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

The 2000 metres P RA Independence Million, a race for horses rat4ed 20 to 46, has always attracted a big field and with the difficulty of spotting a possible winner. During the race itself several runners gave hope but in the end, the one who pulled it off was aptly named Just By Chance. The four year old gelding was at the wrong end of the field, ran into interference in the final two furlongs, had to be switched out very wide to make his run despite which he finished with a rattle to win with a measure of comfort in the end. In the intervening time, Dreams of You and Oxbridge looked like possible winners. Merging of monsoon track with the main track could be the reason why a horse could cover so much ground on the wide outside and still win. In the past, the character of the track changed if there was big field as horses on the wide outside had to cope with softer underfoot conditions which affected their speed.

Noshir Cama`s Beforememoryfades was considered as a possible classic prospect last year when she made her debut on the same track. Now racing after a run benefit while summering at Bangalore, she looked the likeliest winner and accordingly was backed down to win the 1200 metres Nawab & Begum Faiyaz Hussain Memorial Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 66. Beforememoryfades raced up with the field and took charge in the homestretch. Caruso came up threateningly but the favourite escaped to victory. The lower division of the race saw a friendless Josephine being driven out by Kishore Kadam to prevail in a three horse finish. Josephine rallied strongly in the straight to get past Quid Pro Quo. Quick Fire, who was at the wrong end of the field, came up with a big run on the wide outside only to find the winning post coming too soon. Favourite Don Corleone was lost on the radar.

Lesser fancied Awesome Smile, trained by Rehanullah Khan, steadily got the better of front running Samay Balwan and recorded an easy win in the 1200 metres Pune Sub-Area Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Midway through the race, Sombrero lost his footing causing National Pride to be checked. Gloria came from a long way back to finish third. Narendra Lagad`s Titliest showed up on the wide outside and shot into the lead inside the final 100 metres and held off the strong rally by Zoe with a rail skimming run to win the lower division of the race.

M K Jadhav trained Cezanne was strongly ridden by Sandesh to get the better of favourite Artiste in the 1000 metres Thanda Plate, a race for three year olds. Artiste has always faltered when under pressure as she had finished third thrice and took five runs to record her maiden win.

Jockey Sandesh who booted home a quadruple, began the day on a winning note by guiding Unico Corazon to an easy win in the 1600 metres Eau De Vie Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category. Sandesh had the three year old daughter of Epsom Derby winner Authorized relaxed in the rear as Star Benevolent did the pace setting. The favourite needed to be goaded to pick up speed but once she did so, there was no stopping the well bred filly who checked in by a widening margin of six lengths over Golden Wave. Sandesh`s other winners came through Cezanne, Awesome Smile and Way Out.