Dallas Todywalla trained Successor who had run against some top-quality opposition during her career, made a winning swan song by claiming the 1400 metres Delhi Race Club Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of races held at Pune on Saturday. Snowfall who was bidding for a hat-trick was the original favourite but the dramatic odds drift had its own tale to tell. While Successor won untroubled in front, Snowfall stayed put in the rear and made no progress during the race. Successor is due to be retired to the stud.

Successor hadn`t won for over 300 days. The daughter of Leitir Mor had mostly run in graded races against more accomplished horses and hence the number of wins that she may have accumulated was just five from 31 outings. Trevor Patel had Successor in front and the uncontested lead helped the fancied runner immensely as she got the lead without expending the energy and skipped clear in the final furlong to record a comfortable win over late rallying Baby Bazooka with The Protector being a surprise third ahead of the more fancied runners. Snowfall effectively beat none in the fray as the last-placed Flying Visit ran detached from the field and returned in distress.

Pesi Shroff trained Cordelia who was poorly handled by jockey Umesh in her previous run last Sunday, was seen in real colours, winning the 1400 metres Animal Welfare Board of India Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 46, in the manner of a horse belonging to the highest class. In fact, Cordelia who is bred as a full sister to the dual Sprinters Cup winner Multifaceted clocked a faster timing than recorded by Successor who won the highest category.

In a race where the jockeys were not allowed to carry the whip, Umesh pushed Cordelia to take charge from the word `go`. The filly was never headed as she kept expanding the lead in the stretch to eventually check-in by a widening margin of five lengths with the jockey looking back to see how far he had come away from the opposition. Darli Swirl and Supreme Spirit who chased the eventual winner disputed for the minor positions and finished in the order mentioned behind the winner. The lower division of the race looked like a minefield, with none of the runners inspiring confidence. This was also reflected in the odds offered by the bookmakers. Silver Spring who was bidding for a hat-trick was the favourite at odds of four to one. It was in the fitness of things that Bezan Chenoy trained Treasure Gold who hadn`t won for over 600 days brought of a stunning upset. Treasure Gold was lethargic from the gates but gathered steam in the straight and produced a powerful burst of speed in the hands of less heralded Mohsin to bounce clear of the front-running Silver Spring for an emphatic win at odds you could fancy. Silver Spring held off Spirit Bay to end up second best.

Pesi Shroff trained Chamonix had promised much as a four-year-old, with a hat-trick of wins and had even run a game race behind My Opinion in the Gr 1 Stayers Cup in March. She had the benefit of a race run and looked to have a good chance to bounce back to winning ways after a long wait of 573 days. Entrusted to a five-kg allowance claiming apprentice jockey N Bhosale, Chamonix was in smart betting with the favourite for the race being Golden Kingdom. Bhosale rode a good race, waiting with Chamonix till turning for home and then inducing a strong run from the got-abroad mare. Chamonix covered the leeway and managed to stave off the strong bid from Own Voice who had come into contention with a ground-saving effort along the rails. The winner spared a neck at the finish. The long-time front-runner and favourite Golden Kingdom weakened in the stretch to finish third.

Pesi Shroff went on to saddle the third winner of the day though not through the heavily backed Chagall but long shot Des Marquis in the 2000 metres Bronx Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 46. Des Marquis was running after 238 days but despite this, there were takers for him in the ring though for the record Chagall went to the post as a short-priced favourite. Umesh who is always astride the long-priced winners of Pesi Shroff took Des Marquis on a start-to-finish mission and the got-abroad three-year-old colt Des Marquis did all the running and won by a margin of over four lengths. Chagall was flat-footed by the stablemate. The victory of Des Marquis was in keeping with the trend of long shots from the same stable winning whenever two horses of ability from the same stable are in the fray. Jerusalem who was sluggish at the gates, rallied in the straight to take the third position albeit about eight lengths adrift of the winner.

Trainer Imtiaz Sait had always rated Geographique highly and the four-year-old filly was seen in a different light with the benefit of a race run as she led all the way and stormed clear in the final furlong to go clear of equally well-fancied Ataash to win the 1600 metres Dakshin Maharashtra & Goa Sub-Area Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 66. With just one day`s racing left for the season to conclude, jockey Neeraj Rawal who rode the winner is a point behind Mustakim Alam in the jockeys` championship stakes while Pesi has already consolidated his hold on the trainers` championship stakes.

S S trained and owned Dagger`s Strike broke his maiden`s ranks in his 21st outing when easily beating the opposition in the 1400 metres A J Wadia Plate, a race for horses rated 4 to 30. Dagger`s Strike had run a forward race last time out to Anoushka and as such, the victory of the Shah trainee was on the cards. Apprentice jockey M S Deora took Dagger`s Strike on a start-to-finish mission. The progeny of Arazan stayed put there to win the race with ease from late rallying Esfir who for a change was alert at the gates. Zacapa was third. Favourite Silver Steps was a tame fourth.