In a thrilling climax to the 2025 Indian Classic season, the unassuming 20-to-1 longshot, Odysseus, defied all expectations to clinch the coveted Indian St. Leger (Grade 1) title. Guided by the skillful hands of jockey Neeraj Rawal, this victory on Sunday, September 21st, sent waves of excitement through the Pune racecourse. Odysseus is proudly owned by Equus Racing, M/s. K.H. Vachha, Suhrud S. Jhaveri, Gautam Lala (representing Gainsville Stud & Agl. Farm Pvt. Ltd.), and Berjis Minoo Desai, with renowned trainer Pesi Shroff meticulously preparing the champion.
The day also saw impressive performances from other jockeys. Antony Raj S celebrated three victories, while apprentice jockey Aditya Waydande also secured a hat-trick of wins, bringing his career total to 20. This milestone means Waydande will now be eligible for a 2.5 kg allowance in future races, a significant boost to his burgeoning career.
In the main event, Neeraj Rawal demonstrated exceptional tactical prowess. He patiently held Odysseus, a magnificent colt by Ulysses out of Hidden Valley, in second position for the majority of the grueling 2,800-meter race. As the horses thundered into the home straight, challengers Positano and Pyrite momentarily surged ahead, seemingly leaving Odysseus behind. However, Rawal’s relentless riding spurred his mount forward. With a surge of incredible determination, Odysseus fought back valiantly, reclaiming the lead and snatching victory by a length from Pyrite in a truly brilliant display of courage and stamina.
Race Results from the Day:
- 1. CAPRISCA TROPHY (1,600m): NORTHBOUND (Aditya Waydande) secured 1st place, followed by Yuletide (Trevor) in 2nd, The Flutist (C.S. Jodha) in 3rd, and Marlboro Man (Ramswarup) in 4th. Margins: 1, 2, and 2. Time: 1m, 39.98s. Payout: ₹12 (win), 16, 11 (place). SHP: 20, FP: 19, Q: 18, Tanala: 78 and 87. Favourite: Northbound. Owners: Mr. Jaydev M. Mody rep. J.M. Livestock Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: P.S. Chouhan.
- 2. NOBLE PRINCE TROPHY (1,200m): ARIYANA STAR (P. Trevor) clinched 1st, with We Still Believe (K. Pranil) 2nd, Impulsive (Bhawani) 3rd, and Coin Empress (K. Nazil) 4th. Margins: 2-1/4, 1, and Short Head. Time: 1m, 10.01s. Payout: ₹18 (win), 11, 22, 23 (place). SHP: 130, FP: 296, Q: 124, Tanala: 5,099 and 1,093. Favourite: Flashman. Owners: Mr. Dinsha P. Shroff, Mr. Munchi P. Shroff, Mrs. Aban N. Chotia, Mr. Ashok Ranpise & Mr. Anil Saraf. Trainer: Aman Altaf Hussain.
- 3. MYSTIC MEMORY TROPHY (1,400m): SCARAMOUCHE (T.S. Jodha) finished 1st, followed by Kavya (Parmar) 2nd, Shirsa (S.G. Prasad) 3rd, and Chardikala (Sandesh) 4th. Margins: 1-1/2, 2, and 2. Time: 1m, 24.47s. Payout: ₹26 (win), 23, 15 (place). SHP: 28, FP: 33, Q: 24, Tanala: 424 and 394. Favourite: Kavya. Owner: Mr. Jaydev M. Mody rep. J.M. Livestock Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: Behram Cama.
- 4. AMAZING GRACE TROPHY (1,600m): PRIDE’S PRINCE (Antony Raj S) dominated, taking 1st. Chagall (Siddharth) was 2nd, Singer Sargent (C. Umesh) 3rd, and Alpine Star (Avinash) 4th. Margins: 5, 3-3/4, and Head. Time: 1m, 37.93s. Payout: ₹19 (win), 13, 12 (place). SHP: 38, FP: 33, Q: 30, Tanala: 91 and 33. Favourite: Pride’s Prince. Owners: Mr. Sudendu Shah, Mrs. Preeti C. Shah, Mr. Kishore P. Rungta, Mrs. Pooja S. Shah, M/s. Rahul Shah, K.M. Shah, Chaitanya Shah, Tanmay V. Mathurawala, Chetan K. Shah & Jayesh K. Shah. Trainer: Imtiaz A. Sait.
- 5. SURAIYA & MASOOM MASTER CUP (1,200m): WESTERN STAR (Antony Raj S) claimed 1st place, followed by Bee Magical (Neeraj) 2nd, Aperol (Trevor) 3rd, and Goddes Of Dawn (Ramswarup) 4th. Margins: 6-1/4, 3-1/4, and 2-3/4. Time: 1m, 7.87s. Payout: ₹30 (win), 16, 35 (place). SHP: 32, FP: 913, Q: 89, Tanala: 557 and 325. Favourite: Social Butterfly. Owners: Mr. Sudendu Shah, Mr. Kishore P. Rungta, Mr. & Mrs. Homi Mehta, Mr. Jehangir Mehta, Mr. Rahul Shah, Mrs. Preeti C. Shah, Mr. K.M. Shah & Mr. Vinod M. Mathurawala. Trainer: Narendra Lagad.
Note: Divine Intuition (Vivek G up) reared up soon after the start and dislodged Vivek who escaped unhurt. - 6. WARSAW PACT TROPHY (Div. II) (1,100m): JOHNNY MAC (Vivek G) took 1st, with Mojo (Ritesh) 2nd, Lion King (Aditya) 3rd, and She’s A Teaser (Bhawani) 4th. Margins: 1, 1-3/4, and 3/4. Time: 1m, 04.98s. Payout: ₹15 (win), 10, 16, 16 (place). SHP: 31, FP: 41, Q: 24, Tanala: 139 and 82. Favourite: Johnny Mac. Owners: Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy, Mr. Z.K. Dhunjibhoy & Ms. Anosha Meyers rep. Five Stars Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: Hosidar Daji.
- 7. DCN MILLION (1,400m): TYRANNUS (Antony Raj S) narrowly won 1st. Caradoc (Trevor) was 2nd, Diego Garcia (Sandesh) 3rd, and Dreamer (Parmar) 4th. Margins: Short Head, Nose, and 1-1/4. Time: 1m, 25.13s. Payout: ₹58 (win), 22, 18, 13 (place). SHP: 46, FP: 274, Q: 164, Tanala: 729 and 206. Favourite: Diego Garcia. Owner: Mr. C. Aryama Sundaram. Trainer: Imtiaz A. Sait.
- 8. INDIAN ST. LEGER (Gr. 1) (2,800m): ODYSSEUS (Ulysseus-Hidden Valley) (Neeraj Rawal) stunned the field to win 1st. Pyrite (Leitir Mor-Grey Allure) (Mukesh K) was 2nd, Thalassa (Excellent Art-Thurayaat) (Sandesh) 3rd, and Duke Of Tuscany (Cougar Mountain-Nicolini) (Trevor) 4th. Not run: Arkadian. Margins: 1, 2, and 1. Time: 2m, 54.78s. Payout: ₹358 (win), 23, 16, 19 (place). SHP: 46, FP: 6,392, Q: 603, Tanala: 6,637 and 2,133. Favourite: Positano. Owners: Equus Racing, M/s. K.H. Vachha, Suhrud S. Jhaveri, Gautam Lala rep. Gainsville Stud & Agl. Farm Pvt. Ltd. & Mr. Berjis Minoo Desai. Trainer: P. Shroff.
- 9. WARSAW PACT TROPHY (Div. I) (1,100m): ABHICANDRA (Aditya Waydande) set a record time to win 1st. Foujita (Vivek G) was 2nd, Cinderella’s Dream (Sandesh) 3rd, and House Of Lords (A. Prakash) 4th. Margins: 2-3/4, Nose, and 1-1/4. Time: 1m, 04.39s (record time). Payout: ₹116 (win), 22, 14, 12 (place). SHP: 51, FP: 791, Q: 273, Tanala: 721 and 369. Favourite: Foujita. Owner: Mr. Vikram Bachhawat rep. Bachhawat Farms Pvt. Ltd. Trainer: Sanjay Kolse.
- 10. BAY OF TREASURE TROPHY (1,600m): GIANT GOLD (Aditya Waydande) emerged victorious, claiming 1st place. Beyond Stars (Mukesh K) was 2nd, Marcus (C. Umesh) 3rd, and Absolute Gorgeous (Ajinkya) 4th. Not run: Arlington Heights and Jagger. Margins: 1-1/4, 2, and Long Neck. Time: 1m, 39.23s. Payout: ₹19 (win), 13, 24, 22 (place). SHP: 70, FP: 110, Q: 96, Tanala: 553 and 248. Favourite: Giant Gold. Owners: Mr. Sudendu Shah, Mrs. Preeti C. Shah, M/s. Rahul Shah, K.M. Shah, Narendra Kumar Ambwani, Kishore P. Rungta, Gibran Khan, Chirag V. Shah & Amit V. Menda. Trainer: Shazaan Shah.
Note: Storm (T.S. Jodha astride) whipped around soon after the start and did not participate.
Post-Race Payouts:
- Jackpot: (i) 70%: ₹2,818 (47 tickets) & 30%: ₹176 (322 tickets); (ii) 70%: ₹60,615 (8 tickets) & 30%: ₹14,844 (14 tickets).
- Treble: (i) ₹287 (49 tickets), (ii) ₹13,593 (1 ticket), (iii) ₹7,342 (4 tickets).
- Super Jackpot: 100%: ₹37,277 (carry forward).