The spotlight at Monday’s Pune races shone brightly on trainer Robin R. Kondakalla’s magnificent horse, ‘Perception’, who clinched the coveted Sikander-E-Azam Plate. Under the expert guidance of jockey P. Sai Kumar, ‘Perception’, owned by Mr. Rakesh Reddy Kondakalla, demonstrated exceptional form to secure the main event.
The day was packed with competitive racing action, seeing several impressive performances across various categories:
In the **Nizamabad Plate (Div. III) (1,200m)**, ‘Mexican Wave’, ridden by Akshay Kumar, claimed first place, followed by ‘Feel The Magic’, ‘Photograph’, and ‘Star Cruise’.
The **Nawab Mehdi Jung Bahadur Memorial Cup (Div. II) (1,100m)** witnessed ‘Shadow Fax’, with Mukesh Kumar aboard, emerge victorious after a close finish against ‘Challenger’, ‘Sweet Dancer’, and ‘Bold Beauty’.
**Dontblockmyway**, ridden by Sonu Kumar, dominated the **Nizamabad Plate (Div. II) (1,200m)**, leaving ‘Hoping Star’, ‘Peanut’, and ‘Most Beautiful’ trailing.
Akshay Kumar returned to the winner’s circle with **Tootsie Darling** in the **Nizamabad Plate (Div. I) (1,200m)**, comfortably beating ‘Analysis’, ‘Aquatone’, and ‘Nkalanzinzi’.
The **Nawab Mehdi Jung Bahadur Memorial Cup (Div. I) (1,100m)** saw **Federer**, ridden by P. Ajeeth Kumar, deliver a strong performance to finish ahead of ‘Coming Home’, ‘Leather Back’, and ‘Divine Connection’.
Following ‘Perception’s’ triumph in the **Sikander-E-Azam Plate (1,600m)**, where ‘Dapper Look’, ‘Celestial’, and ‘Walking Thunder’ secured the subsequent spots, the racing continued.
The final race, the **Goodwood Plate (1,600m)**, was won by **Hoping High** under Gaurav Singh, who narrowly edged out ‘Secret Option’, with ‘Muaser’ and ‘City Cruise’ completing the placings.
The day’s betting outcomes included a Jackpot paying ₹3,601 (70%) and ₹294 (30%), Mini Jackpots of ₹190 and ₹1,193, and Treble payouts of ₹137 and ₹876.