The Pesi Shroff-trained Northern Lights attempted a successful start-to-finish bid in the Sir Rahimtoola Chinoy, the feature event Sunday`s seven-race card at the Mahalaxmi racetrack. Petronia, the popular fancy who received overwhelming support in the closing minutes, ran a bit erratically in more than one segment of the mile race, and despite jockey P Trevor`s desparate effort, failed to collar Northern Lights on whom jockey PS Chouhan rode like one possessed.
“This was a small field (only 4 runners), so I decided to dictate the pace,” Chouhan said in a post-race interview, “and Northern Lights gave out his best.”
Dara K Mehta, who owns a share in Northern Lights which raced in the silks of Vijay Shirke, the race club chairman, said, “We always knew he (Northern Lights) was a good horse, but he had some injury issues. Kudos to trainer Pesi (Shroff) who has won five races with him.”
Trainer Shroff also saddled another winner in Kinnara (Kirtish Bhagat up) who decisively beat rivals in the Seth Ramnath Daga Trophy.
However, veteran trainer Imtiaz Sait emerged as the most successful professional of the day, leading in three winners: Truly Epic (Madras Race Club Trophy), Impermanence (Kazakh Plate) & Rasputin (K J K Irani Plate). The first two were steered to victory by C S Jodha, while the third was ridden by P Trevor, who, like Jodha, also ended the day with a double, having already won the Ibrahim A Rahimtoola Trophy with the Vishal Gaikwad-trained Birkin Blower.
