Jaandaar holds off Avener to win Villoo C. Poonawalla Pune Derby
Jaandaar, ridden by Vivek G, held off Avener to win the Villoo C. Poonawalla Pune Derby (Gr. 1) at Pune on Sunday, October 11, 2026, producing a late surge to take the race.
Trained by Pesi Shroff and owned by Mr. & Mrs. Vijay B. Shirke and Mr. Jay V. Shirke representing Horse Haven Breeding and Racing Pvt. Ltd., Jaandaar (Earthlight–Dance Awhile) was settled in fourth by Vivek G before being delivered into the home straight, where he accelerated into contention and prevailed after a final-200-metre duel. The Villoo C. Poonawalla Pune Derby, run over 2,000m, was described as the meeting’s stellar attraction and the victory marked Pesi Shroff’s 101st Classic success.
The official finishing order in the Derby read: JAANDAAR (Earthlight–Dance Awhile) (Vivek G) 1, Avener (Space Blues–Hokkaido) (A. Sandesh) 2, Beast Mode (Plumatic–Woman O War) (P. Trevor) 3 and Iron Mirage (Dreamfield–Setareh) (Akshay K) 4, with Rampage listed as Not run. Margins were 3/4, 3-1/2 and 6-3/4 and the time recorded was 2m, 2.49s; Jaandaar was the favourite and the dividend was listed as ₹17 (w), 11 and 33 (p).
At the same meeting the RWITC Managing Committee felicitated Cyrus Poonawalla for receiving the "Outstanding Contribution Award from the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) at its 60th International Conference in Paris on Oct. 5" and recognised Pesi Shroff for completing 100 Classic victories last month. Jockey P. Trevor was also honoured for reaching the landmark of 2,000 career winners, a milestone noted as having been achieved aboard Final Call at Bengaluru on May 9.
Other winners on the card included Credence (S. Siddharth) in the Sir Sultan Chinoy Trophy (1,200m), with Your Unforgettable (Ramswarup) second and Market King (Vishal) third; the race listed Ashwa Vedha as Not run, margins of 1-1/4, 1-1/4 and 1-1/4, a time of 1m, 7.37s, and dividends of ₹28 (w), 16 and 17 (p). In the Jimmy Umrigar Trophy (Div. II) (1,400m) Miami Vice (N.S. Parmar) won, El Nino (Yash Narredu) was second and Styx (Antony Raj) third, with margins 4-1/2, Long Neck and 1-1/4 and a time of 1m, 25.15s; dividends were ₹16 (w), 13, 13 and 11 (p).
The Jimmy Umrigar Trophy (Div. I) (1,400m) was taken by Sir Churchill (Suraj Narredu) from Taaqath (Vivek G) and Acrobatic (Antony Raj) in a race timed at 1m, 24.71s with margins of 2, 3-3/4 and 3-1/4 and dividends of ₹31 (w), 10, 10 and 10 (p). Marius (S.G. Prasad) won the Pune Police Commissioner’s Trophy (1,400m), finishing ahead of Avante (Vivek G) and Paloma (Vishal) in 1m, 24.69s; margins were Long Neck, 1-3/4 and 2-1/4 and dividends ₹61 (w), 18, 12 and 15 (p).
Longer-distance honours in the J.M. Shah, C.M. Shah & K.M. Shah Gold Trophy (2,400m) went to Caccini (A. Sandesh) with Little John (Akshay K) second and Merchant Of Venice (Neeraj) third in 2m, 32.83s; margins were 3, 1-1/2 and 1/2 and dividends ₹22 (w), 15 and 10 (p). Bishop (Vivek G) won the N.K. Pudumjee Salver (1,400m) and Bravo Zulu (Ramswarup) captured the Vinayak Salver (1,200m) in races that also listed times, margins and dividends in the published results, which included jackpot and super jackpot allocations: Jackpot 70%: ₹1,814 (569 tkts.) & 30%: 555 (797 tkts.), Treble details and Super Jackpot 70%: 4,835 (13 tkts.) & 30%: 1,796 (15 tkts.).
Full race results, owners and trainers for the card were published with the meeting’s report on October 11, 2026 at 08:10 pm IST, detailing winners, placings, margins, times, dividends and the honours bestowed on Cyrus Poonawalla, Pesi Shroff and jockey P. Trevor.