Tote favourite Golden Kingdom lived up to expectations, clinching the Suresh Mahindra Trophy, the showpiece event of the special Pune racing fixture held at the Pune racecourse on Saturday.
What was originally billed as a three-horse contest was dramatically reduced to a head-to-head duel after Queen of Kings was withdrawn moments before the start. That left Evaldo to seize the early initiative, setting the pace in the gruelling 3200-metre marathon — the longest race on the Indian racing calendar — while Golden Kingdom settled just behind in close attendance.
However, the script changed sharply as the runners approached the Club House corner. Responding to jockey Antony Raj S’s urgings, Golden Kingdom unleashed a powerful late surge, effortlessly sailing past Evaldo to win by an emphatic six lengths.
A Sandesh, wrapped up the day’s proceedings with a sparkling treble.
