Thalassa, who was available at odds of 10 to 1, caused a minor upset by clinching the Gamble For Love Trophy, the feature event on the opening day of the Pune racing season, held at the iconic Pune Race Course on Friday.
The filly, bred at the renowned Poona Stud Farm Pvt. Ltd., showed remarkable acceleration in the final stages of the seven-furlong contest to narrowly edge out the much-fancied Christophany by a neck, starting the season on a winning note. The race, contested over ideal monsoon track conditions, attracted a field of ten runners.
Ridden with confidence and perfect judgment by jockey Aditya Waydande, Thalassa held her nerve in a tightly packed finish. Christophany, who had been withdrawn from a key event in Mumbai earlier in the year, looked threatening in the final furlong but had to settle for second place.
The biggest disappointment of the race was the tote favourite, Snowfall, who never raised a gallop and eventually finished a dismal seventh — much to the dismay of the punters.
Despite that, it was a relatively favourable day for racegoers. Out of the nine races held on the card, five favourites obliged, offering some welcome respite to the crowd that had thronged the stands on the opening day of the much-anticipated Pune season. Christophany poised to take top honours
