Royal Champ, who has been knocking on the door in her last two outings, appears to hold the best chance in the Free Press Journal Trophy, the opening race of the special day's Pune meeting to be held at the Pune Race Course on Saturday.
The four-year-old filly finished behind Abhyankar in the Oriental Express Plate here recently and is expected to make amends in this seven-furlong contest. Though yet to catch the judges' eye, Royal Champ has shown enough promise to suggest that a winning run may not be far away.
Trained by veteran conditioner Imtiaz A. Sait, the filly will be partnered by Antony Raj S., who will be aboard her for the third consecutive time. With familiarity between horse and rider and encouraging recent efforts, Royal Champ could finally break through and justify her potential in this competitive event.
Whisper and Phantasmique should be the other main contenders in this race.
Selections
First Race: 1.30pm
1. The Free Press Journal Trophy: 1. Royal Champ (5), 2. Whisper (4), 3. Phantasmique (2)
2. The Race Mirror Trophy: 1. (3), 2. (2)
3. The Indiarace.com Trophy Div-2: 1. (9), 2. (2), 3. (4)
4. The Times of India Trophy: 1. (2), 2. (1)
5. The Hindu Trophy 1. (2), 2. (1)
6. The Indiarace.com Trophy Div-1: 1. (3), 2. (1), 3. (8)
7. The Mid-Day Trophy: 1. (2), 2. (8), 3. (3)
8. The Dopahar Trophy: 1. (2), 2. (5), 3. (10)
