Todywalla begins with a big bang

Dallas Todywalla begins with a big bang, 

but says, "Pesi Shroff can steamroll me"
 
Prakash Gosavi
gosavi@mid-day.com

Trainer Dallas Todywalla, who bagged the Pune championship last month by leading in 27 winners during the monsoon meet, made a fresh bid for the Mumbai season when four of his six runners on the inaugural day's card at Mahalaxmi returned to the winner's enclosure. Todywalla's winners included Brindaban, a two-year-old who made a smashing winning debut in the Star Crowned Plate, and Step Up, who won the Race Of Hope Gold Cup, the feature event of Tuesday's nine-race card--both winning their respective events in a start-to-finish manner as did Hill Ranger, another Todywalla-trained horse, who picked up the upper division of the ORIS trophy.

Interestingly, three of Todywalla's quartet of winners were partnered by Bangalore-based jockey Suraj Narredu, who also bagged the day's riding honours, edging out S Zervan & A Sandesh who both rode two winners each.

"I couldn't have asked for a better start," Todywalla, who has 15 championship trophies adorning his showcase, told MiD DAY, "but don't read too much into it. It wouldn't be an easy task for me as many of my horses have already gone up in handicap a great deal thanks to a good Pune season. Yes, I have 26 decent youngsters, but I can't think of championship with Pesi Shroff around--he can steamroll me! I will be happy if I can finish runner up to him, or maybe run him close."

Incidentally, trainer Pesi Shroff, along with his jockey S Zervan, also notched up two wins for Vijay Shirke & partners--Portia winning the Maharaja Of Morvi Trophy & Silver Birch picking up the Mathradas Goculdas Trophy, while trainer Karthik saddled Dr Ramaswamy's Turf Lightning who made every post of the Charles Forbes Trophy a winning one in the hands of foreigner Liam P Jones who tasted his first success on an Indian racetrack.

(c) MiD DAY