Jack Frost steals show at the Southern Command Gold Trophy

Speaking on the occasion, Singh emphasised on the traditional association of the Indian Army with the sport of horse racing and appreciated the efforts put in by Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), to keep the race course in a good condition despite heavy rains on Saturday.

Before the horses took to the track, the visitors were presented with a professional demonstration by the Indian Army.

The show began with a fly past by the military helicopters of the Indian Army. It was followed by a Filipino martial arts display and mechanised military operations, giving commoners an insight into kinds of military operations during a war. Instituted in the name of the Southern Command, the race was first introduced on September 4, 1948 as the Southern Command Cup. It became a listed race in 1986 and subsequently achieved its graded status in 1999.

Apart from the title race, there were several important races that took place at the venue. The Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw Memorial Trophy Class I race (1,200 metres) saw five horses participating. Gold Bag, rode by Suraj Narredu won the race in 1:09:96 seconds beating horses Greek God and Ravello.

All the races of the day were won by different jockeys unlike last year, when S Zervan had won the Jockey of the Day award with three consecutive wins. The day began with the Colonel Kaikhushroo Maneckji Bharucha Memorial Trophy race contested by seven horses.