The dark bay three-year-old colt Baychimo posted a sensational victory in the Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr 1), the second Classic of the Mumbai racing season 2025-26, which featured as the prime event of Sunday's bumper ten-race card at the Mahalaxmi racetrack. When all eyes--and most of the betting funds--were on Irishman Oisin Murphy astride the Pesi Shroff-trained favourite Zacharias, Matheran boy A Sandesh stole the thunder astride Baychimo in a sensational display of powerhouse riding. After a quick and smart jump that put him in front of the pack, Baychimo soon received a bad check from stablemate Sovereign King (Anthony Raj S up), to drop back to run a detached last. But Sandesh kept his cool when he sensed the front runners were anyway going too fast for their own good, and gradually improved position to run a close last while turning for home. Thereafter, it did not matter who were in front or what they were doing to outwit one another, it was all Sandesh and Baychimo, who accelerated like a bullet train and swept past the field, the ace jockey managing to put Baychimo's nose ahead of stablemate Sovereign King at the wire. Baychimo is trained by Adhirajsingh, who said his father (late trainer Magansingh Jodha) was blessing him from above, as he finished 1-2 in the big race. "It's a team effort that has borne the fruit today," he added, "I will give full credit to my stable staff." Baychimo is owned by Diamond band Rac. Syn. Pvt Ltd, represented by Shiven Surendranath, Kersi H Wachcha, Virkam Bachhawat and Dr SA Arif. "It wasn't part of the plan," owner Shiven Surendranath said in jest at the prize distribution ceremony, referring to the interference Baychimo received, when asked about Baychimo's unbelievable Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr 1) victory. "I lost all hope when I saw him falling back to race a detached last," chimed in Kersi H Wachcha, "no chance now, I thought. But this boy (he patted jockey Sandesh's back) made it happen. What an incredible ride!" "In February I rode my 50th Classic when I won the Indian Derby at Mahalaxmi on Ranquelino," said Sandesh in a chat with mid-day after the race, "this is my 51st Classic--after a gap of ten months. So in a way, I am happy and relieved the drought has ended."
22 December,2025 10:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviHou Yifan excelled in both Alpine SG Pipers wins to take the team to the second spot while Triveni Continental Kings sealed the final spot in the Global Chess League on Saturday. Defending champions Triveni Continental Kings sealed their third consecutive final berth with a 14-5 win over Ganges Grandmasters. Meanwhile, three-time women’s world champ Hou Yifan won both her games on Saturday to help SG Pipers notch up two victories and jump up to second place. Yifan first defeated Koneru Kumpy of Mumbai Masters and then beat Bibisara Assaubayeva of American Gambits to win two Player of the Match awards.
22 December,2025 09:58 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentTiann Castellino and Aditya Padwal advanced to the girls and boys U-15 summit clash respectively at the Yonex-Sunrise Gautam Thakkar Memorial Junior State Badminton Championships at the Bombay Gymkhana on Sunday. Tiann rallied from a set down to beat Anvisha Ghorpade 12-21, 21-14, 24-22, while Aditya got the better of Chandranshu Gundle 27-25, 21-19 in straight sets.
22 December,2025 09:53 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentTop seeds Joshna Chinappa and Veer Chotrani emerged champions in the women’s and men’s categories respectively of the 80th CCI Western India Squash Tournament at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) courts on Sunday. In the women’s final, Chinappa rallied from a set down to beat Sanya Vats 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, while Chotrani downed Suraj Chand 11-9, 11-9, 11-2.
22 December,2025 09:51 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentIndia’s quest to find stable support acts who will serve them at next year’s World Cup and beyond will begin with the first Women’s T20I of the five-match series against Sri Lanka on Sunday. The Indian think tank will have a keen eye on the evolution of young batter G Kamalini and left-arm spinner Vaishanavi Sharma. Kamalini, 17, has shown her ability in the U-19 World Cup, and the Women’s Premier League. Vaishanavi emerged as the top wicket-taker in the U-19 World Cup with 17 wickets. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 December,2025 12:31 PM IST | Visakhapatnam | PTIFresh love seems to have blossomed in the festive season for Chelsea and England star Cole Palmer, as the 23-year-old was spotted with model Olivia Holder at Winter Wonderland — an annual winter-themed fair in London recently. Despite Palmer having gone to the event incognito, sporting a face mask and hoodie, eagle-eyed fans were quick to realise who it was and were even more curious to know the identity of the blonde beauty, who was walking with him, holding a giant teddy bear — a toy Palmer allegedly won for her at one of the many game stalls at the fair. According to British tabloid, The Sun, Holder is not only a model, but also a social media influencer with a jet-setting lifestyle; she has been to Dubai, Dublin, Monaco, Greece, Tenerife and Bucharest this year. Her followers though are relatively modest in number (9125). Holder further fuelled speculation that the two were dating by posting a picture of herself at Chelsea’s stadium, Stamford Bridge, on Thursday. Fans were quick to spot that Palmer was one of the people who liked the Instagram post. Palmer had previously dated Connie Grace, a nail-salon owner in Manchester, for a year, before the pair broke up in June. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 December,2025 12:29 PM IST | England | AgenciesIndian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty bowed out of the BWF World Tour Finals after losing the semi-final to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang here Saturday. The Indians won the first game, but failed to capitalise on the advantage, going down 21-10, 17-21, 13-21 in the last-four contest that lasted one hour and three minutes. Satwik and Chirag had beaten their opponents in the group stage but the Chinese pair turned the tables on them when it mattered the most. The Indian duo was unbeaten in the group stage in the season-ending tournament, but Saturday’s defeat meant that they could not become the first men’s pair to reach the summit clash of the coveted event. They, nevertheless, became the first Indian men’s pair to reach the semifinals of the season-ending event. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 December,2025 12:26 PM IST | Hangzhou | PTIManchester United manager Ruben Amorim demanded more urgency from his players when it comes to defending, urging them to ‘put everything on the line’ ahead of the English Premier League clash against a high-flying Aston Villa side. The Red Devils conceded four goals to Bournemouth last weekend, and were lucky to escape with a draw. Amorim believes each of those goals could have been avoided with more vigilant defending. “We watch the game again against Bournemouth we can avoid those goals. There was a lot of transition and we have to put everything on the line when we’re defending and sometimes we’re not doing that,” said Amorim. Ruben Amorim The Portuguese manager is wary that if Sunday’s opponents get the same opportunities, there may be no saving grace for his team. Villa are currently third in the EPL table with 33 points from 16 games, and Amorim, just like many pundits, is not ruling them out as title challengers. “Everything can happen. They have a manager with a lot of experience, when you watch Villa you can sense it’s a very mature team, they don’t panic when they’re losing, don’t feel overwhelmed when winning, they can control the emotion all the time. They are a very strong team,” said Amorim. United’s task of containing Unai Emery’s men will be made more challenging with the absences of first-choice centre-backs Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt. They’ll need skipper Bruno Fernandes (five goals and six assists) to step up once again if they are to get the better of Villa. Chelsea rally from 0-2 down to secure 2-2 draw vs Newcastle Chelsea’s Reece James celebrates his goal against Newcastle on Saturday Chelsea saved Enzo Maresca from more awkward questions as they fought back from two goals down to rescue a 2-2 draw against Newcastle on Saturday. Maresca’s side were in danger of a damaging defeat after Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade struck twice in the first half at St James’s Park. But Chelsea hit back after the interval thanks to Reece James’s superb free-kick and Joao Pedro’s eye-catching solo effort. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
21 December,2025 12:23 PM IST | Birmingham | AgenciesThe Pesi Shroff-trained Zacharias and the Adhirajsingh-trained Baychimo will renew their battle in the Indian 2000 Guineas. Shroff is leaving no stone unturned, and has flown in his favorite and lucky jockey, Irishman O. Murphy to handle Zacharias, while Matheran boy Sandesh, who managed to make the wayward Baychimo stick to his lane in the last run, will ride the Adhiraj ward. Sovereign King, Stormy Sea, Big Bay and Western Star can add an interesting dimension to what is widely perceived as a duel between Zacharias and Baychimo. My choice is Baychimo. First race at 12.45 pm. Selections: Castlebridge Trophy (For 5y&o, Class V; 1400m)Marlboro Man 1, Anaira 2, Prince Igor 3. Synthesis Trophy - Div I (For 3y, Class IV; 1400m)Solidarity 1, All For Love 2, Lucio 3. PD Avasia Trophy - Div II (Class IV; 1200m)Esteban 1, Enforcer 2, Eastern Monarch 3. Beautiful Stranger Trophy (Class II; 1400m)Ultimo 1, Red Bishop 2, Scaramouche 3. Faiz Jasdanwalla Trophy (For 2y, Maidens; 1200m)Admirable 1, Hermanus 2, Zanele 3. PD Avasia Trophy - Div I (Class IV; 1200m)Youreforfame 1, Akitania 2, Heaven's Rhythm 3. Gracias Saldanha Memorial Million (Class III; 2000m)King Ke 1, Tiepolo 2, Pristine Glory 3. Indian 2000 Guineas - Gr 1 (For 3y; 1600m)Baychimo 1, Zacharias 2, Sovereign King 3. Gulamhusein Essaji Trophy (Class IV; 1600m)Brasilier 1, Looking Like A Wow 2, Magical Moments 3. Synthesis Trophy- Div II (For 3y, Class IV; 1400m)Bezazel 1, Aeon Flux 2, American Eagle 3. RecommendationsBest bet: NoneUpsets: Madison (1-6), El Moran (6-1) & Vincero (9-1) Today's poolsSuper jackpot pool: 5,6,7,8,9,10Jackpot pool: I - 3,4,5,6,7; II - 6,7,8,9,10Treble pool: I - 4,5,6; II - 7,8,9; III - 8,9,10Tanala pool: All races.
21 December,2025 12:21 PM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviBritish tennis ace Emma Raducanu is all set to follow in the footsteps of Swiss legend Roger Federer, with the 2021 US Open winner set to switch from Nike apparel to Uniqlo, beginning from the 2026 season onwards. While the move has not yet been confirmed, several notable sources within the tennis world allege that the deal is already done. “Just hearing Raducanu to Uniqlo for 2026 is done,” tennis insider Craig Shapiro posted on X. The 23-year-old has been with the American brand even before she turned into a professional in 2018. If the news is true, it would mirror the shock switch Federer made in 2018 after being associated with Nike since 1994. The 20-time Grand Slam champion continued to sport the Japanese brand’s apparel until he retired in 2022. Raducanu endured a largely forgettable 2025, failing to make it past the Round-of-32 in any of the four Grand Slam events.
20 December,2025 09:32 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentFabiano Caruana ended Alireza Firouzja’s winning run in a last second scramble of a marathon 77-move game as Alpine SG Pipers stunned table-toppers Triveni Continental Kings 12-8 at the Global Chess League on Friday. Playing with white pieces, Anish Giri’s win over Wei Yi gave the Pipers an early lead before Nino Batsiashvili beat Alexandra Kosteniuk to put them in the driver’s seat. But Zhu Jiner kept Kings in the game by defeating Hou Yifan before Marc’Andria Maurizzi’s beat Leon Luke Mendonca to give Kings the lead. An error from Pipers’s Vidit Gujarathi allowed R Praggnanandhaa to push for victory before Caruana applied the finishing touches.
20 December,2025 09:29 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentADVERTISEMENT
