In the Poonawalla Breeders’s Multi-Million (PBMM) on Sunday, all eyes will be on Buckingham (Holy Roman Emperor-Thanielle), the three-year-old colt trained by Karthik G. Undefeated in both starts, he’s shown that rare stamp of class — particularly in his latest victory, when D’Artagnan briefly put his nose ahead in the closing stages of the race, only for Buckingham to dig into his reserves and snatch the lead back with authority.
However, Buckingham isn’t the only unbeaten talent in this field. The filly Blue Jet (Leitir Mor-Memory Bay), trained by Deepesh Narredu, has a flawless record too, having stormed home on debut in commanding fashion. Suraj Narredu, chasing his fourth straight PBMM triumph, takes the reins. If consistency counts for anything, Blue Jet could make changes to the script in the final yards of the race.
Buckingham and Blue Jet
Enrich is ready to impress
Then there’s Enrich, a Ulysses-Aertex colt trained by Malesh Narredu and to be ridden by his son Yash. This debutant colt was thrown straight into the 1400m deep end just ten days ago, and came through with flying colours. Short on experience? Perhaps. But connections clearly believe he’s ready for the big stage.
The two horses which may be neglected in the betting, but could impress on Sunday are Invictor (a Blue Point-Aqlaam colt) and Margaretta (a Belardo-Izba filly) who have one win each. David Allan will be an asset in the saddle of the former; and the latter cannot be dismissed lightly as she is the sole hope of champion trainer Pesi Shroff.
Lady Scarlet, an enigma
But the horse that stirs genuine interest is Lady Scarlet, full sister to Time And Tide (Dali-Starlet), currently the country’s top sprinter.
The Adhirajsingh-trained filly won on its debut, then bolted like a scalded cat in her second outing, burning all her fuel early before Nebula (also lining up here) pounced late. A subsequent run, handled by P Trevor, however, showed maturity as she settled better, displayed tactical speed, and threw up a Dynamic Class Factor that actually puts her slightly ahead of Buckingham.
