The speedy Field Marshal set his own pace in The Poonawalla Mysore Derby 2011 (Grade I), and to the delight of his numerous supporters, the public choice succeeded in landing the rich purse on Sunday. The aptly named chestnut led the charge from the word "go", and with the talented Martin Dwyer guiding his fortunes, managed to ward-off a strong and determined challenge from Southern Bay. For the Poonawalla Group, the last couple of months has been a wonderful period of time as both Field Marshal and Southern Bay are bred by them. After their respective successes in the 1000 and 2000 Guineas, the pair of them fought out a worthy finish in the last Classic of season. After his brilliant timing about three weeks ago, Field Marshall took a giant leap forward and smashed the existing course record today. He travelled the mile and a quarter in a shade under 2:01.54, and bagged a whopping first prize of Rupees 61.2 Lakhs. It isn't difficult to realize that this effort compared favourably with those anywhere else in the country.

Even though there were only eight acceptors, this year's Derby looked quite competitive. Field Marshal, Bold Police and Midtown Magic had finished one-two-three in the 2000 Guineas and were appearing after some solid preparation. Southern Bay had beaten In The Spotlight in the 1000 Guineas. The form got franked after In The Spotlight galloped away with The Monsoon Derby at Hyderabad. It was only a question of the extra distance on Sunday. Which one amongst them would be better suited over 2000 metres? On the basis of comparative timings, the betting public refused to look beyond Field Marshal. After making all the running over a mile, he had got stronger in the final furlong of that race. The jockey had eased him much before they had crossed the wire. There was no doubt that if Field Marshal stayed the trip, it would take a very good horse to beat him on Sunday. The presence of Martin Dwyer added to the flavour, and his mount got backed steadily to start as a firm favourite ahead of Southern Bay, Bold Police and Practicallyperfect.

An alert Field Marshal darted out of the gates and showed the way to At The Helm, Southern Bay, Midtown Magic and Bold Police. Not more than four lengths separated these runners, as they took the rising ground near the three furlong marker. The first casualty at this stage was Bold Police. He lost interest in the proceedings and dropped out of contention. The next one to call it a day was At The Helm. She tried her best to keep pace with Field Marshal, but that proved to be an exhausting proposition. At the Helm ran out of gas near the final bend and veered out under pressure. The other three made their way towards the winning post. Field Marshall held a distinct advantage over Southern Bay and Midtown Magic, as the front-runners entered the final furlong. Field Marshal showed an inclination to roll out under pressure, but Martin Dwyer was alert to the situation. He corrected the drift and gave him a couple of back-handers. Field Marshal showed a lot of resolution by quickening further and holding onto his advantage. Despite Gallagher's strong urgings, Southern Bay had no option but to settle for the second spot. Midtown Magic and Practicallyperfect finished at respectable intervals to take the minor placings.

After Holding Court and Becket, this was the third Padmanabhan trained horse to win a Derby in Haresh N Mehta's colours. The owner had come from Mumbai to lead-in this winner. The connections were overjoyed with Field Marshal's performance and the trainer was quick to confirm that the chestnut would be targeted at the Indian Classics. Field Marshal is absolutely brilliant over a mile, and it will not surprise many if he makes a successful journey to Mahalakshmi. The Poonawalla family was equally elated with today's result. Zavaray Poonawalla announced his decision to continue the family's association with The Mysore Race Club. He confirmed that the 2012 edition of The Mysore Derby will be sponsored by The Poonawalla Group.

The other outstanding performance on Derby Day happened to come from the Sharat Kumar stable. The brave Atlantus carried a crushing weight of 65.5 kilos to an exciting victory in The Bangalore Turf Club Trophy. Being a seven furlong handicap for horses in the highest class, the race had an "open" look. One horse that was definitely out at the weights was Atlantus. The penalty that he had received for his previous victory made it difficult for him to win today. The presence of an ordinary rider like R Ravi in the saddle made his task that much tougher. Contrary to all expectations, Atlantus put up an amazing performance. He came charging on the wide outside to go past the Gazaki, Accurate and Ohiyesa near the winning post. The one that caught the eye in this race was Accurate. After breaking a blood vessel at Bangalore, he had been rested. Running after a gap of three months, Accurate put up a pleasing display. But for this longish absence from a race track, Accurate may have won today. He can be expected to score early in the Winter Season.

The victory of Atlantus completed a fine treble for Sharat Kumar as he had already picked up the first two races of the afternoon with Brabus Speed and Man United. Both these horses were ridden by S John, had got slammed in the betting rings and posted identical victories. Brabus Speed tracked Perfect Speed till the top of the straight and was subsequently asked for his effort. The three year old showed that he belonged to a much higher class by striding away from the pack. John eased him much before they crossed the final post. Brabus Speed can be expected to win on promotion. Man United was campaigned in a similar manner. John waited with him till the top of the bend before changing gears. Man United overtook Brigades Passion and scored an extremely easy victory over Blue Origin and Super Spectacle. In a rare occurrence, John managed to score a quick hat-trick in the very next race of the day. Partnering rank outsider Allegro for Ranjeet, he was content to bide his time. Favourite My Boy had used up all his energy by opening up a six length lead into the straight, and it was only a matter of time before he would stop. Sreekanth's front running tactics failed near the distance post, as My Boy shortened his strides and surrendered the lead to Allegro, Intizara and Thejaguar. Under some relentless whipping from John, Allegro managed to retain his advantage till they reached the winning post.

However, B Sreekanth had a reason to smile later in the afternoon. By winning a couple of races, he managed to pip Ladjadj Stephane in the jockey's championship. Since Sunday was "officially" the last day of the season, the honours list was confirmed in the evening. Lokanath had managed to finish a couple of points ahead of Dhariwal and Sharat Kumar in the trainer's tally. This was the second year in succession that Lokanath had achieved this distinction. Sreekanth's riding on B Puttanna's Sweet Timer was applaud able. On-money favourite Greenbro shot his bolt near the bend and was a beaten horse in the straight. By this time Enduring Speed and Heydan had assumed control of the proceedings. Seizing a minor opening between the two of them, Sreekanth brought Sweet Timer into the fray. With sheer grit and determination, he coaxed his mount to get the better of Enduring Speed and Heydan.

In the very next race, he rode similarly. Lokanath's Unique Show was far behind on-money favourite Super Sprint, Living Legend and High Treason as the runners raced into the final furlong of this race. A couple of factors changed the scenario. Super Sprint swished her tail and lost interest in the race. High Treason burst a blood vessel and dropped out of contention, while Living Legend veered out under pressure. In the midst of all this confusion, Unique Show moved smoothly through the pack and posted an unexpected victory.

A winner in both his outings, Dhariwal's Airplay went onto complete a hat-trick of victories this season. He pulverized his opponents while romping home with The Gayatri Devi Memorial Trophy. Being a mile handicap for horses rated 60 and above, Airplay found himself conceding weight to the others. Dhariwal lightened his burden by declaring apprentice Vaibhav to guide his fortunes. This youngster has ridden well this season, and his efforts astride Airplay were equally effective today. Chasing a runaway Foswell till well into the straight, Airplay raced well clear of the others. He got the measure of the leader near the 300 metre marker and moved forward. With none of the others at the back showing any interest in the proceedings, Airplay won by a widening margin of nine lengths from Con Artiste and Elite Land.

The day ended with a popular victory for Satish Narredu's Sparkling Star. Having finished a good second behind Castro, this runner selected herself as a frontline contender in this race. The five and a half furlong trip suited her to a nicety. Punters ignored the riding capabilities of R Koch, as they felt that the filly was good enough to carry him past the winning post. That is exactly what transpired on the track. Sparkling Star took a firm hold over the proceedings and made every post a winning one. Koch gave her a crack or two near the furlong marker to ensure that she did not lose interest in the proceedings. A late finishing Windsor Park came with determined strides to occupy the runner-up berth.