The Poonawalla Breeders Multi-Million is the only Group 1 race run at 1400m, with The Suresh Mahindra Multi-Million, Gr.2, and The BTC Anniversary Cup, Gr.2 being other competitive races at this distance. Over the years, The B.T.C Anniversary Cup, Gr.2 has been a regular feature during the Derby weekend. Along with The Derby and The Mystical Million, The BTC Anniversary Cup promises to make the big day highly competitive.

Barring the last renewal, this race has seen a field in double digits every time in the past decade. On Sunday, a field of a dozen will face the starter, having an average rating of 105, which is slightly more than that of the last 10 years. Although, comparing ratings over a long period may not always present a true picture, but just for a fact, in the last 10 runnings, only once has a horse rated less than 100 won this race – Bold Command (94) in 2016. In Sunday's field, there are 7 runners rated in triple digits. 4-year-old horses have won it 6 times in the last 10 renewals, including last three in a row. A total of six 4-year-olds are participating on Sunday. Favorites have obliged just thrice in the past decade.

Trainer S.Padmanabhan achieved a hat-trick, winning with Rhapsidion Snow twice, in 2008 and 2009 and then with Celestial Way in 2010. It has been 9 years now since Padmanabhan won this race and his ward Mauritania (Excellent Art – Classic Sky) seems likelyto be the favorite in this field. Mauritania's record at his home turf has been exceptional, finishing in the top-two in 9 of 10 starts here. After winning The Suresh Mahindra Multi-Million, Gr.2, Mauritania lost both his starts this summer. A rare observation is that he was ‘impounded' for vet examination after both those races, however, no abnormality was reported each time. Whether there is something amiss with Mauritania's fitness will be debated upon, a paddock-check is strongly recommended before the race. On the contrary, what makes a strong case for Mauritania is that the only horse who has audaciously dominated him in his career – Tutankhamun, has given this race a miss. In this field, only Prevalent Force, Corfe Castle, and Knotty Ash have finished ahead of him in the past, and all of them once each. The fact that certain horses do well with a particular rider is well-known and Mauritania too enjoys such camaraderie with David Allan. Allan has ridden him in 10 races, finishing in top-two in 9 of them, including 5 wins. Mauritania has a similar record at Bangalore, where he has managed to be in the firing line on most occasions. Foreigner riders have had decent luck in this race, winning 4 times in last 11 renewals.

A potential threat to Mauritania comes from Corfe Castle (Excellent Art – Miss Danehill). In his last start, Corfe Castle ran a valiant second to Tutankhamun in The JayachamarajaWadiyar Cup, Gr.3. Mauritania, the favorite in that race, gave up in final 400m finishing 5th with five lengths separating him and Corfe Castle. Making that race a yardstick, he will carry a kilo more than Mauritania on Sunday, and whether the latter can narrow down that gap of 5 lengths will be keenly watched. What comes as a boost is that he will be ridden by SurajNarredu, the first time in 14 starts. Often in his career, Corfe Castle has shown an exemplary turn of foot, with The PBMM win being one among them. He has shown the tendency to come from behind, much like his sister Ruffina and therefore where exactly Suraj positions him vis-à-vis Mauritania will be the key. Since his last run, Corfe Castle has impressed in tracks and looks to be in fine fettle for Sunday. 

Prevalent Force (Multidimensional – Prevalence) is the highest-rated runner and carries the top handicap of 60kgs. Since his South India Derby, Gr.1 victory, Prevalent Force hasn't been the same horse. In 9 starts since, he has won just twice (both in Mysore) and has been winless for about 322 days now. The reason for why horses who once appeared so promising in their classic year fizzle out later is something that can keep one scratching their heads all the time. But if this at all is a reason in Prevalent Force's case, he has carried a handicap of 59kgs or more in all his last 7 starts. Winning graded races in the early part of the career, often mandates the horse to carry heavier handicap later and hence that penalty truly validates the competitive character of the animal. Whether Prevalent Force forces that character out on Sunday like last year will have a huge bearing on how his career progresses further. His dam Prevalence's progenies have done relatively well at longer distances and so has Prevalent Force and hence the insistence to run him in sub-mile races comes as a surprise. His partner for Sunday, S Zervan won this race with Storm Breaker in 2013.

Rhapsidion Snow won back-to-back renewals of this race, in 2008-2009 and CavalloVeloce (Lucifer Sam – Mink Mitten) would look to emulate her this year. Last year, CavalloVeloce stunned the duo of Castlebridge and Your Royal Majesty to win this racenarrowly, but now has his task cut out as he faces a sterner opposition. He won his last start, The Chief Minister's Cup, Gr.3, beating Accolade by 2 ¾ lengths, after which he reportedly pulled up lame on his left fore. His rider, A Imran Khan won this race on Royal Salute in 2015.

La Rondine (KingdaKa – Rahy's Serenade) won The Spartan Poker Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 in her 2nd start itself, but has failed to live up to the expectations after that win. NeerajRawal piloted her to a 2-¾-length victory in The Mayor's Cup. Celestial Way (in 2010) was the last filly/mare to win this race and La Rondine would look to put an end to that drought. Knotty Ash (Gusto – Dovers Hill) has won both starts this summer, including a win over Mauritania last month by 2 ¼ lengths. Mauritania carried 5.5kgs more than him in that race, but now the difference has narrowed down to 3.5kgs. Knotty Ash has won just once over 1400m.

Lady Legend (Win Legend – Masquenada) has some exceptional numbers to show as far as her Bangalore record is concerned. At this track, she has won 5 of 6 starts, finishing second only once, and ironically to Knotty Ash! Though Lady Legend has a strong pedigree, she is yet to win a race in the classic company. For the first time, there is a change in the saddle as P Trevor takes charge. Her trainer SS Attaollahi won this race with Serjeant At Arms two years back, where he clocked 01:23.23, which still is a record intact at this course.

Automatic (Lord Admiral – Taxido) won in his last start by a long neck over Auburn (Champs Elysees – Atwirl). Auburn should reverse those placings on Sunday, given there is a lesser gap of handicap now between the two. Auburn has won all her 4 starts at a mile but has been winless since the last Pune season. In the past decade, 3 got-abroads have won this race. Another got-abroad in the field is Brainstorm (Dream Ahead – Roof Fiddle). Brainstorm has lost both his starts this summer, carrying heavy handicaps in both races. His trainer ArjunMangalorkar won this race with Immense (2011) &Optimus Prime (2012).

Star Baron (Total Gallery – Soviet Angel) has won 8 races out of 14 but all of them have come in either Chennai or Ooty. Organic (Eljohar – Ruby Rouge) had a change of stables recently and has finished in rear bunch in both starts this summer at Bangalore.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The mindset of a jockey plays a huge role in the eventual outcome of every race. What exactly goes in the mind of a jockey before a big race like a Derby is worth pondering over. Last year, P Trevor won the Derby on Sir Cecil but lost his preceding engagement that day with the short-priced favorite Castlebridge. To put it into perspective, only thrice in last 10 years did the jockey who won the Bangalore Derby, had won the engagement immediately preceding that Derby - A Sandesh (Secret Pursuit &Serjeant At Arms, 10 July 2016), Suraj Narredu (Feliciana & Be Safe, 13 July 2014) and R Hughes (Sky Train & Moonlight Romance, 11 July 2010). However, in all those instances, there was a gap of more than an hour between their engagements. On Sunday, there are as many as 8 jockeys in The BTC Anniversary Cup who will subsequently ride in The Derby too, within a gap of just half an hour!