One can trust the unexpected to happen by the time the Gr.1 Poonawalla Bangalore Derby comes around. With the best of the four-year olds being taken to have a go at the Gr.1 Indian Derby which comes a week after the running of the Bangalore plum, the ones left behind are set to fight for honours. Last year, Forever Elegance, who was not among the front liners for classics till the season began, went on to win the Derby besides the Oaks. Refreshing who is in an identical situation is poised to have a bold show in the Derby provided the colts and geldings don’t measure up to expectations.Ganapathy trained Flashing Star has always carried plenty of hope but failed to deliver. After his impressive wins last year at Mumbai, he enjoyed the tag of being the best among his contemporaries but he was displaced from that position by Holding Court. The son of Razeen had his only classic success when he thwarted the bid of Hesperus in the Mysore 2000 Guineas but performed dismally against Psychic Strength in the Derby at Mysore. Flashing Star has been tracking well and gets a final chance to make amends. Whether this is the occasion for him to redeem himself, remains to be seen. All said and done, he goes into the race as one of the most favoured runners. The one horse that has gone on from strength to strength is Faraz Arshad’s Refreshing. The daughter of Be Fresh was always expected to reach the highest class but was never considered as a classic prospect. She belied expectations by wining the Guineas and then lasted out the grueling mile and half long trip effectively to win the Oaks. Considering the fact that she has done nothing wrong and may still prove herself against the stronger colts and geldings, Refreshing deserves the whopping final entry fee paid to give her a shot in this coveted event. Refreshing has everything going for her. Darius Byramji trained Arturo is another who goes into the race with plenty of hope. The son of Steinbeck was always considered a classic prospect though his runs in the Bangalore Summer and Mysore Racing Seasons did not enhance that belief. However, he ran a great race in the Gr.1 Calcutta Derby, pushing Aristotle all the way to the post. Considering that the winner was close to overhauling the long standing record of the great Elusive Pimpernel, Arturo comes into this race strongly fancied to finally fulfill the promise shown as a juvenile. Trainer Padmanabhan has great hopes on Powerthrust. The son of Placerville out of Virginia Princess finished third to Holding Court in the Kingfisher Derby and then ran into one problem or the other. He ran a dismal race in the Golconda 2000 Guineas and was off work for a considerable period of time. Powerthrust ran over a mile and a quarter race last week and ran a fair third despite the apparent lack of fitness. Padmanabhan believes that Powerthrust would not find the mile and half trip taxing for his ward and expects the four-year gelding to run with a fair chance of pulling it off. Erstwhile champion jockey Pesi Shroff has pitched in Colour Bearer as a final entry in the hope that the son of Tejano has the potential in him to be a Derby winner. Colour Bearer hasn’t done anything of note since running behind Flashing Star in the Gr.2 Breeders’ Produce Stakes last year but considering the poor quality of the field in the line up for the Derby, there is nothing wrong in being optimistic. It could well be Flashing Star, Refreshing, Powerthrust and Arturo but not necessarily in the same order.