Amidst all the preparations to play perfect host to the Indian Turf Invitation Cup racing carnival on March 4 & 5. at the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC), the T10 cricket tournament scheduled on Thursday, March 2 has generated tremendous excitement in the racing circles, racing buffs eagerly waiting to watch the pros in a new avatar. The response to the three-cornered championship is good, most leading jockeys and trainers strutting their stuff at the practice pitch after the morning trials and it is clear from the preparatory exercises, that the three teams, Jockeys, Trainers and Club Members are fit and ready for the big cricket bash.

The Club Members led by Nikhil Yathiraj should start favourites taking into account that former Ranji Trophy cricketer Udit Patel will parade his skills at the BARI ground and in company with Nikhil is certain to provide a silver lining to the championship. Jockeys, who emerged winners in the opening edition of the tournament, it must be mentioned is the fittest side in the competition and with Imran Khan at the helm, the reigning champions are looking to retain the crown.

The Trainers, who looked good to make their presence felt, suffered a jolt, skipper Neil Darashah opting out, down with flu and that is a big blow considering the fact that Neil is a star performer. In the absence of Neil, Faraz Arshad has been chosen to lead the side and a couple of senior trainers disclosed that despite Neil missing out, Prithviraj, Pradeep and a couple of others have the potential to make a mark and the side though short on fitness has the ability to make a match of it.

Club member, Dayanand Mandre who has left no stone unturned in his effort to provide the best facilities for the big bash before the mega racing carnival revealed that apart from all the players ready for the action, the big cheer groups of the three teams are all geared up to hit the high note on Thursday. The tournament, Dayanand disclosed is sponsored by Daulat Chhabria, Shankar Srinivas, Manoj Kumar and Kaliya Perumal. All the four race horse owners apart from making good investments in the sport have time and again promoted the game. "The Fab-Four readily accepted my proposal and the moment they chipped in, it was nice and easy to put the championship on the high road," said Dayanand.