After the Dasara festivities, the Indian Turf Invitation Cup is one event the Mysuru sporting and racing buffs are not willing to miss out and it will be a full house at the Mysore Race Club (MRC) even before the starter lowers the flag for the opening event, an hour after noon on Super Sunday. The Champion Of Champion event has generated maximum interest among the railbirds and you need to doff your hat to the famed breeder and the biggest promoter of Indian racing, Zavaray Poonawalla, who has provided glamour and glitz to the two-day classic extravaganza at the city of the Maharajas.

Zavaray satisfied and pleased with the effort of the MRC to provide a silver lining to the event disclosed that he only is doing his best for the stake holders and professionals in the game and it's time the others joined and chipped in to pull the sport out of the oxygen tent following the 40 percent GST slab, which has pushed the sport back against the wall. 

"For the many small, big and more importantly new owners, you need to offer good incentives and stakes to sustain their interest in the sport," said Zavaray adding that the Power sponsorship designed by the Poonawalla Group is providing a shot in-the-arm to all the racing clubs. "We put the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) facing a financial crisis on road to glory, sponsoring all the classics in the summer and the forthcoming winter and when MRC approached me for the double dhamaka, I simply extended the required support to help the passionate hosts set a new standard," said Zavaray. 

The Invitation Cup has attracted five colts and two fillies and the Pesi Shroff-trained Zuccaro appears a cinch for the champion event. Unbeaten from his last six starts, Zuccaro fresh from his success at Malakpet (Hyderabad)  is on top of his game and taking into account that the classic 2400 metres trip suits his style, the piping hot favourite is ready and willing to keep his appointed date for the coronation. Redefined from trainer Prasanna Kumar's yard, winner of the top event last year at Chennai is judiciously prepared with the event in view, but considering the fact that Zuccaro is at his best, it will be tough to stop the star from galloping into the Hall Of Fame on Sunday. 

Like the Invitation Cup, the other Group 1 event on the classic day, the Maj PK Mehra Memorial Super Mile Cup has also attracted seven runners, but here winner picking can be tricky taking into account that four of the seven contestants are in with a definite chance to land the plum. Adjudged the Horse Of The Bangalore Summer season, Alfonsine from the stables of John, Once You Go Black from trainer James McKeown's yard, Prasanna-trained Prokofiev and the in-form Shamrock from trainer Satish Narredu's yard are likely to dominate the finish and what on cards promises to be an intense struggle for supremacy, Alfonsine gains my final vote and he is likely to score from Shamrock.