At a time when the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) was desperately looking out for a new sponsor for the blue riband of the summer season, the Bangalore Derby after HPSL opted out, Zavaray Poonawalla magnanimously agreed to sponsor both the Colts Championship Stakes scheduled to be held on June 22 and the Derby on Sunday, July 13. Zavaray after sealing the deal made it clear to the managing committee of the BTC that he will spare no effort to raise the bar and the stakes on offer for the mega event will only be next best to what the Mumbai Derby offers to the winner.

The BTC committee, it must be mentioned have successfully roped in sponsors for most major events of the summer season and this has helped the club tide over the financial crunch, while posting the required big credits in the balance sheet. " Before the start of the summer season it looked bad, not many big players in the game ready to promote the sport, pointing out that they don't get the desired mileage. But slowly, yet surely they did support and now with Zavaray providing the thrust, the Zavaray S Poonawalla Bangalore Summer Derby will attract the best talent on the racing circuit," said BTC chairman Manjunath Ramesh. The guaranteed prize money is increased from Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.5 crore and the professionals are delighted with the big stakes on offer apart from the entry into the Hall Of Fame.