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No sooner they entered the homestretch, Hall of Glory was joined by Star Future and just as Star Future went ahead the others from the rear began to unleash a quality challenge. At the distance post, there were seven of them together spread across the width of the turf, all at their best speed. Star Future, Ocean And Beyond, Mystic Dawn and Macchupicchu had the sprawling turf ahead with no hindrance in front. The Leader was completely perplexed going all over the place looking for that all important gap between horses and finding none, returned to squeeze through the inner railing. It looked for a moment when Ocean And Beyond made a bold bid from the inside rails, that he would make it. But that feeling did not last long. The next moment that perception had changed.
This was just the juncture when jockey SA De Sousa brought Beautiful Stranger to the scene at a tremendous clip. Beautiful Stranger galloped like a champion to dismiss the opposition within split seconds and trounced Ocean And Beyond and company decisively. His final finishing gallop was as breathtaking to watch as De Sousa’s riding acumen. He had timed the race to perfection and brought glee to the Rattonsey camp yet again with a victory in a major race as the Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi Million (Gr1).
“He travelled extremely well all through and was ready for the final assault when the time came. He is a quality colt and will mature further into a top-of-the-line contender. This win was not as easy as it seemed; there was a crowd of horses at the bend and I had to make sure I steered clear of the traffic. Once he saw daylight, there was little to worry,” said jockey De Sousa.
The strong crowd gave Beautiful Stranger a standing ovation as Mr Rattonsey, trainer SS Shah led in the winner. At the presentation ceremony, Mr Farouq Rattonsey was evidently happy. “Beautiful Stranger had to be nurtured well since he has had his share of problems. We did not push him during his mock race, as we didn’t want to stretch him too much. Mr Shah has done a wonderful job in tuning him perfectly. We knew that he would win and it is always satisfying when you get what you expect,” he said.
Dr CS Poonawalla, Chairman, Poonawalla Group, said, “The race has grown in stature and each year the contest is getting tougher. I am happy for Farouq (Rattonsey)”.
Mr Zavarey Poonawalla said, “Beautiful Stranger is a good horse. It was anybody’s race until the last 200 metres. Finishes like these shows how exciting and competitive the race turned out to be. Hearty congratulations to Mr Rattonsey, trainer SS Shah and De Sousa.”
One lucky lady, familiar but not regular at the racecourse, bagged the trademark Maruti car, the bumper prize for nominating the first four placing of the PBMM. She said she nominated the horses just going by the gut feel and had not taken more than a minute to fill the form. She said she had come by the local train with friends and now they would all drive back home in the new Swift car.
The attendance was largely healthy and so were the tote collections. The Poonawallas had announced free entry to the early 5,000 at the 1st enclosure and the crowd was conspicuous by the numbers in both enclosures. The latest and trendy outfits were the order of the day and the lady patrons were strutting around, dressed immaculately to the handbag and branded shaded glares. Socialite Nisha Jamvwal was awarded for the best hat she was sporting. A certain Ms Farah Mawa won the best-dressed-lady award. She was wearing elegant white trousers with a red top and hat to match. However, the smile she was wearing surely enhanced the elegance. While she walked gingerly on to the stage to receive her award, it struck me that the red and white combination are indeed the Poonawalla colours too!
