Pune comes out in its Sunday best for the races

Pune kept its date with the racing season, and a large number of spectators turned out in their Sunday best to witness the S.A. Poonawalla Million championship.

The event is a prestigious one for juveniles, or three-year-old horses, during the Pune racing season. A small but select field of six runners lined up to face the starter.

Many of the top three-year-old horses have claimed this race en route to successful careers, and this year’s renewal promised to be the same.

Sultan Suleiman, who had stylishly won the Southern Command Gold Trophy a fortnight ago, was kept in second place till the bend. He then stormed ahead and staved off every challenge from Trouvaille to win the race in an exciting finish.

Sultan Suleiman made his trainer Altaf Hussain proud by winning this race, as Mr. Hussain had won the inaugural edition of this event in 1996. Among the 14 entries for the free Contest of Skill, Xavier Anthony, a small-time punter from the first enclosure, won the first prize. He drove home a Maruti Alto.