Cardinal to battle with Astapi in S A Poonawalla Multi-Million race

The highly regarded Cardinal, trained by Pesi Shroff and to be ridden by B Prakash, who made a sensational winning debut on the Pune track last month, will be the top attraction in the S A Poonawalla Multi-Million (SAPMM), a grade 2 race that will be the prime attraction on the Saturday card.

Locking horns with Cardinal will be Astapi (L Stephane up), Haunting Fantasy (C Rajendra up) & Suryaveer (PS Chouhan up). Despite a small field of seven runners, the SAPMM race will be watched with interest by a record crowd for whom the sponsor Poonawallas have offered a Maruti Alto as the bumper prize in a 'Free Contest of Skill'. The supporting event, Villoo C Poonawalla Gold Cup named after Dr Cyrus Poonawalla's wife, has attracted eight speedy three-year-old horses who will be looking for their maiden success.

This race may see a three-way fight among Highway Express (Suraj Narredu up), Divine Spendour (C Rajendra up) & Flying Kiss (Dashrath Singh up).