Pesi Shroff-trained filly shocks favourites to win 37th Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million

Margaretta (Vivek G up) being led in by owner Mehernosh H Deboo (second from left) after winning the Poonawalla Breeders’s Multi-Million at the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje

It was completely against the script. When all the betting money landed on Buckingham (backed down to 10-9-on), and minority supporters of Invictor (5/1) and Lady Scarlet (9/1) were secretly hoping for a miracle, the Pesi Shroff-trained three-year-old filly Margaretta, going out friendless at 14/1, thundered onto the scene from the rear, and passed them all to win the 37th edition of the Poonawalla Breeders's Multi-Million (Gr 1), the richest juvenile race in the country, which was run as a feature event at the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Sunday.

Thundering finish

The powerful gallop Margaretta (Vivek G up) unleashed to pounce on Lady Scarlet (P Trevor up), who looked all set to cause an upset with a nearly successful start-to-finish mission, was unbelievable. The win made her sole owner Mehernosh H Deboo richer by R90 lakh. The win also saw the 37th version of the PBMM almost setting a new record timing, falling short by a mere 7/100th of a second, stopping the clock at 1 minute 21.16 seconds for the trip of seven furlongs.

Fifth winner for Shroff

This was Shroff's fifth PBMM winner as a trainer after Picasso (2011), Costa Del Sol (2015), Accolade (2016) and Miracle (2021); and for jockey Vivek G, this was his first ever PBMM winner. "She posted some good work before the race, but no one around me shared my view, so I was not confident. In fact, in the paddock the owner [Maharnosh] asked me what I thought. I put him off, saying, ‘hoping she runs well, but expecting will be a bit too much'," Shroff told mid-day after the race.