The Pesi Shroff-trained Khayyam, who won rather impressively on debut despite looking like a well-fed bull in the parade ring after tipping the scales at 521 kg, will be hard to toss in the New Year's Eve Cup, the prime event of a seven-race card slated at the Mahalaxmi Racetrack on the last day of the year.

To be ridden by Trevor Patel, Khayyam will have to watch out for his main rival, B Fifty Two, the Imtiaz Sait trainee to be ridden by A Sandesh, whose last winning performance on this track indicated that he too is in excellent nick right now. I expect Khayyam to emerge triumphant at the judge's end.