A dozen three-year-olds, five of them fillies, will line up near the seven-furlong marker of the Mahalaxmi racetrack to face the starter, who will flag them off for the mid-day trophy at 4 pm today. Besides the glittering trophy and a sizable chunk of the stakes money of Rs 5.75 lakh, the winning connections would also be looking forward to be the cynosure of all eyes in the unique ambience that brand mid-day lends to whole experience by adding the glitz, glamour and extra-ordinary visibility to this mega event every year.

Difficult call
Like every year, the mid-day trophy offers a tough puzzle this year too what with eight of the 12 being unknown entities who will be running the first ever race of their career. Generally, it is difficult to accurately predict the condition--and hence chances--of horses making debut because before one checks them out in the paddock, one can only rely on the reported track work logged in by them in the morning trials as part of preparation.