Following their remarkable 1-2 finish in the Indian Derby, the Narredu family continued their winning streak with jockey Suraj Narredu and his brother trainer Rajesh Narredu securing victory in the prestigious Gr 1 Poonawalla Million Multi-Million event, courtesy of Excellent Lass. Excellently prepared and in peak fitness, Excellent Lass, the daughter of Excellent Star, displayed a dazzling burst of speed in the final furlong to outpace another contender from Bangalore, Flight On, clinching victory in the richest race for juveniles. The race concluded in a thrilling finish, with three horses closely vying for the win.

This year stands as a memorable one for jockey Suraj Narredu, who has consistently triumphed in classics and major races, marking an unprecedented level of success in the annals of Indian racing. Suraj Narredu undeniably holds the position of the number one jockey in the country by a significant margin.

Early birds have always won the Poonawalla Million, and this year was no exception. Among the Mumbai contenders were Malesh Narredu-trained Dash, who boasted back-to-back wins over sprints, Dallas Todywalla-trained Field of Dream, and Pesi Shroff`s pair, Jade and The Panther. Prasanna Kumar-trained Redefined led the Bangalore challenge, alongside Flight On, who had shown impressive form in a mock race before arriving in Mumbai. Excellent Lass, making a winning debut at Bangalore, had been brought to Mumbai early for a mock race to acclimate to the track, adding to the anticipation of an exciting race.

The event lived up to expectations, with Suraj Narredu expertly timing his challenge aboard Excellent Lass besides showing his tactical acumen. He guided her to measure the front-running Flight On, who had taken the lead in the final furlong, and Field of Dreams near the post, securing victory by half a length. A nose separated Flight On and Field of Dreams for second and third place, respectively, while Jade completed the frame. The Panther and Dash fell short of expectations and were never in contention for victory.

As the field settled to race the seven-furlong trip, Strom Cloud took the lead, closely followed by Redefined, Flight On, Fiorentini, Excellent Lass, Field of Dreams, Jade, Dash, Thalassa, The Panther, and Superluminal. Redefined led the pack into the straight, with Flight On and Field of Dreams pressing strongly along the rails. Sensing the need for a clear run, jockey Suraj Narredu wisely manoeuvred Excellent Lass to the wide outside early in the straight, avoiding potential turbulence through the field.

Flight On surged ahead in the final furlong, with Field of Dreams gaining ground along the rails and Excellent Lass covering considerable ground with powerful strides. Despite Flight On`s determined effort, Excellent Lass rallied strongly and surged ahead just before the wire, securing victory by half a length. Flight On bravely held on to second place by a mere nose. Jade maintained momentum to claim fourth position, while The Panther, hindered by the sharpness of the trip, settled for fifth place. Dash, disappointingly, finished poorly.

In the 2400 meters Mystical Trophy, a race tailored for horses rated 40 to 66, Exuma, trained by M K Jadhav, justified its favouritism despite drifting odds as significant money came in on last-start winner Multiverse. Giant King, led the field with Multiverse, Exuma, Regal Command, and Gangster in pursuit. Holding the lead deep into the straight, Giant King faced a strong challenge from Exuma, who surged closer to home with a powerful gallop, ultimately overtaking the frontrunner for a comfortable victory. Meanwhile, Multiverse settled for third place, narrowly fending off Gangster`s challenge to maintain its position on the podium.

In the 1600 meters Kumar R Dalal Gold Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 86, trainer Nosher Cama`s Scaramanga staged a remarkable comeback, overcoming a sluggish start to deliver a brilliant surge in the home stretch, ultimately defeating the favourite Geographique with relative ease. Scaramanga`s supporters endured moments of despair as the horse lagged for most of the race, needing to cover significant ground to catch up with the frontrunners. Meanwhile, Alpine Star, the last-start winner, led the field but was ultimately overtaken by Geographique before Scaramanga`s explosive late run secured victory close to home, with Alpine Star settling for third place.

Trainer Pesi Shroff, despite a generally disappointing day, found success with last-start winner Reminiscence in the 1200 meters Florrie & Freddy Sopher Gold Trophy. Reminiscence displayed impressive improvement, advancing along the rails from a favourable position to surge ahead by the final furlong, securing a comfortable victory. Eight-year-old Majestic Warrior made a late charge to claim second place ahead of Fighton by a narrow margin.

In the 1200 meters Intervalve Poonawalla Ltd Trophy for maiden three-year-olds, Mumtaz, another horse from Shroff`s stable and a strong favourite following a notable second-place finish in her last outing, faltered in the final furlong, allowing front-running Raise The Stakes to secure victory by a margin of four lengths over Shambala, who overcame a slow start to claim second place ahead of Quicker. Mumtaz who finished poorly appears to be overhyped.

Adhiraj Jodha-trained Winter Agenda thwarted El Greco`s hopes in the 1400 meters Dr Goolam E Vahanvati Trophy, leading from start to finish and holding off a strong challenge from El Greco to win by a neck. Christophany, the heavily backed runner in the race, once again made a late surge but could only manage a disappointing third place.

In the 1200 meters Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy (Div I), trainer Faisal Abbas`s Duffy, who had won narrowly in the previous outing, showed significant improvement, leading from the start under jockey Trevor Patel to win by a margin of four lengths. Eloquent secured second place by a narrow margin over Coin Empress, while Toscana finished a distant fourth. The betting trend indicated success for Coin Empress who began as the favourite before there was a rush of money on Toscana, both of whom disappointed. In the lower division of the same race, long shot Street Sense held on to win by a narrow margin over favourite Ariyana Star, who once again fell short at the finish line despite a strong effort. Jockey Zervan on Street Sense stole a march over her adversary and the valiant effort by jockey Neeraj Rawal on Ariaya Star went in vain by a flared nostril.