The Mysore Race Club has conjured up a truly magical weekend, with five Grade-1 and one Grade-2 race to be run in a span of 48 hours. It is a watershed moment for the country’s youngest Turf Authority. The last time we witnessed something like this was in December 2019, when the RWITC encapsulated 5 Grade 1 Races, one Grade 2 and one Grade 3 into a single afternoon.

Saturday (October 24) will see three Grade-1 races being run and each wears a very open outlook. Time And Tide, the six-year-old champion sprinter, will look to carve out a bit of history in the Zavaray Poonawalla Sprinters’ Cup. He is bidding for a third successive Sprinters crown, a feat that has not been achieved since the race came into being in 1979.

Taking him on, with age on their side, will be two four-year-olds — Moneybags and Encino. Moneybags has the home advantage and is on a six-race winning streak. Although the heart goes with Time and Tide, form seems to point to Moneybags. Has the time come for youth to stem the tide?

Intriguing

The Zavaray S. Poonawalla Mysore Derby is even more intriguing. Only three of the 11 three-year-olds have ever gone over 2000 metres, but none has won over the distance. The got-abroad gelding Stud Poker, who won the Mysore 2000 Guineas, should have first call despite the fact that he’s going over this trip for the first time. The fillies Royal Legacy and Mahogany could run him close.

With defending champion Ramiel withdrawn, Red Bishop and 2024 winner Dyf are the prime contenders for the gruelling 3000m Zavaray Poonawalla Stayers’ Cup. Red Bishop, the only four-year-old in the field, is the Indian St. Leger winner and his form looks good. It’s age against experience, and although Red Bishop is taking on one of the finest stayers in the land, he could prevail.

Live broadcast

The live broadcast of the Invitation Cup weekend races, including the awards night, will be available free of charge on YouTube and the Mysore Race Club website. It is being arranged by Zavaray S. Poonawalla in association with Mysore Race Club.