“Glory can only be seen under the spotlights,” says bon vivant, philanthropist, industrialist, and horse racing enthusiast Zavaray Poonawalla as he launched the much anticipated evening races at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai.
“Three decades ago, I had thought about the concept of evening races in India and often spoke of it happening one day at the racecourse in Mumbai,” elaborates the genial gentleman with a kindly glint in his eye. “Even at that time, many supported the idea but its feasibility was doubtful,” he adds.
His dream kept going back and forth for many years before it actually started taking shape. The result? The very first evening races were held in Mumbai over the past weekend and the season was kicked-off with the Zavaray Poonawalla Evening Racing Triple Million which boasted a pure silver trophy weighing in at over four kilos.
As the sun was beginning to set, a vintage Rolls Royce 1937 Phantom III (owned by Yohan Poonawalla) pulled up to the race track with actresses Evelyn Sharma, Rashmi Nigam, and Perizad Kolah – all modeling creations by Delna. The car then went around the track as the sky lit up with magnificent fireworks.
In true Poonawalla style, the celebrations went on till late into the night and everybody was already looking forward to the Poonawalla Multi-Million Races which will take place on the last Sunday in February.
