Abhay Deol; “It’s my first time at the Derby and it’s been quite exciting. I bet on a horse and I lost! But it’s been a great experience to be here meeting people and seeing what goes on at the Derby. I am definitely coming again!”
Mumbai February 6th 2011: Moonlight Romance ran the race of her life to ward off stablemate Ocean and Beyond, to win the McDowell Signature Indian derby at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse taking home Rs. 1 crore 30 lakhs. Her owners Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Waryam Singh and Prem Tharani were obviously (pardon the pun) over the moon! Vijay Mallya handed over the trophy as Sidhartha Mallya, Signature Brand Ambassador Abhay Deol, Rohit Bal, Atul Kasbekar, Natasha & Adar Poonawala, Nishka Lulla, Nisha Jamwal, Sudhir Misra, Arunoday Singh, Aditi Rao Haydri & Manasvi Mamgai and Sunny Dewaan looked on. But here’s the burning question; where was Deepika Padukone, hmm?!
‘Saddle Up’, named after Dr. Mallya’s legendary horse, was created as the Signature cocktail for the McDowell Signature Indian Derby and keeping with the Derby traditions worldwide, this Signature whiskey based cocktail is now part of Derby tradition as is the mint julep in Kentucky. The freshness of the beverage from the Signature stable is just right to quench every Derby thirst over the weekend.
From the prize money to the entertainment, the quality of the race to the record crowd of nearly 26,000, the McDowell Signature Indian Derby is all set to break new ground in sports and entertainment. The record prize money of nearly 2.25 crores has not only set a new benchmark for a single sporting event in the country, but is the fore runner of a massive build up as the UB Group and the RWITC have signed a renewal of the agreement till 2017, at a massive 28 crores. The prize pool for the race is set to surpass 3 crores and touch 3.5 crores
There were class acts by internationally-renowned performers over the 2-day event which included a special appearance by Billy West, regarded as Europe’s No.1 Freddie Mercury impersonator. Billy’s repertoire includes 25 hits and every song is performed in the original key. All the costumes he wears are perfect copies of the originals. Joining him were the Pussycat Dollies who began as a tribute band to the Pussycat Dolls. (Now, this I’ve got to see!) Accompanying Billy West and the Pussycat Dollies were the Shaolin Monks and their acrobatic segments.
(*Lol, just re-read the entertainment line up above and died laughing. “Europe’s No.1 Freddie Mercury impersonator… includes 25 hits and every song is performed in the original key. All the costumes he wears are perfect copies of the originals”)
The custom-designed 16000 sq ft air-conditioned hangar hosted all the performances and entertainment acts for the McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2011, including a carnival bazaar, tarot card reader, foot spa, nail bar and more.
One lucky patron – Mr. Ravikant, was the winner of a Mercedes in a contest of skill at the Derby Sweepstakes this year at the McDowell Signature Indian Derby.