All eyes will turn to the Champ de Mars this Saturday for the Beauty Success Princess Margaret Cup. Long regarded as the island’s ultimate sprint classic, the race will be run over 1400 metres with eight runners — including two who remain unbeaten on Mauritian soil: At My Command, to be ridden by the newly-arrived Indian jockey Imran Chisty, standing in for the injured Manoel Nunes, and Cumbre Vieja, who will have Kersley Ramsamy aboard in place of Donavan Mansour, still sidelined through injury.

The clash promises fireworks, but punters would be wise not to overlook Sun Blushed (Roberto Perez), the Gujadhur stable’s second string, who has solid credentials of his own. The same applies to Meridius (Raymond Danielson), trained by the rising talent Arveen Nagadoo. Port Louis (Swapneel Rama) could also be a legitimate contender, but Ramapatee Gujadhur’s runner has the bad habit of leaving the gates slowly. Should he jump cleanly — especially in a fast-run race — he could very well upset the script.

On form, At My Command gets our vote, particularly with the advantage of gate one. Cumbre Vieja has been a revelation since arriving in Mauritius and his ceiling is still unknown, but he faces a tougher task this time as he climbs several classes. Sun Blushed should finish strongly, and Meridius, dropped sharply in distance, will also be coming late.

The 13th meeting of 2025 features nine races, and beyond the main event, Race 6 offers an enticing three-way duel over 1365 metres between Daring Dash (R. Perez), unbeaten in two starts; Warhead (Rye Joorawon), who lit up the stopwatch on debut; and Moonlight Trader (I. Chisty), the promising newcomer from Ramapatee Gujadhur. In our view, Moonlight Trader may need this run, while Daring Dash and Warhead look to be progressive types. It should be a tight finish, but Daring Dash gets the nod.

No fewer than four races have attracted just a quartet of runners but each appears competitive. Babylon (Race 1), Brave Bomber (Race 4), Captain Bombshell (Race 5) and Tsunami Warning (Race 9) could emerge victorious in their respective races but San Andreas (Race 1), Romans Revenge (Race 4), Captain Lannister (Race 5) and Lloyd Wright (Race 8) will be no pushovers.

In Race 2, trainer Amar Sewdyal has a golden opportunity to land his first win of the season with Cloud Seeder (K. Ramsamy), as the opposition looks decidedly ordinary. Raymond Danielson could well extend his winning momentum aboard Love On Time in Race 3, while in Race 8, Best Day Of My Life (I. Taka) appears well placed against a modest field.

Our Selections

Race 1: (1) Babylon – (3) San Andreas – (4) Colour of Money
Race 2: (2) Cloud Seeder – (4) River Hawk – (5) Celestial Magma
Race 3: (1) Love On Time – (2) Cybotix – (4) Secret Circle
Race 4: (4) Brave Bomber – (2) Romans Revenge – (3) Secret Oasis
Race 5: (1) Captain Bombshell – (2) Captain Lannister – (3) Cartel Boss
Race 6: (1) Daring Dash – (6) Warhead – (4) Moonlight Trader
Race 7: (1) At My Command – (8) Cumbre Vieja – (2) Sun Blushed
Race 8: (4) Best Day Of My Life – (3) Malinois – (1) Captain’s Consort
Race 9: (1) Tsunami Warning – (2) Lloyd Wright – (4) Arnica Montana