Only six horses will face the starter in Sunday's Villoo C Poonawalla Pune Derby (Gr 1). On paper that is a thin field. On the track, it is a race worth travelling half the country to watch. 

The reason is simple. Two top trainers, two three-year-olds, both unbeaten in four starts each. Local champion trainer Pesi Shroff saddles Jaandaar (Earthlight - Dance Awhile). Bangalore-based Prasanna Kumar sends out Iron Mirage (Dreamfield - Setareh). Neither colt has put a foot wrong so far. Come Sunday evening, sadly, one of them will.