Poonawalla’s French win

Poonawalla’s French win
With the four-year-old French filly Kenhope’s win at the Prix du Coteau stakes at Clairefontaine in Normandy, France on August 1, 2014, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla’s winning tally in Europe has gone up to five prestigious races during the past 12 months, reveals an email received from Poonawalla. The communication also mentions that the racehorse was trained by H. A. Pantall and ridden by champion jockey C. P. Lemaire.

Dr Cyrus Poonawalla leading in winning filly Kenhope

The filly was purchased for a whopping Rs 10 crore at an auction in Paris last October, reported Mumbai Mirror (MM) on August 5, 2014. On the basis of her comfortable win at Clairefontaine, the owner’s hopes have been raised and Kenhope is now set for a Group-I race in Europe, mentioned MM. Poonawalla’s horses have already won races in England and Ireland and "the horse breeder is set to conquer French racecourses as well.”
The billionaire bon vivant is in another kind of race as well. According to the MM report this is the acquisition race for the Sahara Group’s Grosvenor House Hotel in London where he is bidding against the likes of the Sultan of Brunei and Qatar’s royal family. MM writes that "his hopes (are) high. Perhaps it comes from having developed the winning habit.” The hotel is owned by troubled tycoon Subrata Roy who has been incarcerated for failing to make payment as per the directions of the Supreme Court of India. Adar, Poonawalla’s son, told The Economic Times of July 24 that though his family is interested in the hotel, it would not be drawn into a bidding war. "We have put in a firm offer for the Grosvenor House. But the final decision will be subject to the Supreme Court allowing the Sahara hotel assets to get sold. We have been looking at several hotel assets and we like the luxury segment,” he stated.