Salman Khan won a race!

It was almost a Bollywood-like photo-finish at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse on Sunday afternoon as Salman Khan, riding the stallion Wild Rose, fought off a stiff challenge from professional jockeys Mallesh Nareddu, YS Srinath and B Prakash and two amateurs, to win a 600 metres exhibition race at the Hello! Million. It was a promotion event for his Friday release Veer (produced by Vijay Gallani for Eros International Media Ltd), in which the Bollywood hunk plays a swashbuckling, horse-riding warrior, but Salman threw himself into preparation days before the race. He is a trained rider, in case you don’t know, and among his close buddies are several professional jockeys. Now the training and friendship came in good stead as he got back to his riding ways and the jocks familiarised him with the bends and finish of the race track.

With the entire Khan-daan sitting in the Members’ Enclosure of the Turf Club and cheering him lustily, Salman took the finish like a pro, glancing over his shoulder triumphantly at the field a short head behind. He was riding with broken stirrups. But that kind of victory in the face of daunting circumstances, you could have expected from the action hero. Later, the star jockey of the afternoon told BT, “I was nervous, but I won because of God’s grace, and I’m happy about that. There was a slight moment of panic when my stirrups broke... but then, ultimately, it was all good.” The competing jockeys thought he was fantastic in the saddle, the Turf Club members mobbed the actor, and the Mahalaxmi Racecourse enjoyed its day in the sun. Not since Vijay Mallya had the legendary English jockey Lester Piggot, considered the world’s best in his time, riding the 1991 Derby has the racecourse had such excitement. The 2010 Derby is close, and Mallya should look at Salman’s dates and consider his race card more carefully.