B R Sharan Kumar

Silken Touch makes a brilliant switch

2011-12-31T21:20:00.001-08:00

Suleiman Attaollahi trained Silken Touch made a brilliant switch back in distance to win the Dariya Daulat Cup, a sprint race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of last racing day of the year in tremendous fashion. Followers of favourites and that of jockeys who corner the maximum winning rides had a miserable day on Saturday as both the leading jockeys of the centre, Suraj Narredu and Pradeep Chouhan drew a blank despite being on many fancied runners.
ShowTime who had recorded a win over six furlongs in brilliant fashion earlier in the season was making a leap into the highest category of handicap racing by taking on the well performed horses. Silken Touch has been a top performer having measured Secret Punch over a slightly extended trip at Mysore and then rallied late to miss the plum in the Hyderabad Guineas to Suryalakshmi. But Show Time was expected to be at home better over this distance based on the brilliance she had showed but as it invariably happens with such favourites, the filly ran too poorly for comfort. Sometimes the overconfidence of the connections works on the race goers a they had preferred to have Suraj Narredu on board despite the two kgs overweight. That was a self-defeating exercise in a race of this nature where the runners were so closely matched. But the choice of jockeys by Irfan Ghatala has time and again been baffling.
Something seemed to be amiss with ShowTime as the filly never raised a fluent gallop. She did not show the speed to go to the front. In short, race goers could count her out of contention well before the final furlong. Secret Punch went on a start to finish mission with Martin Dwyer on Silken Touch not allowing breathing space for the front runner. When the duo straightened for the run in for home, Silken Touch had Secret Punch measured. Silken Touch quickened well and sped away for a facile win. Show Time was a well beaten third.
Ghatala’s other ward Lady Gaga was backed down spiritedly ahead of I Specialist to win the 1400 metres Madhugiri Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Cinnamon Rush was quietly fancied to pull off an upset. African Queen did the job of the pace setter followed by Cinnamon Rush, Lady Gaga along the rails and I Specialist in close proximity. Rounding the final turn, Samuel Fargeat had Cinnamon Rush take charge even as Lady Gaga made her challenge along the rails. I Specialist too made his bid on the wide outside. The three of them fought out the final furlong with Cinnamon Rush carrying the advantage past the winning post. I Specialist beat Lady Gaga by a whisker for the runner up berth.
It was surprising that Suraj Narredu elected to make his run on Lady Gaga along the running rails. A few races earlier he had said during the Stewards’ enquiry following an objection that he had consciously raced favourite Eagle Claws five horses wide as the inside was badly cut up and kept the course right till the end. How he forgot that the inside was bad and raced Lady Gaga only along the rails remains a mystery. May be the professionals believe that cleverness helps and that officials don’t keep track of statements that they can make contradicting themselves with impunity.
Eagle Claws who had imposing form as a three-year old was backed with conviction to win the Taj Stud Plate (Div II) in the hope that the progeny of Burden of Proof will regain her old touch as she had finished from nowhere to be an eye-catching fourth in her last essay. Smooth Glider was the other horse which was backed spiritedly albeit at nourishing odds. In the event, the belief that Eagle Claws would produce a winning effort was only a mirage and punters paid the price for chasing an illusion. Smooth Glider recoded a handsome win over the favourite with Foswell finishing third ahead of Adonis and Lady Fury. Pradeep Chouhan lodged one of the most frivolous objections that one has seen at this centre when he put an objection against the second and fourth placed horses for shutting him off in the straight which cost him a certain race! May be he did not know how to word his objection or somebody who helped him did not understand what the jockey was intending to say. In the first instance, Lady Fury had finished fifth and no way she would have been pushed four places up and made a winner or disqualified two horses or placed the horse third. Moreover if the interference was so severe for a fifth placed horse to object, then it would have been a subject matter of stewards enquiry and not an objection by the jockey Needless to say, the objection was overruled with hardly any discussion except for the fact that the Chief Stipendiary Steward delayed the inevitable by asking questions to the jockeys when they were not needed on available evidence.
The upper division of the Taj Stud Plate was won by lesser fancied Tanzanite in the hands of five kg claimer Anjar Alam. Tanzanite picked up speed in the final furlong to get the better of front running Star Presence. Stablemate Soberano made a late bid with finish second but the seven year old reportedly burst a blood vessel. The fancied trio of Abnoba, The Spartan and Marie Curie were not spotted at the busy end.
Chouhan waited with Mi Amor for too long for the three year old filly to have a realistic chance of winning the 1600 metres Amber Regent Plate, a race for horses rated 20 to 45. The well backed Absolut Grey shot his bolt after trying runaway tactics. The well backed Brownie came into strong contention with a furlong out and then held off the late bid by Mi Amor. Hill Rising was placed prominently along the rails but did not pick up momentum when the race came to a boil.
The controversy generated following the decision to make favourite Golden Viper run on Friday despite suffering a fall while being loaded to the gates had its effect on the Stewards who have now resolved to withdraw such horses in public interest as well as the safety of the horse concerned. On money favourite Anonymous played up at the gates and promptly the two year old was withdrawn from the fray. In fact, the race saw a record four horses being withdrawn from the fray. Volcano set a fast pace followed by Sweet Secret, with Imperial Verse not getting into rhythm straightaway. Jockey Martin Dwyer had to work hard on Imperial Verse and his persevering efforts paid off the daughter of Noverre overhauled Sweet Secret who had shaped to win. Clever Trick finished on to edge past long-time leader Volcano for the third spot. Imperial Verse was at odds of eight to one in the ring but following the withdrawal of the favourite, the tote paid a hopeless dividend of little more than a rupee dividend.
Violent Storm was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the Kudremukh Trophy but the favourite was kicked on its face by one of the runners on way to the starting gates and was withdrawn from the fray. The lesser fancied Astonishing led all the way and bolted in by a widening margin of six lengths over Lucky Sam. The dividend on Astonishing on tote was so bad that punters may well have cursed themselves for backing the horse on tote. The withdrawal of a favourite has adverse consequences on tote returns.
Simply Phenomenal was another horse to be withdrawn under the new regulation as the five year old gelding played up and refused to be stalled. Six Shooter who had 11 unplaced starts was backed down to spiritedly. This has been a common occurrence as far trainer Sharat Kumar is concerned. The odds on Kripa became lucrative as a result of Six Shooter receiving big betting. Imran Chisty drove out Kripa to contain the challenge of Six Shooter. Sparkling Image finished third in a cluster finish.

Sprint Star wins inaugural day’s feature

2011-11-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

Satish Narredu trained Sprint Star fought a resolute battle with Hatsuhana and prevailed by a neck in the 1400 metres Rajyotsava Cup, a terms race for three year olds and over, the feature event of inaugural day’s races held on Monday. The races which were originally scheduled for Friday had to be postponed due to persistent rain and unsatisfactory underfoot conditions. With rains easing off and bright sunshine facilitating reasonably good going, the long winding winter season could thus take off.
The terms of the race were such that an exciting race was in the offing though in the event, some of the fancied runners like Arts, Star Marquees, Aprillia and String Along were well beaten. Star Marquees, the only three year old in the fray, with just a win to his credit is highly rated though he is yet to live up to the hype. It is possible that he may find his bearings when he is asked to run over a trip which suits his pedigree.
Sprint Star showed out in the paddock parade and it was no surprise that this money spinner came in for some sustained support in the ring to end up as a firm favourite. Aprillia was the pace setter as the field set out for the seven furlong trip with Sprint Star, String Along and Hatsuhana racing in closing proximity while the others were spread out behind. Rounding the final turn, Sprint Star showed up in front with Hatsuhana coming up with a menacing run. For a while it looked as though Hatsuhana would have the upper hand but Sprint Star fought a stiff battle and necked out his challenger. String Along ran on to finish third ahead of Optimus Prime Arts ran way below the expectations of the connections.
Ganapathy trained Magnitude had the best credentials to win the 1600 metres Kolar Plate considering the fact that she had accounted for Derby runner up Severstahl in his first season. He had also run a noteworthy second to St Catz in the Summer season. As such, the spirited support which saw her end up as a favourite was not surprising. In the event, Magnitude who improved places approaching the final bend, picked up speed with a flourish and left the rest stranded for a win by a widening margin of seven lengths. Radical Attraction was a faraway second ahead of African Queen. Mablshwar Memories, who was expected to figure at the finish, was a beaten horse well before the final bend. Magnitude is expected to figure in the Golconda 1000 Guineas as her next target.
Trainer Prithviraj had a well backed double through Abnoba and Indravati. The former who had let down badly at Mysore as a favourite, was backed with conviction to win the 1200 metres Kunigal Trophy. After tracking the speedy Game Dancer into the straight, Abnoba shook off her opponents to win with ease from Make My Day and late rallying Golden Quest. Joriki was stranded at the gates while Florida and Lad Fury ran below expectations.
Indravati was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the 1200 metres Cordon Bleu Plate but he had to be driven out fully to get the better of front running Star of Desire in the final stages of the race.
Trainer Britto was another professional who had a double for the day. Red Bolt, who was at odds of 30 to 1, was angled out in the final furlong and the progeny of Mr Mellon easily measured favourite Sparkling Star and went away for an effortless win in the hands of apprentice jockey Bharath. Regal Hostess was in contention till the final 300 metres but caved in under pressure. Britto’s other winner of the day came through the well backed Fruit King who won the race for the lowest rated horses beating the challenge of Stud Muffin and Silver Sceptre with ease. Smart Edition who led the field into the straight burst her blood vessels.
Trainer Prasanna Kumar’s Thoughts N Actions who had been consistent in summer won the inaugural race of the season. The odds on ante post favourite Mountain Beauty drifted out with the support for Thoughts N Acton firming up. Mountain Beauty led the field into the straight but had no answer when Thoughts N Action swooped on her. The favourite then stretched away to win by a margin of over three lengths. Debutant Cat Logan, who was troublesome at the gates, ran on to finish a faraway third.

Martin Dwyer is Field Marshal at Mysore

2011-10-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

English jockey Martin Dwyer rode a splendid race on favourite Field Marshal to guide the Padmanabhan trainee to victory in the Gr 1 Poonawalla Mysore Derby in front of a capacity crowd on Sunday. The three year old son of the now diceased Placerville won the premier event in a hard way, winning it start to finish in a new record timing of two minutes 01.54 seconds in hot and humid conditions. Padmanabhan thus saddled his 12th Derby winner and three of them have been for owner Haresh N Mehta who earlier Derby winners from the Bangalore based trainer were Holding Court and Becket.

Field Marshal had won the Mysore 2000 Guineas by literally swamping the opposition and earned the tag of highest rated three year old classic winner in the country. There were many who believed that since Field Marshal is out of a Sprinters Cup winning Shamaal, there could be stamina limitations especially since he was expected to do the entire front running and then last out the trip. The strongly built Field Marshal belied such an expectation with a comfortable win over Southern Bay who was gallant in defeat.

Martin Dwyer rode a clever race, increasing the tempo of the race after crossing the mile marker which had the opposition struggling to keep pace, gave a breather to the favourite before quickening for home. Though Field Marshall came off the rails, Dwyer gathered him and drove out the horse to stave off the challenge of Southern Bay. ``A combination of the horse tiring and also the fact that he was idling at the front was the reason why the verdict may have looked closer than what it should have been. Today I rode Field Marshal to defeat the filly who was the main threat. The horse can be ridden differently and he has plenty of scope for improvement, ‘’ said Dwyer. The jockey was battling the long haul in the last one week which had seen him ride in the cold environs of Canada and UK before landing in the early hours of Sunday in Bangalore as also the scorching heat at Mysore. ``I will be coming back in the second week of November to ride for the trainer during the winter season,’’ he added.

Owner Haresh N Mehta was obviously thrilled at winning his fourth Derby. ``I leave the job of training the horse, targeting it and also fixing the jockey. All I do is to lead in the horse,’’ he said. Field Marshal has grown as a strong horse and he has matured physically. We will be targeting him for the Indian classics, said Padmanabhan. The enthusiastic Mysore crowd honoured the jockey by presenting the traditional Mysore turban.

Field Marshall was backed spiritedly to win the Derby which had stakes in excess of Rs 1 core. Southern Bay who had beaten In The Spotlight on two occasions, was another who was reckoned to have the best chance of winning the race. In The Spotlight had subsequently won the Deccan Derby at Hyderabad in impressive fashion which further flanked the form of Southern Bay.

Dwyer had Field Marshall take charge of the proceedings as the starter dispatched the field for the 2000 metres trip as none in the field had the speed to go with him. Southern Bay raced second along with At The Helm followed by Midtown Magic, Bold Police, Practically Perfect, I Specialist and Lad Lady. The pace of the raced picked up as the field covered the first two furlongs and Bold Police was the first to show distress signals as he gradually fell back to go out of contention.

Field Marshall had a breather before quickening again and this time decisively. At The Helm faded out of the scene at the final turn and it was only Southern Bay who stayed on to battle it out with the front runner. Dwyer rode Field Marshal hands and heels throughout the straight despite Southern Bay closing up the leeway. Field Marshal came off the rails inside the final furlong but the jockey corrected the drift and was in control of the situation. Southern Bay finished a shade less than a length at the finish. Midtown Magic ran on to finish third ahead of final entrant Practically Perfect.

Why no EGMs for constructive purposes?

2011-07-26T01:40:00.000-07:00

The Bangalore Turf Club members have sought two Extraordinary General Body Meetings in the last two years but both have not been for the purpose of doing something good for the sport. The first EGM resulted in the removal of the then Chairman P V Shetty who members perceived to be hostile to club’s interests and the second was gone through on Monday, to lay fresh guidelines for the Managing Committee and fixed a limit as to how much money they can spend without the consent of the EGM.

The EGM was ostensibly called because the Managing Committee was in the process of upgrading the computer system. Some of the members felt that such an upgrade was not needed and the whole process was being pushed through because of the benefits accursing to a few by going through with the deal. The Chairman of the Club Kumaraswamy in the meanwhile had written to the club members that the Managing Committee was dropping its move to upgrade the computer system till the BTC matter in Supreme Court regarding eviction from the existing premises was decided. The Supreme Court was to take up the issue on July 19 but the date has been put off indefinitely as no fresh date has been announced.

The EGM on Monday passed a resolution restricting the powers of the Managing Committee to not more than Rs 2 crores. The upgrading of computerisation was dropped till Supreme Court decides on the issue of BTC’s appeal against High Court order, asking them to evict from the existing premises. The BTC consists of about 350 members as vacancies keep happening every year due to death of members and out of them, 100 are active members. If half of them gang up, anything can be stalled. Or for that matter, good also cam come out of that if these members think positively. Interestingly, the EGM resolution is a clear indication of the fact that they have no confidence in the people who they elect to the managing committee! Surely sad state of affairs indeed! In future we may have a situation where the EGM directly governs all matter because the Managing Committee comprises people of dubious credentials. This is what the EGM has sought to convey.

It is good that BTC members are so particular about the coffers of the club. Why are the same members not showing any concern about doing something good for the sport which is under threat because of the club losing the case in the High Court against the State Government? Why have the members not called for an EGM to discuss the issue? Why don’t the club members move a resolution to buy at least some acres of land to provide training and stabling facilities for two-year olds which is hurting the sport year after year? Why has an EGM not been called to negotiate with the government or with a private party to obtain a large chunk of land for building a new race course to ensure the future of the sport? Why these things don’t interest the members? Why are their energies only negative?

Unfortunately the ``active’’ group among members have not directed their energies at ensuring a future for the sport. A similar EGM resolution was what prevented the club from signing the land lease at Chikkajala with the government which at least would have ensured a moral obligation on the part of the government to provide an alternate land in the event of the tank bend allotment were to be turned down by courts. In the event, they did not sign the deal but in the court the club changed its stand and it was not averse to getting the Chikkajala land. The contradiction did not help matters as the court ruled that the said land cannot be allotted for racing activities. With hardly any land available around Bangalore and the club having hostile equation with the government, getting land on lease from the government has almost become impossibility.

The turf club has been resisting moves to shift despite offer of good land in the past three decades. Now with increasing pressure and crumbling infrastructure, BTC has reached a dead end. Everyone including the professionals feel that it is time BTC planned its future and worked towards its future. The status quo ordered from the government does not permit the club to improve its facilities while that imposed by the EGM restricts its activity from event from taking up major repairs to the stables which are in dilapidated state.

Will the members of the club call for an EGM to discuss the future of BTC vis-à-vis the court case and look for alternatives or only restrict their energies to stop one activity or the other? The racing enthusiasts, who have a stake in racing, beg for an answer.

Xisca completes formality in Leger in style

2011-07-26T01:39:00.001-07:00

Pesi Shroff trained Xisca who is easily the best four year old in training in India, merely had to go around the gruelling 2800 metres to lift the Gr 2 Bangalore St Leger, the last classic of the summer season on Sunday. Xisca was not expected to have any problem as none in the field could match her prowess but the only point of interest was how easily she will tackle the trip she was negotiating for the first time. She did so with effortless ease to win by over seven lengths from stablemate Berlusconi. Xisca is the proud property of Ms Christaline Glenn & Mr Mehernosh Deboo rep. Aquarius Maritime Pvt Ltd & Mr & Mrs K. N. Dhunjibhoy rep. Five Stars Shipping Co Pvt Ltd.
The Leger is the last of the classics for four-year olds who then have to look for graded races with penalties where they face an uphill task of giving weight to the rest in the field by virtue of their success. Xisca has many more races where she can assert her superiority and that includes the Gr 1 Indian St Leger which has been shifted back to Pune and Gr 1 President of India Gold Cup. Her next targets may be these two big races. She is eminently qualified to win both of them though in the latter she may end up facing some good older horses. Moonlight Romance who won the Indian version of the Triple Crown by winning the Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby and the Invitation Cup unfortunately was injured in a paddock accident at Mumbai where she reportedly lost vision in one of her eyes. She is still in the stables at the Pune but one is not sure whether her racing career will be prolonged or she will be retired to the stud. By virtue of being at her best, Xisca has a lot going for her.
Xisca went into the race at a short price with punters looking for an upset opting for Ordained One. Elite Land was the pace setter with Rezoom, Ordained One, Sunlight, Xisca and Xtreme racing in that order. Passing the 800 metre marker, Sunlight broke down and rapidly fell back and stopped galloping on turning for home. Prakash was quick to realize the potential of a horse not being comfortable in front and wisely elected to make a quick run on the wide outside and came into the straight full of running, ready to pounce on the front runners. Xisca pounded away from the rest with minimum of fuss even as Ordained One ran out of steam. Jockey Prakash could only spot his stablemate faraway while the rest were plodding behind. Rezoom ran on to finish third. Tragically Sunlight, who had finished second behind Moonlight Romance in the Indian Oaks, was euthanized as she suffered a sesamoid fracture.
Dashmesh Stud Farm promoters had reason to be happy with the way the stud farm produce has been faring during the Bangalore Summer Season. Despite having only a handful of horses racing here, the stud farm bred horses have won about 20 races and Sunday was yet another profitable day, with its produce scoring thrice through Effectual, Practically Perfect and Cape Ferrat, all of them winning literally by a street. Trainer Arjun Mangalorkar, who saddled two of them, also established a lead of two points over Darius Byramji in the race for the trainers’ championship stakes which is headed for an interesting finish.
Mishri, Lady Gaga and Shivalik Prince were all supported in good measure to win the Esquire Trophy (Div I). The progeny of Rebuttal, Shivalik Prince was taken on a start to finish mission by jockey Prakash and the horse swept the others off their feet to win comfortably. Lady Gaga ran to finish second while Mishri continued to disappoint. The lower division of the race saw support coming the way of Signifies with the odds on Prost drifting out significantly. In the event, either of them was not seen at the busy end. After Winning Touch led the field into the straight, Arjun’s Effectual burst clear of the pack to win by a distance from Super Sprint who in turn was about six and half lengths ahead of Signifies.
Ganapathy trained Forest Regent outstayed the rest with ease in the 1600 metres Lt Col Gaunt Memorial Cup, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Imtiaz Sait trained Esmeraldo was the firm favourite but the progeny of Emerald Cat, was found wanting in the straight when Forest Regent came home with a powerful run. Forest Regent sped past a tiring Esmeraldo to win with great comfort. While Forest Regent enjoyed the step up in distance, Esmeraldo and Mountain of Joy who were most fancied, did not handle the mile long trip well.
Cape Ferrat who had given indication that she was ready to strike by her forward run over seven furlongs, was backed down spiritedly and this Arjun Mangalorkar trainee led all the way and checked in clear of Skyliner. Friendly Bond had to cover plenty of leeway on the front runners and found them beyond reach. Skyliner is due for an early win.
There was a terrible accident in the fourth race of the day, the Happy Valley Plate, a race for horses rated 0 to 25. I Fancy You moved in from the outside draw but the saddle appeared to have slipped as jockey Adarsh had a horrible fall with a number of horses racing behind in close proximity. Possibly stablemate Amazing Colour’s hoof may have brushed his face. Adarsh was rushed to the hospital where he is reported to have suffered fracture of the left lower jaw. He also has a clot in his brain which the doctors believe is not problematic. Since the saddle was so loosely tied for it to move from its position within the first furlong marker, the authorities would do well to order an enquiry and if this has happened more times, serious action is called for. The race goers were surely concerned about the well-being of the jockey and the turf club did not help matters by not giving out any official information. For the record, the race was won by Beautiful Dancer who slipped through the rails and held off the strong bid by fancied Southern Pearl by the proverbial whisker.
There was fair bit of rain during the eighth race and the jockeys refused to ride the ninth race stating that the conditions were dangerous for their safety. After a routine examination of the track, the authorities ordered the jockeys to carry on. The race saw lesser fancied Chantilly Jewel win at the expense of Chhota Bheem. Warren Singh’s Black Super Star suffered a sesamoid fracture and was euthanized. The authorities were perhaps right in carrying on with the show but with reluctant jockeys not keen to ride out the horses, race goers certainly felt cheated.
The drifting odds on Hill Rising were indicative of the shape of things to come in the 1600 metres Parisana Plate, a mile race for horses rated 20 to 45. Practically Perfect who had hitherto not given any indication of an imminent transformation, shot away from the field at the top of the straight to win as she pleased from Radical Attraction and Blue Star who were stranded way behind.

Leger should be made a weight for age race

2011-07-26T01:38:00.001-07:00

The Bangalore St Leger will be held on Sunday and a small field will compete for the last classic of the season. Pesi Shroff trained Xisca towers over the rest, with the others being in the fray more in hope than with any real chance. With breeding in India oriented towards producing sprinter milers, there is a paucity of horses capable of saying the gruelling mile and six furlongs trip. As such, there is need to review the composition of the field for Leger. The Leger has lost its popularity as evidenced by hardly any one targeting their wards for this particular race. With hardly any lead up race for preparing horses for this trip, even preparation of horses for this race is not also ideal.
Calcutta has already downgraded the Leger and the race no longer enjoys the tag of a classic race. The race is no doubt still popular in the country of its origin namely England. But in other countries like France and Ireland, the race is a weight for age race. With the fields becoming increasingly thin and the race not holding any competitive interest or attraction for trainers and professionals, the turf authorities could infuse some freshness into the race by throwing open the race for older and younger horses so that we can have a competitive race. This way we can help older horses who are specialists in longer distance races, to get more opportunities. This race also could help trainers to specifically target for the Gr 1 Stayers Cup instead of running horses in this race merely because there is a race to be run.
This race has been pushed back by a season in all racing centres. Only Mumbai used to have this race after the running of the Indian classics as the last classic of the season. From this year onwards, the race will be permanently held at Pune when the four-year olds would have got stronger. This is also done in the belief that the fields can be big and competitive as it can attract outstation challenge. Bangalore holds this race in the summer season and Hyderabad in the monsoon season. Even with such a facility, fields are rarely competitive with the odd staying horse walking away with glory in a less competitive environment. If one were to do a survey of the number of Leger winners that one readily remembers as compared with the Derby winners, this issue is put in proper perspective. The best horses don’t always win this race.
There has been persistent demand for converting the Indian Turf Invitation Cup race as weight for age race allowing the best of older generation to compete against the best of that year’s classic crop. This idea was pursued for a long time but the traditionalists, Hyderabad Race Club and Madras Race Club, opposed the move. A compromise was struck in the form of framing a new race in the meeting of the Turf Authorities of India at Mumbai in March. The race, to be held on rotational basis on December 25. The race, named Indian National Championship Trophy, is to offer stake money of Rs 1 crore. It will be open to four year olds and over and without penalties. The colts and geldings will carry 57 kgs and fillies and mares will care 55.5 kgs. The modalities needs to be worked but the race which was recommended by the Patterns Race Committee has been approved in principle and a formal announcement is awaited.
In this context, in order to encourage greater fields and also give opportunity for older horses which suffer from lack of valuable race over staying trips, the Leger can be made more attractive by throwing it open thereby enhancing its value as well as the prestige of the race. Surely, the Bangalore Turf Club, which has been the leader in many ways, can take the lead.

Pronto Pronto lands India’s richest Derby

2011-07-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Imtiaz Sait trained Pronto Pronto nailed Severstahl in the closing stride of the race to lift Bangalore Derby in front of a record attendance on Sunday. The Colts Championship winner came from way off the pace and overhauled the entire field, finally necking out Severstahl to provide an exciting climax to the race which had to be postponed by a week due to industrial action by stable workers. .
The Derby day proved a record of sorts, not only for the record prize money on offer but also for the highest ever collections on the club operated totalizator pools which grossed over Rs 11.52 crores. .
With the withdrawal of ante post favourite Speed Six due to stress fracture, the son of Major Impact, Pronto Pronto enjoyed a decisive edge though in public perception Fillies Championship winner Lovely Kiss and Star Marquees (Intikhab) had better credentials. The latter was covering good ground in the Colts Championship and the extended trip was expected to suit him better than the rest.
The Manjjri Stud Farm bred Pronto Pronto jumped out from the widest draw and jockey Srinath confidently chose to settle him in the rear of the field. Considering the draw, Srinath had only two options: one to push and go to the front or settle back in the rear. He exercised the latter option which turned out to be a masterstroke as Pronto Pronto had tons of reserves in the straight when he had to devour plenty of ground to cover and make up considerable leeway. The fact that he did was thanks to his forceful riding as also because the jockey of Severstahl, Imran Khan lost his whip inside the final 150 metres which had a bearing on the result. Imran Khan is a jockey who relies more on the whip especially in a tight finish and without the whip, he could not extract that bit extra as he is not strong enough when he rides hands and heels in panic situations. Pronto Pronto was able to neck out the front runner to provide his owners, Shapoor Mistry and his partners, the first success in this big event. Romantique was the surpriser in the race as she ran on strongly to edge out Lovely Kiss for the third spot to provide Mumbai based veteran 1-3 in the race. Incidentally, the first two placed horses were supplemented into this race as final entries.
Trainer Imtiaz Sait had won every big race in the country barring this one. This win could not have come at a better time as the trainer was going through a lean patch for the last few years. The veteran trainer was delighted by the performance of Pronto Pronto and said: ``I was confident that Pronto Pronto would win as I felt the colts in the race were of much better calibre. The only worry was the draw but jockey Srinath handled the situation admirably.’’
``This win gave me the elusive Bangalore Derby. Winning the Derby in my home town gave me an additional thrill,’’ he added. ``Pronto Pronto is a horse who defies his looks. He is an honest horse with a great heart,’’ Imtiaz said.
During the draw of lots, both the trainer and jockey of Pronto Pronto were a bit worried after drawing post 18. The only consolation for them was the fact that two years ago, Aboline had won from that draw albeit making all the running. Possibly next time out, the widest draw may be coveted!
Jockey Imran Khan was inconsolable as he could not win the biggest race of his career. He was in tears and dropped out of his remaining rides for the day. It was a case of being so close and yet so far from winning the coveted race of Indian racing calendar.
Coming back to the race, African Queen took over the running as the starter dispatched the field for the 2000 metres trip followed by Super Duper, Magnitude, Preordained, Nearness of You, Lad King, Lovely Kiss, Romantic Kiss, Forever Glory, Star Marquees, Tiberius, Severstahl, Saratoga Spring, Pronto Pronto and Silver Spring. Jockey John made his move at around the 800 metres marker and pushed Preordained to take over the running from pacesetter Magnitude while African Queen had gone out of sight and brought the field into view. Lad King was the nearest challenger at the top of the straight with Saratoga Spring making significant improvement along rails side. The complexion of the race changed once Severstahl came through the centre of the track to take over the running with a furlong out from Preordained who weakened to fade out. At this point of time, Srinath was still manoeuvring Pronto Pronto from behind and judging by the lead that Severstahl had established, if one felt that the jockey had left the horse too much to do, he could not be faulted. However, Pronto Pronto’s patented acceleration saw him neck out the front runner at the post. Trainer Dominic, who had got his ward in ship shape, thus lost a dream opportunity with luck not favouring him.
Interestingly, the pace maker for this race from the famed gold and brown brigade was Magnitude who had beaten Severstahl in the Governor’s Cup over a mile in winter in the hands of jockey David Allan.
The Derby day normally sees an attendance of over 15,000 but this time, it swelled to unmanageable proportion with about 23000 battling for every inch of space. Rains kept away and racing was held in good underfoot conditions although there was significant cut in the ground.

How the BTC can resolve the burning issues

2011-07-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Bangalore Turf Club,, the Karnataka Racehorse Owners’ Association and Karnataka Trainers Association can easily resolve the issues arising out of the legitimate demands of stable workers (syces) for implementation of Provident Fund and other statutory obligations. The issue has dragged on for several years, with the trainers association not wanting to take the responsibility and the club shying away from coming up with concrete measures.

There is a reserve fund of about Rs 8 crores with the KROA which was a fund created by the Bangalore Turf Club and the owners body in order to meet any contingency. The Provident Fund can be implemented with immediate effect like it has been done at Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai by forming a society with members from all the bodies constituting the governing council. There is obviously some limitation as to how many years the trainers have to go back to pay the Provident Fund arrears. Quite a few of the trainers have retired and some of the horse owners are no longer alive. The situation can be salvaged by deducting certain percentage of stake money each season with a matching contribution from the club to create a large reserve pool to take care of all the requirements. All that is required is collective effort on the part of all concerned instead of shirking responsibility or passing the buck which has been the reason why no solution has been found.

There is no point in trainers justifying their stance that the PF Commissioner has declared them as agents when the actual fact is that they are the employers of syces and pay their monthly wages. Everybody wants to have a better quality of life and fights for their privileges. The trainers on their part are benefitted by increase in stakes, and also look for other incentives for winning a race. In short, they look for maximum efforts without extending the same to the people who make all the difference. When such is the case, why can’t they take care of the requirements of syces who are the backbone of racing. Without them, racing cannot take place and the trainers will be helpless. Unfortunately the syces are a neglected lot.
The turf club’s fear is that if they step forward to resolve the issue, they may have to take up a huge liability if syces are deemed as club employees. But this fear is grossly exaggerated because the club is not going to be directly involved in the payment of salaries and other benefits but only providing a channel for creation of a fund for meeting all contingencies. As it is the turf club is advancing Basic Training Fee which is a loan so that the trainers can pay the salaries of their employees and other commitments without any hitch even if there is delay in the payment from race horse owners. The turf club is earning enormous revenue and the burden on them to partially fund the money required is negligible. The club earns revenue from racing and without racing, they cannot exist. As such, they need to take a more pro-active stand so that these sort of problems don’t’ recur.

There was a meeting of various wings of racing along with about 30 odd members of the club on Monday. The club members have urged the Managing Committee to take all steps required to resolve the issue. This is a welcome development though one has to wait and see how the totally divided managing committee responds on Tuesday. The main players exuded confidence that a solution will be found and racing will go through over this weekend. One hopes that the solution is not on ad hoc basis. A permanent solution has to be found for this vexed problem.

There has been criticism that the club was not apologetic when announcing postponement of races. The club issued a bland statement saying that due to unavoidable circumstances the races have been postponed. There was no regret expressed for the inconvenience caused to scores of people who spent time and money to come for the event from India and abroad. There was also no sadness to the problems caused to the media who had made elaborate arrangements to give an extensive coverage to the event. The ET Now was to telecast the races live and enormous amount of money had been spent to fly in anchors and producers from abroad apart from hiring the equipment required for the purpose. The sponsors had spent huge money for the promotion of the mega affair and all their efforts went to waste. Some of the owners had flown in top international jockeys from abroad and they need to repeat the exercise all over again.

What was worse was that there was no expression of sadness at the turn of events by all the parties involved in the conduct of racing. Each one was trying to blame the other for the fracas. The best lacked conviction while the worst were full of passionate intensity if one were to borrow W B Yeats’ lines. We are not here to win an argument but to solve the problems and for this we need a meeting of minds. No one should be allowed to sabotage racing.

Strike comes to haunt Bangalore Derby

2011-07-09T13:29:00.001-07:00

The Bangalore Turf Club was unable to resolve the situation arising out of the strike by syces and had to postpone the Derby weekend races to next Saturday and Sunday, putting scores of racing enthusiasts and those involved with it directly and directly to great inconvenience.

A pro-active stance by Bangalore Turf Club after the strike notice was slapped on them by the Syces Union last week could have saved the situation. It is futile to except the Trainers Association at act responsibly when they haven’t done so all these years. The onus was on BTC to settle the matter long back instead of allowing the problem to get big and disrupt its activity periodically. The syces are justified in demanding better facilities and introduction of statutory provisions like Provident Fund etc. though their holding racing ransom did not go well with the racing enthusiasts. But then when the trainers and owners association have periodically disrupted racing which also resulted in cancellation of a winter Derby, syces can only be expected to take the cue from them.

The syces union has been frustrated in getting a fair deal to the people who are crucial to the running of the sport. Syces are employed by trainers to carry on their activities and the onus thus is on them on adhering to the statutory requirements. The trainers association has steadfastly avoided paying Provident Fund so much so that it has acquired dangerous proportion. The trainers association also got a ruling from the Provident Commissioner that trainers are agents without clarifying what they meant by their definition though the word can carry negative connotations. The turf club on its part has got a ruling from the Central Provident Fund Tribunal that the club are not the employers of the syces. The BTC has to be faulted on the count that since trainers are licensed by them, they had a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that all activities in their premises conformed to legal scrutiny. The turf club has time and again tried to force the issue on the trainers but each they compromised because of the agitational path taken by the license holders.

This time the provocation for the strike was the non-payment of uniform allowance and good conduct bonus. The turf club was not willing to negotiate with the syces union as they insisted that the issue was between syces and trainers. Since the club was hosting a mega event which had attracted national and international attention for the scale of stake money offered, they should have been concerned about the damage that would cause to the sport in the event of cancellation or postponement of the races. But then with cancellation of races each season being the norm, the damage to the image has been of least concern for the club.

At the end of the day there was a ray of hope as the club authorities met syces union president Krishnachar and convinced him to call off the strike as the disputes raised by the union were pending in the court and it was imperative to let the courts decide. However, syces whose expectations had gone up by that time were unrelenting and came up with fresh demand of immediate sanction of Rs 10,000. One was not sure why this money was demanded.

The turf club authorities announced late in the evening that they were postponing both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races to next week. The turf club chairman Kumaraswamy said that the club offered police protection if the trainers were willing to race but they apparently backed out after agreeing to the proposal initially. The authorities are confident that the matter will be resolved in the next few days though at this juncture, it can only be hope and optimism.

There is bound to be hectic activity to resolve the issue over the next few days. The club and the professionals may succeed but the damage to the image is something that cannot be undone. Measures should be taken to end this menace once for all even if it means taking tough measures in the long term interest of the sport. But the syces must get there due.

Speed Six should land the biggest prize in Indian racing history

2011-07-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Gr 1 Bangalore Derby will have a full complement of 18 runners and will also offer the highest ever prize money in the country. The winner is set to take home a whopping prize money of Rs 1, 42,08,000 which is much higher than what this year’s Indian Derby winner Moonlight Romance earned. Star Is Born, who is yet to win a race, was balloted out as the starting gates cannot accommodate more runners. Saratoga Spring also is a maiden but he went through by virtue of having higher rating.

When there are so many runners in the fray especially in a tight race course like Bangalore where the runners have to take the bend soon after jump out and by the time they settle down, they would have gone well beyond the mile marker, the luck of the race has a bearing though we have seen the best horses rarely get affected because the mediocre horses cannot pace with them. Barring the unforeseen, one has to go with pedigree and performance while deciding on one’s choices. The cliché that the race has an open look about it is absurd because there is no race which is a closed affair. We have had horses like Mystical, Set Alight and Southern Empire which looked seemingly invincible bite the dust in the Indian Derby.

Racing is such a field that there is no such thing as a certainty. Still even the experts hesitate to nominate their choice with any conviction for fear of being proved wrong. What are the credentials that we are looking it? Performance in the lead up race is of utmost consideration. Also we have to see if their pedigree can help them extend their superiority over the Derby trip. There is no such thing as horses winning the Derby trip merely because they are bred to stay. Ability is of crucial importance. You cannot call any one a good batsman unless he scores runs. Isn’t it?

Racing is all about conviction even if one fails to achieve desired results all the time. What is confidence? Is it the feeling of being better than the rest? Is it not being immune to influences? Is it not accommodating about what others think? Confidence is basically the belief in oneself and one’s ability to make the right choice. This mindset is a critical component in racing. We are prepared to die by somebody else’s conviction rather than get injured by one’s beliefs. Confidence is nothing but self-belief. Belief is basically a strong feeling of certainty about something that you are called upon to decide. So having belief in your ability to succeed means you feel quite certain that you can achieve success. Race goer is often confronted with the problem of self-belief which makes him skip races which he thinks is open and tricky. It is in finding winners in these races through self-belief especially when merit is the key to success is the path to be a winner in racing.

The Bangalore Derby has thrown a problem of choice for race goers. Should they go with the horses of proven merit or should they go for horses which were finishing on in the belief that they will overhaul those who were ahead over an extended trip because they seemed to be travelling well at the finish? Should we ignore the intrinsic worth of a winner? What are the factors that one should look at in picking a possible winner?

There is no substitute to performance. Horses with performance and pedigree are the ones which deserve to be supported with conviction. On this score, Pronto Pronto which won the Colts Championship Stakes, Speed Six who failed by a whisker, Severstahl, Star Marquees which was finishing coming into contention. Lovely Kiss, who won the Fillies Championship Stakes, Preordained who finished a good third despite going into the race without a run benefit and Nearness of You who did not get a clear run when finishing fourth are the front liners.

Speed Six who could have prevailed on Pronto Pronto with a more experienced rider is tipped to win the Derby because several factors go in his favour. During the summer season when there is always cut in the ground, the progeny of Burden of Proof relish on these conditions. Speed Six is well built, blessed with good turn of foot and has a good temperament. Though he had a hiccup as he hurt himself in his head which needed stiches a week before, he has not shown any ill-effect as evidenced by his workouts. With Chris Hayes to guide his fortunes, the support from the saddle should be good as the jockey is very familiar with the Bangalore track’s peculiar characteristics. I asked Pesi Shroff who has won this Derby several times, that if he were riding and had to make a choice among the 18 runners, who would he have preferred? ``I would have chosen to ride Speed Six because of his pedigree, conformation and his ability to accelerate especially on the track which has lot of given in the ground which is relished by the progeny of Burden of Proof. I think Lovely Kiss has a good temperament and should put up a good performance,’’ he said.
Imtiaz Sait trained Pronto Pronto has defied expectations each time he has run. He gave weight and a beating to his rivals in a graded race at Mumbai over a mile and then won the Colts Championship without a run benefit. The small made son of Major Impact has been working well. He is a good race horse, has already beaten all the colts in a race and there is no reason why he cannot extend his superiority over the extended trip and provide his trainer Imtiaz Sait with his first success in this race.

Trainer Dominic has entered Severstahl with a whopping final entry fee of Rs 16 lakhs. The progeny of Diffident will be at home over soft underfoot conditions. Severstahl finished third in the Colts Championship despite his shoe coming off. He has been working well and since the connections entered him as a final entry only on Wednesday, all is well with him. He should run a game race.

Ganapathy’s Star Marquees is improving with each run. The well-built son of Intikhab, who sired last year’s Irish Derby winner Snow Fairy, is bred to stay and was gaining ground on the first three finishers in the Colts Championship. Now over an extended trip, he should pose a stronger question to the market fancies.

Vittal Deshmukh trained Super Duper is working brilliantly and going only by his workouts, he comes into reckoning though his two runs on this track have been disappointing. It will be a big upset if this got abroad son were to come and win the Derby after two listless performances.

Samar Singh has a runner in the Derby for the first time. The daughter of sire sensation Rebuttal, Lovely Kiss is blessed with a good temperament. She has the ability to settle as per the requirement and is also blessed with good temperament. Being a light framed filly, she may relish top of the ground and her chances get boosted if the going does not become too slushy.

Preordained finished third in the Fillies Championship without a run benefit as she had twice dropped her jockeys en route to starting gate on earlier occasions. The daughter of Choisir who has thrown renowned sprinters, Preordained is bred to stay on the dam side. Trainer Padmanabhan has high hopes on this filly as he has summoned Epsom winning jockey Martin Dwyer to ride her. The jockey, in his formative years, had ridden in Bangalore for some time and during that stint, had also won the Indian 1000 Guineas on Running Flame.

Nearness of You is a strongly build daughter of Diffident out of Invitation Cup winning mare Forest Fantasy. Nearness of You was not fully stretched in the Fillies Championship as she did not get a clear run right through the race and was finishing on strongly when she had space for herself to gallop. She will have no issues with the distance but it remains to be seen whether the Derby has come too soon for her.
Any horse other than the ones mentioned above comes and wins the Derby, then it has to be in the mould of Lively Emprey who won this even at odds of 100 to 1 in the year 1984.

Do horses have a mind of their own?

2011-07-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Horses have a mind of their own and their mindset determines their performance at top level. Horses tend to defy their pedigree and outperform themselves when faced with adversity. Pedigree can bring out performance in a horse only if the mind is wiling. Some horses are so aggressive that they don’t let any horse pass them and dig deep if they see a threat. There are other horses like Jacqueline who as Pesi Shroff said was an intelligent horse who knew the art of self-preservation and did the job of winning each time she went out to race. She lost twice in close finishes in her career, the one in the Bangalore Summer Derby by a whisker to Aboline and the second time to Becket in yet another pulsating finish.

``Jacqueline was an intelligent horse who knew what was expected of her. She was not a showy horse. She never expended her energy other than on the track and that too when required. She would obey the commands of the jockeys who rode her and would be happy to run in any position that the jockey wished her to place. She had a wonderful temperament which made her something special and easy to train. She was always game for any challenge which made her the wonder horse of Indian horse,’’ said Pesi Shroff when asked to explain the attributes of a champion. ``There are other horses which are very talented but they need to be trained with all the care and attention. Set Alight was one such horse. She was exceptionally talented but in hindsight, I think I might have made an error in having so many jockeys riding her in different races. Each jockey had his own strength and weakness and the latter definitely affected her achieving the ultimate goal of winning the Indian Derby. She would always respond to the call of the rider but never realized by herself how much was enough.’’

These are things that a common race goer may be aware of. For him, a horse is something which is expected to run irrespective of her moods or merits or current state of fitness of body and mind. Becket who incidentally was Jacqueline’s contemporary, was another horse who had a character of his own when he was in best of shape. The manner in which he accelerated at the top of the straight, with ears pricked, and spurted away to a big lead in the Indian Derby was a sight to behold. Though he was caught up close home by Jacqueline, Becket caught the imagination of all. ``Becket was an aggressive horse who did not like anyone racing ahead of him. It is this trait which made him the champion and win races from impossible situations.. If he did not have the many niggles, he would have achieved much more,’’ said trainer Padmanabhan. Surely Becket was not only an outstanding horse but also one of the most handsome horses that Indian racing has seen.

Sir Henry Cecil, the legendary British trainer, had some interesting observations and these came when he described the two contrasting performance of unbeaten Guineas winner. Frankel smashed the opposition in Guineas with a murderous run from the start and won by six lengths. Next time out, in the St James Palace Stakes, he was very nearly caught up by Zoffany after going into the lead half way through the mile long race. His trainer Henry Cecil, racing`s newest knight, said: "He settled really well - very well. The pacemaker went off quite fast and he was very settled and he [Tom Queally] had to ask him to take it up and he said when he was in front he thought he`d done enough.

"Tom said he was very settled and we can ride him properly now. The plan was to go before the bend like the Royal Lodge. In the Royal Lodge the further he went the better he was, but he`s getting older and wiser now. He thought he`d done enough and was getting a bit bored."

What we can infer from these observations is that Frankel, in his earlier runs, did not think what was enough as he kept going at same clip right up to the winning post but after several races, he was beginning to be wiser! He was the practising the art of self-preservation. His jockey had said after the Guineas win: ``"By God, he showed them. He did it better than I ever thought he`d do it. The only thing this horse does is gallop so why stop him." Cecil had exclaimed: ``That was lovely wasn`t it? In the last furlong, he was waiting for the other horses. It`s a relief. He`s a very good horse - it`s difficult to compare years," Cecil said.

Then there are also horses which show defeatist attitude and shy away from a fight. They show outstanding workouts in morning trials but in a race they don’t reproduce that performance. Then there are lazy horses which don’t put their mind and heart into a race and fade into oblivion.

Pedigree and performance in racing

2011-06-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

Pedigree is the backbone for any race horse to perform to classic potential. But is pedigree good enough to ensure performance? Quite often, modestly bred horses have proved everyone wrong and gone on achieve glory that was considered beyond their compass. What are the factors that race goers have to keep in mind while assessing a horse?

Americans believe that proof of performance is pedigree while in Europe the reverse is the mantra. They believe that pedigree is proof of performance. These two conflicting theories also guide the mindset of breeders in these places. In USA, they don’t hesitate to breed with top stallions if the horse concerned has achieved laurels in racing even if he does not command blue blood in the traditional sense. In Europe, a horse must have both pedigree and performance in order to be entertained by top stud farms. What factors should weigh in the minds of race goers in order to decide their fancies in classic races?

Almost every horse which runs in a classic has some connection with classic performers. Quite often, full brothers and sisters are blessed with totally contrasting abilities. For example, we have had Sweeping Success who proved her mettle over longer trips and went on to win the Indian Turf Invitation Cup over a mile and half while her full sister Lady One did not perform well beyond the six furlong trip. Somebody like Jacqueline was not expected to perform over longer trips but she went on to win the Oaks and the Indian Derby. Similarly, Becket was considered brilliant only up to a mile but he proved his mettle over 2400 trip and is underperforming over shorter trips after his speed has been blunted by running over longer trips for most part of his career.

Colts classic winner Speed Six missed winning the Colts Championship Stakes by a whisker. His full brothers and sisters had fallen by the wayside after a promising start to their career. As such, one does not have a clue whether these horses are capable of getting longer trips or they should be confined to sprints only. Speed Six has got the mile long trip well and he should be able to tackle the extended trip of mile and quarter with equal felicity. Since there is great influence of speed and less of staying ability if one were to dissect the pedigree, can one ignore his chances in the Derby? Surely, his built and ability to settle suggests that he should be able to get the extra trip on sheer class. His loss in the Colts Championship was certainly not due to his inability to get the mile long trip because he beat horses bred to stay pointless. Merely because a horse comes with a certificate that it will stay is no guarantee for its performance over longer trips. Ability is the crucial ingredient that determines the performance capability of a horse. On this score, Speed Six who is a well built son of Burden of Proof out of a multi-classic winning dam Six Speed should tackle the mile and quarter trip without any problem. Incidentally, Six Speed excelled over the Guineas trip but lost by the proverbial whisker in the Bangalore Derby to Allaire in a finish reminiscent of the one witnessed between Speed Six and Pronto Pronto.

The small made Pronto Pronto has proved to be an outstanding performer and has defied expectations each time he has raced. The dam of Pronto Pronto has had two of her progeny race thus far. Pronto Pronto has proved to be outstanding but one is not sure whether his pedigree can take him farther than a mile. His half-brother Royalty (by Royal Kingdom) has thus far run only over shorter trips. Even in the case of Pronto Pronto, one has to go with his ability rather than pedigree in determining his capability to tackle the mile and quarter trip.

The Fillies Champion Stakes winner Lovely Kiss is by Rebuttal out of Raisin. The latter has foaled Isinbayeva who is a poorly performed race horse. The classic winning performance of Lovely Kiss is against all expectations, with her sire Rebuttal being a strong influence on her performance4. Lovely Kiss has won the mile long trip with ease and she should get the extended trip based on her ability if not on her pedigree.

There are horses like Star Marquees which are bred to stay but the question is about the speed factor when he takes on horses with ability to change gear. His pedigree alone cannot guarantee performance though one can run him in longer trip in the safe assumption that he will stay the trip and may overhaul the horses with better class when it boils down to stamina factors than speed parameters.

The pedigree experts may reel off tons of material proving a horses staying ability or the lack of it, ultimately the proof of it is in performance. Indian history is replete with instances of horses which are reckoned as sprinter milers going on to win Derbys even over the winter Derby trip of mile and half. The same trend is likely to continue even though we may believe that the present lot of horses involved in the Bangalore Derby may not cut ice over longer trips in winter.

Amaretto lifts Juvenile Sprinters Million in style

2011-06-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

The Manjri Stud Farm bred Amaretto recorded an impressive win in the Gr 3 Juvenile Sprinters Million, the feature event of Sunday’s races in great style. Amaretto virtually overhauled the entire field from the rear position to go clear inside the shadow of the winning post to land the spoils in his debut run in Bangalore. The local challenge headed by Loveatfirstsight and the rest could prove no match for the marauder from Mumbai. Jockey Trevor Patel who had narrowly missed out winning the Colts Championships, thus recorded his first graded race success through Amaretto.

Loveatfirstsight has proved to be an unreliable performer as she had run out at the final bend at Mumbai. Since she had impressed most in a mock race, she went into the race as a firm favourite though the odds expanded on her as the original jockey A Sandesh had injured himself in a fall in the first race of the day. His replacement, Ashhad Asbar was all at sea on the filly who tested his skills to the hilt. He was unable to keep the horse on an even keel and was boxed out of contention in the straight getting knocked round by the horses on his either side. Loveatfirstsight needs to be left alone till she proves her reliability.

Notredame showed plenty of speed to take charge of the proceedings followed by Free Law, Colour of Money, and Loveatfirstsight with Chul Bul Pandy, Vijays Conquer and Amaretto gracing the rear. Current Ray was lethargic at the beginning and ran a detached last and she ended where she began. Notredame brought the field into view but was soon overtaken by Colour of Money with Free Law essaying her challenge while Loveatfirstsight ran into one problem or the other and was struggling to get a clear run. Even as Colour of Money was beginning to assert his supremacy came the Cooji Katrak trained Amaretto on the wide outside with a strong gallop and surged ahead inside the final 100 metres to record a comfortable win. Vijay’s Conquer ran on to finish third.

Another Mumbai challenger St Catz made a smashing debut by winning the Smt Bhagirathi Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65, in emphatic fashion. The Noshir Cama trainee had recorded an impressive win over seven furlongs in her last run at Mumbai and she was backed down spiritedly in the betting ring despite this being her first run on the Bangalore track. Touching The Town and Magnitude were the other strongly fancied runners. Sovetskaya led from the start with St Catz steadily moving up to be in striking second position at the final turn. The progeny of Royal Kingdom, St Catz smoothly accelerated on turning for home and left the field stranded to win as she pleased in a smart time of one minute 27.94 seconds in soft underfoot conditions. Magnitude gave a futile chase with Castle Town finishing an impressive third. Touching The Town was a well beaten fourth. Golden Rule, who had run a noteworthy second behind Arrow in Auto Mode in his last outing, took a slow jump and was never in contention.

Darius Byramji’s Shuddering completed a hat-trick of wins by winning the R S Nagendra Kumar Memorial Trophy by easily containing the challenge of Lad Diva and Spark of Silver. The last named came in for spirited betting but he was sluggish at the start and was left to cover plenty of leeway in the straight. He did well to finish a close third. Narayan Gowda trained Endurance won the lower division of the race at nourishing odds. Endurance had run below par in his last effort and as such, he was not enthusiastically supported, with the market inclined to go with Anna and Moves Goodenough. Don Diego was the pace setter. He spoiled whatever chances that Anna had by rolling out causing the fancied runner to break his stride. Endurance moved up with a strong run from about the fourth position at the final bend to go storming clear and easily held off the rally of Movesgoodenough. Drop of Honey who was the betting rage in the Division III of the race, had no problem in disposing of the opposition to provide trainer Tarun Thimmiah with his maiden success of the season.
Amit Cady’s Abby’s Baby had it easy in the Honeyday Plate (Div I) in the concluding race of the day which was held in pouring rain. Abby’s Baby skipped away from the rest at the top of the straight to record a facile win over Sky Rider and Spark of Knight. Rhythmic Dancer, who was a strong favourite, was stranded in the gate and came out of it only after the rest of the runners had gone a furlong away. Arabian Gold continued to disappoint with another dismal show. With ante post favourite Lighting Express being withdrawn from the fray, Steel King was made the favourite in the lower division of the race without any reason as he was making his debut and had not put in any noteworthy track. This was because one could not spot serious contenders in the race barring Saphira. The Dominic trainee was well backed in the end and she had no problem in winning the race at the expense of Emerald King who was not in betting limelight.

Ante post favourite Aegis was withdrawn before the runners reached the paddock, resulting in Scenic Blast being backed to the exclusion. In the event, Secret Punch showed how his talent was well disguised as he delivered a knockout punch on the rest by winning by a widening margin of over eight lengths. Mountain Splendour was far away second ahead of Miss Ching while Scenic Blast was not sighted.

In a race which did not throw any clear cut contender, lesser fancied Silver Court trounced the opposition over the nine furlong trip with Burning Ambitions being the only one who chased the eventual winner in earnest. Arsenio was a faraway third.

Hatsuhana prevails in Sub-Area Cup

2011-06-25T22:56:00.001-07:00

Neil Darashah trained Hatsuhana built on the good effort that he had put in his last essay by claiming the Karnataka Sub-Area Cup, a seven furlong race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of Saturday’s races from late rallying Tomsk with a measure of comfort. This full brother to multi-classic winning Fleeting Arrow has overcome many a problem and is now performing to his potential.

The last two races of the day were held in rain which intensified significantly after the last race for run. The rains lasted for more than three hours and the underfoot conditions will be on the softer side for Sunday’s races.

Hatsuhana had the credentials but the thrust on him was not so much visible in what appeared a competitive and tricky race for most race goers. He was the favourite at 4/1 while the rest were available at longer odds. Red Renegade led the field followed by Topkapi, Soberano and Hatsuhana while the rest was spaced out behind with Tomsk bringing up the tail end. Jockey Ladjadj Stephane pushed Hatsuhana to take over the running on straightening for home and the progeny of Burden of Proof came up with a flourishing run to take charge with a furlong out. He burst clear of the pack and was in no danger of being caught by seasoned performer Tomsk who made a late rally while finishing an eye-catching second. Atlantus too as is his wont, came up with a late charge to finish fourth.

Ganapathy’s Forever Glory who had run a fair race in the Fillies Championship Stakes, swamped the field in the 1800 metres Richelieu Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Backed to the exclusion of the rest, Forever Glory moved up smoothly from about the fourth position and easily collared the front runners to win comfortably from Sunny Express who gave a futile chase to the winner in the final furlong. Mountain Range who was the pace setter ran on to finish third.

Shezad Abbas trained Swiss Don was the medium of a good touch in the 1400 metres Pendragon Plate. Saratoga Spring began as a favourite but his odds drifted out alarmingly in the ring, with spirited support coming for the Hyderabad runner making him as a favourite from a higher quote. The supporters of Swiss Don would have been an anxious lot as the horse was unable to find foot in the early part and raced in the penultimate position. Field Marshall who was running for the first time after being gelded set a scorching pace with Saratoga Spring and Hill Rising in chase. The second named weakened on turning for home while Hill Rising was pulled out from the rails to essay a strong challenge to Field Marshall. With Swiss Don yet to be spotted, it looked as though the issue would be settled between the front running duo but the favourite came home with a big rush to measure the battling duo in the final strides of the race. Field Marshall nosed out Hill Rising for the second spot. Both these runners should be in the thick of things pretty soon.

Sunset Grill edged out Vayomi in an exciting finish in the 1400 metres Mauritius Pearl Plate (Div I). Vayomi shaped to justify the strong support he received in the ring but Sunset Grill managed to extricate himself from a tight spot before it was too late and managed to charge home with a powerful run and got the nod in the final stride of the race. Sun Gold and Smart Exotic too finished close third and fourth respectively. Indian Royalty who had a good lung opener over an extended trip in his previous outing was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the lower division of the race and the progeny of Royal Kingdom readily justified such an expectation going clear with a furlong out and wining with ease from Legend Reborn who finished on from behind to take the runner up berth.

Top Secret, who was coming back in distance, was surprisingly quoted at unbackable odds. Though he had the credentials, the short price as the one quoted on him in the betting ring was not justified as the credentials of a couple of horses was yet to be ascertained. In the event, first timer Abronia made a profitable start to finish dash and held off the strong challenge from Lady Gaga to prevail by a narrow margin. Top Secret was outpaced in the early part and then struggled for speed to eventually end up as a tame third.

Warren Singh trained Jewel Lady proved too speedy for the rest in the New Market Plate (Div I), winning with a start to finish effort, checking in well clear of the strongly fancied Fruit King. Spring Beauty who had let down a sea of expectations last time out, won the lower division of the race at nourishing odds, leaving the rest stranded in the final furlong to win form late finishing favourite Southern Pearl.

Derby stakes to touch an all-time high

2011-06-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

There is a saying in racing that if you want to make an ass of yourself, issue an unqualified statement about a race horse, the horse will take it from there. Horses have a way of fooling even the most wise, acknowledged as authorities. What else can explain the irony of the Gr 1 Fillies Championship Stakes Lovely Kiss and Gr 1 Colts Championship Stakes Pronto Pronto not being original entries for the coveted summer Derby while scores of other horses have been entered which have little or no chance in the coveted event?

Lovely Kiss and Pronto Pronto who are the top rated three-year olds in the country at the moment, have to be supplemented to the Derby as final entries. Severstahl who finished an impressive third despite the hind shoe coming off during the race is another who may run in the Derby as a final entry at a whopping amount of Rs 16 lakhs. The total stake money for the race is expected to swell beyond Rs 240 lakh mark. The Derby winner will get much more than the Indian Derby victor during this calendar year. Though Indian Derby has traditionally been the race with the highest stake money, on an earlier occasion also the Bangalore Derby winner got more.
With the Fillies and Colts Championship having concluded, the hunt is on as to who will claim the most coveted prize of the season. Interestingly, the Fillies winner is rated higher than Pronto Pronto, the winner of the colts’ championship. The superiority may not be real in terms of actual capabilities. The fillies’ winner Lovely Kiss got a higher rating because the daughter of Rebuttal beat Black Magic Woman who was the highest rated horse in the fray at 76. In comparison, the highest rated horse in the colts’ championship was Arrow In Auto Mode who had won two back to back handicap races and was placed at 70. With Arrow In Auto Mode not performing to expectations, the handicapper may have been constrained to push both Pronto Pronto and Speed Six to a much higher ranking in the handicap scale. For the record, Pronto Pronto started the summer season as the highest rated three-year old while Speed Six was rated at 56 which was the highest for a winner of a maiden race. Both these horses have gone on prove the handicapper’s high expectation.

The 3 lakh dollars that the winner of the Derby gets is much higher than plenty of Group I races all over the world. Barring the Derbies like Kentucky, Epsom and French Derby, most Group I races do not offer this kind of stake money. Surely the Bangalore Derby and Indian Derby will get an exalted status in all aspects because of the stake money. A winner of Triple Crown is one which wins the 2000 Guineas, the Derby and the Leger. In USA, the winner of Triple Crown is one who wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stake and Belmont Stakes. The Indian equivalent is Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby and Indian Turf Invitation Cup. Last year Moonlight Romance achieved this unique distinction after about 10 years. The last horse to achieve this feat was Smart Chieftain.

This year’s Derby is special in so many ways. Apart from the record breaking stakes for the winner, the race has an open look about it. There are at least eight horses whose connections are bound to fancy their chances strongly. Samar Singh rarely had a horse in classic reckoning but this year, he has a champion filly in Lovely Kiss who has recorded a hat-trick of wins. Her win in the Fillies’ championship was impressive as she was travelling well at the finish. Severstahl who finished an eye-catching third is expected to have a tilt in the Derby. Owner Rajan Agarwal said that the horse was slightly injured due to the shoe coming off in the race but if the horse recovers well, he will positively consider running the horse.

Pronto Pronto, Speed Six, Severstahl, Lovely Kiss, Star Marquees, Preordained are the principal contenders for the Derby though not necessarily in the order mentioned. With acute shortage of good jockeys, we may see half a dozen foreign jockeys guiding the fortunes of the top fancies. The field may yet again prove to be unwieldy and it may not be a surprise if we have the maximum permissible field of 18.

Pronto Pronto prevails by a whisker

2011-06-21T03:00:00.000-07:00

In a pulsating finish, the Manjri Stud Farm bred Pronto Pronto managed to get the verdict in the bob of heads to win the Gr 1 Colts Championship Stakes, the second classic of the season, on Sunday. Veteran trainer Imtiaz Sait was thus recording a classic success in Bangalore after a longish break through Pronto Pronto who overcame a lack of a run on this track to win in one of the most absorbing contests of the season. The first visit to Bangalore Turf Club for joint owner and breeder Shapoor Misty proved to be a rewarding one as he led in the winner excitedly along with his son and partners.

Though there were reservations about Amadeus getting the mile trip, he ended up as the favourite in the belief that at level weights he would prove a different customer and put it across Speed Six who had beaten him in their last encounter. Pronto Pronto and Tiberius who had gone into the race with a mock race to boost their fitness were available at nourishing odds. Speed Six was available at longer odds than expected because Australian jockey Noel Callow had done the disappearing act without informing his retainers and the URBB, had very little time to fly in a replacement. For the record, Callow recorded a Group I winner through Risky Business on Sunday at Malaysia. With Trevor Patel who had just come out of the apprentice ranks last Mumbai season, being declared to ride the fancied runner, many felt that this may play a crucial difference to the outcome of the race in the event of the battle reaching the wire. Trevor Patel got everything right and possibly with experience, he may have extracted that bit extra to tilt the verdict in his favour.

Bourne Supreme was withdrawn from the fray at the gates as he played up after being stalled and trotted lame when examined by the vets. Astapi was the pace setter once the field settled down for the mile long trip followed by Arrow In Auto Mode, I Specialist, Amadeus, Pronto Pronto, Speed Six, Super Duper, Severstahl, Star Is Born, Mountain Prince, Star Marquees, Tiberius, Veyron, Forest Regent and Javo. Astapi brought the field into view with Arrow In Auto Mode fading out of contention. Speed Six showed up prominently along with Pronto Pronto and Severstahl while Amadeus packed up without a trace. Speed Six took over the running inside the final furlong and charged for home with Pronto Pronto on his heels. The former managed to retain the lead till the dying moments of the race but Srinath’s stronger finish shaped the destiny of the race. Speed Six and Pronto Pronto passed the post locked together with the latter catching the magic eye ahead of the former. Severstahl finished third while Star Marquees ran on to finish fourth.

Earlier, the Rashid Byramji trained Yamas who was to sport blinkers, came to the paddock without one and the officials concerned who are expected to check all the equipment declared to be carried by the horse also overlooked this lapse. The horse won the D M Shivaswamy Memorial Cup, a race for horses rated for horses rated 40 to 65, with a start to finish dash in the hands of Frenchman Ladjadj Stephane, with Fiorucci finishing an impressive second. The official race card stated that Fiorucci will have steel shoes but the horse had aluminium shoes on. The official card cannot be relied upon these days tas here are too many mistakes in the same. An enquiry has been ordered into running of Yamas without blinkers. There is so much lack of commitment that the weights of horses is also not proper as the weight difference between one run to another within a fortnight is shown so exaggerated that it has to be disputed. The penetrometer reading is also inconsistent as can be made out by the timings which are in variance with what has been the norm all these years. One thing is sure; the Managing Committee has successfully demoralized the officials and the results are there for all to see. Darius Byramji’s Gluteus Maximus won the upper division of the race quite capably at the expense of well backed Indian Bolt.

Neil Darashah trained Successor brought off a big upset in the 1200 metres Stewards Cup in a cluster finish. The well backed Classic Charge led the field as Successor settled down in about the fourth position contrary to his front running tactic. The entire field close up inside the final 100 metres and Successor grew strong to edge past the front runners to land the spoils ahead of Lads Gladiator, Classic Charge. Rare And Precious who was the favourite and Atlantus dead heated for the fourth spot. A long neck, neck, nose and dead heat highlighted the closeness of the finishers. Sky Train ran a disappointing race.

Prithviraj trained Sukanti was backed to the exclusion of her rivals in the 1400 metres Fantabulous King Plate, a race for lowest rated horses. The well bred filly stayed glued to the gates and came out long after the rest of the runners had gone beyond her reach. A Game To Remember ran freely in front and won with a measure of comfort from Star of Stars who was the only realistic trier in the race other than the winner.

A big gamble was brought off on Ladzone who with no apparent form and jockey P Mani declared to ride, came in for sustained betting to end up as a firm favourite. In the event, Ladzone checked in nine lengths clear of the rest. One was left wondering as to how the trainer had concealed the merit of the horse so much.

In the concluding race of the day, Dancing Emeralds who had twice finished second best, virtually had no one to oppose her as the Neil Darashah ward checked in well clear of the rest. Game Dancer raced is earnest to finish a long way second ahead of Diamond Flame who was warming up to the task long after the cause had been lost.

Ordained One asserts himself in Chief Justice Cup

2011-06-21T02:59:00.001-07:00

Ganapathy trained Ordained One claimed the Gr 3 Chief Minister’s Cup with aggressive running in the day’s feature event on Saturday. Becket who was known for tremendous acceleration in the final furlong, is a pale shadow of his former self as a number of niggles seem to have taken its toll. Last year’s dual Derby winner Xisca had a good lead up race for her future assignments as she finished with a late dash but could not displace long time front runner Spearhead from the runner up berth.

It has been difficult for race goers to look beyond Becket as he was once again made the overwhelming favourite despite the presence of last year’s second best horse in the country Xisca who had won the Deccan Derby and Calcutta Derby besides finishing third in Indian Derby and second in Indian Turf Invitation Cup. She was well placed in scales too. While Becket was at even money, Xisca was at nourishing odds. Ordained One had placed in classics and as such he was enjoying the best advantage in scales but he was allowed to run at lucrative odds. In racing hype guides the mindset of punters because after repeated failures of Becket, he should not have run at such short odds. Becket has been trained for longer trips so much so that he is unable to find his bearings over middle distance. Not that he is going to do anything spectacular though he may win his share of races at opportune time.

Spearhead led as the starter dispatched the field for the nine furlong trip with Ordained One in handy second followed by Xisca while the rest were spaced out behind with Becket gracing the rear as is his wont. Spearhead battled on in the straight before Ordained One got the better of him in the final furlong to record a comprehensive win. The latter however held off Xisca to finish second best. Becket came through the middle with a strong run but it was clear even at the final furlong that he would not be able to overhaul the front runners though he finished within striking proximity of first three runners. Becket has done his bit during his prime and punters would be well advised to scale down their expectations.

Dominic’s Love Conquers All was expected to record an encore on the basis of his impressive last start win and received one sided support in the ring in the Regency Stud Plate (Div I) . Yas Marina who was showing out in workouts and having run some forward races, was taken to the front by jockey C Alford and he managed to drive out the lesser fancied runner to the safety of the winning post, thwarting the spirited bid of Love Conquers All. Cape Ferrat showed some zest while finishing third. The lower division of the race turned out to be eventful as Rashid Byramji trained One Life To Love won as a well backed favourite. In doing so, jockey Srinath failed to correct the inward drift of One Life To Love who moved with a flourish from wide outside and in the process squeezed the horses on the inside, causing interference to Sunstone, Gazaki and finally to Deep Blue Sky whose jockey Appu had to check his horse nearly knocking off Camarroa who was picking steam along the rails. There was a Stewards enquiry as well as objections by Appu against Srinath, Rajesh against both for knocking him out of contention. The Stewards decided to uphold the objection of Appu and overruled the one by Rajesh as they considered being due to Srinath’s lack of control on his horse. Since Srinath on One Life To Life had caused interference to several horses, the winner was disqualified and the order was revised. Gazaki and Crown Vision moved up a place each to occupy the next two slots. Srinath has been suspended from June 24 to July 9 for dangerous riding. Srinath however will be free to ride on July 10 which is the day on which the Derby will be run.

Irfan Ghatala’s debutant runner Hill Dioro, who had showed out in a mock race, was backed down spiritedly to win the 1400 metres Tudor Jet Plate, a race for maiden three year olds. Mishri, who had run behind Nearness of You in her last start at Mumbai, was the original favourite to win the race. In the event, Arjun Mangalorkar trained Dashmesh Stud Farm bred Ridgeway hit the front from the word `go’ and refused to budge and spiritedly held off the late rally of Hill Dioro. The favourite was taken out in the early part and took a while to grab his bit. Hill Dioro had plenty of leeway to cover on the front runner when he made his charge. Sunday Storm who raced second right through managed to get the third spot. The first two runners proved so good to the rest that they were eight lengths ahead of the third placed horse. Ridgeway was friendless in the betting ring.

Warren Singh trained Lads Ability was the betting rage in the 1200 metres M Ali Asker Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. The favourite had to be fully ridden out by jockey Ladjadj Stephane to keep Colour of Money and Stringsofmyheart at bay. Migrolinio found foot late to finish fourth.

The well-bred Akalaki who made her debut into racing as a four year old due to problem relating to her hoof, showed vast improvement over her previous effort when swamping the opposition in the hands of 1800 metres Sweet Memories Plate in the hands of Ashhad Asbar. Akalaki easily sailed past the front running Fist of Rage with a furlong out and recoded a facile win. Now that the horse has come to hand, more wins can be expected of her.

Hockenheim was backed to the exclusion of her rivals in the 1100 metres Camineto Plate but the favourite huffed and puffed before finding that bit extra to get the measure of front running Vijays Rose in the shadow of the post.

Imtiaz Sait trained Esmeraldo tracked Carrus into the straight and then kicked clear and had no problem in holding off the challenge of Vijays Jet and an improved effort from Araceli.

Can Amadeus avenge defeat at level weights?

2011-06-17T23:36:00.000-07:00

Pesi Shroff trained Amadeus lost to Speed Six in his last outing at a difference of five kgs but both these horses will be running at level weights in the Gr 1 Colts Championship Stakes, the second classic of the season, to be run on Sunday. Amadeus lost by two and half lengths but can he cover that leeway and more at level weights?
Logically he should but given the fact that Amadeus has faltered over seven furlongs not once but twice in his career makes one wonder whether he has issues with stamina over longer trips. The outcome of the Colts Championship will perhaps decide the destiny of Amadeus as to whether he will be experimented over longer trips or brought back to a sprint. Since Speed Six won over seven furlongs quite well, he should have no problem in tackling an extra furlong.

If both these horses under perform for any reason, there are two horses which are eminently capable of profiting from the same. The unbeaten Tiberius and Mumbai’s Pronto Pronto are both in great shape but they are going into this classic with the benefit of just a mock race which can work to their disadvantage. Star Marquees and Forest Regent are both running over suitable trips but need to make a quantum leap in performance capabilities to land the plum. The same goes for Arrow In Auto Mode who won back to back handicap races. The much hyped Super Duper ran poorly in his last run but should be better for that effort.

Speed Six is by Burden of Proof out of multi-classic winning Six Speed. The Padmanabhan trainee has won both his starts in fine fashion and has plenty of scope for improvement. The well-built Speed Six is the only foal of her illustrious dam to perform well as the others had fizzled out after promising debut wins. With Australian jockey Noel Callow doing the disappearing act, the URBB team had to struggle to find a replacement in the last minute. They were unable to fly in any other jockey as a replacement and the burden of steering the fancied runner now falls on young and inexperienced Trevor Patel who has recently graduated from the apprentice ranks. The tall jockey has talent and it remains to be seen how he handles the pressure of riding in a classic race on a horse which may corner for lot of betting after Amadeus. Since Speed Six is endowed with speed, the big field of 16 runners should not cause any problems as the horse is capable of working out a forward position from the start. The horse is bound to run at nourishing odds because of the jockey factor alone.

Amadeus is working well and should be better off for his runner up effort behind Speed Six. The progeny of Choisir is endowed with a good turn of foot but whether he can carry this brilliance over a mile long trip is something one cannot speculate with any degree of conviction. He came up with a big run in the Poonawalla Million and looked like collaring all but weakened to finish a close third. In his lead up race in Bangalore, he could not pick up speed under pressure and floundered. His trainer Pesi Shroff thinks Amadeus has the class but refuses to speculate about the distance factor.

Imtiaz Sait trained Pronto Pronto has already proved his mettle over a mile long trip. He beat a good quality field, giving weight to his adversaries at Mumbai. He showed out in a mock race. The small made son of Major Impact is no pushover. In fact, he began the season as the highest rated three old at Bangalore, rated a few points higher than Amadeus and Tiberius.

The progeny of Rebuttal, Tiberius won all his outings in winter. He will suffer from a big disadvantage in that he is going into the race without a race run. Tiberius held off the threat of Preordained to win the Winter Million and on the basis of that run, he may have to improve a great deal to win the Colts Championship which has better quality field.

In the final analysis, one is inclined to go with Speed Six notwithstanding the disadvantage of having an inexperienced jockey on his back.

Lovely Kiss lands Group I success for Hazara Stud

2011-06-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

Trainer Samar Singh, who did not know where his winner was going to come from last winter season, has a struck a gold patch through Hazara Stud Farm bred Lovely Kiss. The daughter of Rebuttal recorded a hat-trick of wins when landing the richly endowed Gr 1 Fillies Championship Stakes, the first classic of the Bangalore Summer Season.
Lovely Kiss is owned in partnership by Mrs Shanti Devi, Vikram Singh, B V Singh and breeder Nirmal Singh. This is the first Group 1 success not only for first season sire Rebuttal but also for the up and coming stud farm based at Ambala in Haryana. Frenchman Stephane Ladjad did everything that was expected of him on the fancied runner.

The Fillies Championship attracted a big field of 16 runners though on book of form, Black Magic Woman, Lovely Kiss, Preordained and Nearness of You appeared to have better chance than the rest on the basis of their performances thus far. Black Magic Woman had performed incredibly well over sprints and had reached a higher handicap mark than the rest because of the fact that she had taken the handicap route as a lead up for this race. The light framed Lovely Kiss had smashed the opposition on the opening day of the season over seven furlongs and had everything going for her. Preordained had been twice a non-starter, dropping her jockey en route to starting gate but her performance in winter was pretty impressive. Nearness of You was a winner over a mile at Mumbai and was showing out in the workouts.

At the start, Magnitude who was drawn one, jumped outwards, causing Nearness of You to be checked and as a result, the filly found herself gracing the rear as the entire field on her outside closed in. Passing some distance, Lovely Kiss steadily moved in from the wide outside draw and Sandesh, who was riding Preordained, went inwards in anticipation of getting a check. Black Magic Woman who was directly in line with her, had to drop back and lose valuable ground. Since the field was tightly packed as the pace of the race was comfortable, it was difficult for horses from behind to get a clear run till the final stages of the race.

Ace Blood did the job of a pace setter with Lovely Kiss in close attendance followed by Preordained, Show Time, Forever Glory, Black Magic Woman, Dancerella, Magnitude, Celebrity, Practically Perfect, Nearness of You, Bloody Mary, Current Ray, African Queen and Romantique. Preordained showed out briefly inside the final 300 metres but her lead was short-lived as Lovely Kiss came up with a sustained burst of speed to gain a decisive advantage. Black Magic Woman too joined issue while Nearness of You who was struggling for room to get into full steam, came into contention. Lovely Kiss skipped away in the final moments of the race to spare a shed less than two lengths to Black Magic Woman who in turn was ½ a length ahead of Preordained. Nearness of You was less than a length behind Preordained. Romantique and Forever Glory ran on to occupy the next two positions.

This was the first classic success for Samar Singh who has done a good job of keeping the light framed filly in good condition. ``I am thrilled and happy that I am able to land a classic when luck was not running my way in the last one year,’’ said Samar Singh. For Nirmal Sigh who is reaping a rich harvest thanks to his first season sire Rebuttal turning out to be an outstanding success, the success of Lovely Kiss is bound to boost the produce of his stud farm further.

Leo D’Silva trained Anacostia who had run a suggestive third to Chul Bul Pandey made the entire running and then held off the late rally of Klipspringer to win the His Majesty Plate (Div I), a race for maiden three year olds. Favourite Rule Forever who failed to impress in the paddock parade was a tame third. There were as many as six got-abroad horses in this race and the first two slots were occupied by them. Srinath drove out Magnomical to a narrow win over Cherry Hill and Simply Best in the lower division of the race. Favourite Aladdin was warming up when the cause was lost.
Mumbai challenger Tender Romance just about managed to save the day for his followers with an effective start to finish dash in the 1200 metres Sans Craintes Stud Plate, a race for horses rated 60 to 85. The highly rated Tender Romance had not lived up to the expectations of the connections. Now brought back to sprint after being tried over longer trips, Tender Romance led from the start and he managed to reach the safety of the winning post before Juno who was lugging in, came home with a big rush.
Leo D’Silva trained Notredame put in a speedy effort to scrape through in the Galilee Plate (Div I). The progeny of Captain Rio showed plenty of speed to take over the running from the word `go’. The Hyderabad based apprentice Kuldeep Singh was able to steer the filly to victory despite being hard pressed by favourite Hawa in the dying moments of the race. Hidden Destiny had her chances but the fact that she was running within a week may have undone her chances as from a prominent second position, she weakened to finish third. The heavily backed Biutiful was another who benefitted from a start to finish dash, winning the lower division of the race, keeping the challenge of favourite Ponte Verdi at bay.

Darius Byramji’s Shuddering, who had shocked as a rank outsider, recorded an encore when easily winning the Diablo Plate (Div I) at the expense of Black Beauty and Nectar Crown. Lad Diva proved too good in the lower division of the race. Sky Light who was running after a long layoff from the track was enthusiastically supported but the filly broke down after pacing with the field till entering the homestretch. With Sky Light dropping back abruptly, Star League who was racing behind was inconvenienced and apprentice jockey Rajesh had a fall. The jockey escaped unhurt.
The well-bred Free Styler had no problem in disposing off her rivals in the 1400 metres Mahalakshmi Plate, a race for horses rated 0 to 25. After racing a handy second behind General Bonaparte, Free Styler went sailing clear with two furlongs left in the race and won capably from The Last Fling.

Immense swamps opposition in Civil Services Cup

2011-06-11T12:39:00.000-07:00

Arjun Mangalorkar trained Immense asserted his superiority over the opposition in the 1400 metres Civil Services Cup, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of Saturday’s races. Dual classic winner Immense overcame a long absence from the track owing to an injury suffered at Mumbai during the Indian 2000 Guineas with a smashing win which should make him as a frontline contender for next month’s BTC Anniversary Cup.

Immense enjoyed the status as the best horse last winter after Guineas heroine Siachen. Immense was sent to Mumbai to have a go at the Guineas with a great deal of expectation but he did not travel well and also suffered a crack on his hoof. As such, he was out of action for a long time. Though he had not been stretched in workouts, most believed that his class would carry him home. His manner of victory and the fact that he re-affirmed that he had not lost his zest augur well for him. Till this performance from Immense, Siachen looked a cinch on the basis of her last week’s win in the BTC Anniversary Cup, a plum race over seven furlongs. Siachen indeed faces a real threat from Immense who will be favoured by the terms of the race.

Accurate who had moved into this class with a bagful of wins, Clear Mandate and Valahak were more fancied than Immense who was quoted at generous odds. Jockey Noel Callow pushed Clear Mandate to take charge as the field settled down for the seven furlong trip with Accurate in close attendance while Immense was raced along the rails in about the third or fourth position followed by Hatsuhana who raced three horses wide. The rest followed in close proximity.

Clear Mandate went slightly wide after entering the homestretch which enabled Immense to get a dream run along the rails. The progeny of Gaswar quickened nicely to go sailing clear with a furlong out and held on comfortably from late rallying Hatsuhana. Clear Mandate ran on to finish third ahead of Valahak.

Young trainer Neil Darashah, who had been hit hard by his wards finding one better on innumerable occasions this season, finally had a rewarding day, saddling a treble. Rezoom broke the winless sequence by claiming the 1600 metres J J Lingaiah Memorial Trophy, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Noel Callow was hurt at the gates as Six Gun Smith played up at the gates, causing the jockey to be injured. Callow is now a non-starter for Sunday’s races. Rezoom who was well supported in the ring, was taken on a start to finish mission by Ladjad Stephane. The progeny of Razeen had no problem in staying put in the first position till crossing the winning post ahead of Emerald who made a good rally along the rails to edge out Hard To Pin Down for the runner up berth.

Neil Darashah’s other ward Lad King finally broke the jinx by winning the Ich Dien Plate (Div II) a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Lad King who had let down a few times as a well fancied runner, benefitted by a modest opposition as he checked in a distance clear of Gold Venture and Sudden Magic. Ganapathy’s Southern Bay recorded an encore by winning the upper division of the race thanks to the driving finish of jockey Gallagher. Hyderabad challenger Silver Springs led all the way but found his energy sapping in the final moments of the race and was overrun. Radical Attraction ran on to finish third. The price on last outing winner Grand Success who began as a favourite drifted out in the ring and the Darius Byramji trainee eventually ended up finishing a miserable last.

Neil and Stephane were associated with a treble as apart from Lad King and Rezoom, they had another winner in the last race of the day through debutant The Guardian. The progeny of Rebuttal was backed spiritedly based on his impressive workout in a gate practice and he lived up to that billing though he gave anxious moments in the early part of the race by gracing the tail end. The Guardian came through with a flourishing run and went clear of the field inside the final furlong to win by a widening margin of five lengths. Inquisition was second ahead of In The Spotlight.
Sharat Kumar’s Smooth Glider, who was running for the first time after being gelded, came in for inspired support to end up as a favourite from an initial quote in excess of 5/1. The price on Sachimore drifted out as a result. Jockey Harish Rathod had no problem in getting the progeny of Emerald Cat to measure the front running Sachimore and win with comfort. This was in the Melbourne Plate (Div I). The drifting price had no bearing on the performance of Legend Reborn in the lower division of the race as the favourite checked in well clear of last start winner Absence.

Black Magic Woman is highest rated

2011-06-10T01:17:00.000-07:00

The first classic of the season, traditionally known as the Fillies Trial Stakes, has been re-named as Gr 1 Fillies Championship Stakes, and it will be run on Sunday. There is great enthusiasm in the absence of any clear cut favourite which is evidenced by a record number of 16 runners in the fray. It is in the fitness of things because the runners appear to be well matched.

The Cooji Katrak trained Black Magic Woman who is the highest rated filly in the fray, will obviously be the preferred one though her rating has been achieved significantly by winning a handicap race where there was lack of effective competition. What enhances her value as a top contender is the fact that in her third run at Mumbai, she clocked an outstanding time for a sprint. And if she can extend her superiority over the mile long trip, she can go places.

Black Magic Woman’s dam, One Magic Moment was an outstanding performer up to seven furlongs. She faltered over longer trips. One Magic Moment was second in the Gr 1 Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million despite going miles wide in the straight. She has tons of class. She is going from sprint to a mile without the traditional transition route of running over seven furlongs. Black Magic Woman will enjoy lot of support but until she proves her versatility over the mile long trip, one has keep one’s fingers crossed.

Padmanabhan trained Nearness of You comes into strong contention though she lost her lead up race to Hyderabad’s Auto In Arrow Mode. Nearness of You was rusty and also found the seven furlong trip sharp. By the time she could get into her rhythm, Auto In Arrow Mode had reached the safety of the post. The latter has gone on to win one more race comfortably and is rated at 70. Nearness of You has been working well since then and has shown good improvement. With jockey Srinath guiding her fortunes, Nearness of You should be right there at the finish. The progeny of Diffident will surely enjoy the cut in the ground. The dam of Nearness of You, Forest Fantasy were herself a versatile performer over varying trips and has foaled a Sprinters Cup winner in Spectacular Quest and Leger winner in Leave It To Me.

Samar Singh’s Lovely Kiss has enhanced her reputation with a smashing win over seven furlongs in the early part of the season in an excellent timing of one minute 26.05 seconds, with 5.1 cms penetrometer reading. If the timing is right and the penetrometer reading perfect, then Lovely Kiss will be hard to toss. The light framed daughter of Rebuttal (Mr Greeley) has proved to be a strong performer as she is blessed with a blinding turn of foot. Bred at the up and coming Hazara Stud Farm, Lovely Kiss is a final entry for this race and she may well justify the expectations of her owners which includes breeder Nirmal Singh as well if she has retained her sharpness and withstood the pressure of expectation which is the undoing of many a horse which is traditionally seen in classic league.

Preordained has twice bolted while being led to the starting gates. She has been blazing the track. She had finished a close second to Tiberius in the Winter Million and the latter was the highest rated three year old at this centre at the beginning of the season. The daughter of Choisir who has thrown a number of reputed sprinters, Preordained can be a force to reckon with if she gets the mile long trip effectively.
Celebrity, the daughter of dual Derby winner Littleover, is a temperamental horse. After losing narrowly in her first outing, Celebrity lost all her chances at the gate itself at Hyderabad. She ran a more settled race in the early part of the season, though she was inclined to take a fly jump. If she has sobered down and puts her mind on the race at hand, the light framed horse can do her reputation no harm.
The use of blinkers worked wonders for African Queen who won by a distance in her first start to the season. It remains to be seen whether she belongs to this class of runners. She has been supplemented into the race as a final entry. African Queen is a half-sister to Derby winning Brown Sugar.

Ganapathy’s Magnitude won a race over a mile in winter and has shown her liking for the trip. She is sure to make her presence felt. Stablemate Forever Glory won last week in the manner of a good quality of horse. A great deal is expected of the daughter of Midtown, Showtime who has had the benefit of a mock race as a lead up for this classic. At The Helm who beat Showtime in the mock race, has taken the same route.

In the final analysis, Black Magic Woman, Nearness of You, Lovely Kiss and Preordained emerge as the best of the lot though in a race of this nature when horses are at a formative stage, a surprise is a distinct possibility.

Siachen sprints away with Chief Minister’s Trophy

2011-06-07T00:51:00.001-07:00

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Siachen made an effective switch back in distance to win the Gr 3 Chief Minister’s Trophy, the feature event of Sunday’s races in splendid fashion. Siachen came from way off the pace to collar Sprinters Cup winner Atilla with minimum of fuss to show that she is adept from sprint to a mile. Australian jockey Noel Callow, who rode Siachen to victory, had a rewarding day having also been associated with the success of Sovetskaya, Chantilly and Crown Empress.

Attila, who had won the Sprinters Cup at Mumbai in March, was the favourite though there was absence of enthusiastic thrust as his odds kept on expanding. Siachen and Sirono were the other two horses widely expected to figure prominently at the finish. There was no doubting the class of Siachen who showed out in the paddock parade. The only question mark was the fact that she had performed below par over seven furlongs last summer before asserting her superiority over a mile. She had never been campaigned less than a mile thereafter, the connections even trying her over the mile and half trip in Indian Oaks. So the sprint was reckoned to be too sharp for her. However, the quality of the opposition and the underfoot conditions worked to her advantage as she came from way behind to get past Attila with a furlong out and win by a comfortable margin of over two and half lengths. The manner in which she won should augur well for her chances in the next month’s BTC Anniversary Cup.

Successor, as is his wont, led the field from the start followed by Lady Duff, Sprint Star, D’Artagnan, Sirono and Attila, while Optimus Prime, Carla, Siachen and Kyles of Bute raced in the rear bunch. Sirono shaped to collar Successor on turning for home but the second favourite was clearly not enjoying himself as he weakened instantly. Attila, who was travelling well within himself, had no problem in shooting ahead. Carla and Siachen showed up on the wide outside. Attila’s foray in front came to an end once Siachen found her patented acceleration and she sailed past the front runner to spare a shade over two lengths at the finish. Carla ran on to finish third. Incidentally, the first three placed horses have a pedigree which has shown a distinct liking for cut in the ground and though the penetrometer reading was put at 4 cms, the ground was certainly more yielding. The ground was cut up because of rains during yesterday’s races.

The lack of a race run went against favourite Sun Absolute in the 1600 metres Yeravada Stud Plate as the filly, after cruising into lead at the top of the straight when challenged by Crown Empress showed distress signals. The persevering effort of Callow produced the desired result for Crown Empress. Native Talent was third while Rip Van Winkle and Xtreme appeared to be out for an airing.

Both the divisions of the Everynsky Trophy were claimed by Suleiman Attaollahi trained horses. Chantilly slammed the opposition in the upper division of the race, winning at the expense of Cinnamon Rush. Chantilly should surely do an encore when saddled next. Sovetskaya took her time to warm up before she asserted herself against Aegis in the lower division of the race. Lady Gaga looked far from ready when finishing third. The well-bred For An Angel who is a half-sister to the Group I winning Noble Promise at USA, ran a disappointing race.
The well backed Sun Forever obliged in the Flirting Vision Plate (Div I) where the only threat for her supremacy came in the form of Vayomi who was given too much ground to cover in the straight by jockey Ashok Kumar. May be Vayomi was out for a test run. Sharat Kumar’s Allegro who had gone down narrowly in his last outing, managed to get the better of Shahizaar in the closing strides of the race to win the lower division of the race at nourishing odds.

The intriguing drift in odds of Hillfiger in the Brig R C R Hill Memorial Trophy saw the prices in the ring go topsy-turvy. Arabian Gold came in for a huge support on the basis of his impressive win in his last outing. Last start surprise Arrow In Auto Mode and Golden Rule were also well supported. Hillfiger became a nonstarter as she was withdrawn from the fray at the gates. Cash King showed the way as Arrow In Auto Mode was eased into second position closely followed by Arabian Gold and Golden Rule. Arrow In Auto Mode was pushed to take over the running rounding the final bend and the progeny of Razeen smoothly went ahead and had something to spare when Golden Rule came home with a rush. Arabian Gold ran way below expectations and was displaced from the third position by Gunpowder.

The concluding race of the day threw punters into confusion as Gun Salute, Hidden Destiny and Muqtadir were all well supported. The connections of Royal Fortune also hoped for a turnaround. The filly had whipped around at the jump in her previous essay. In the event, Hidden Destiny took charge of the proceedings from the start but the front running effort told on him as he weakened in the final furlong. Royal Fortune put in a strong effort to go clear and then held off a late rally by Muqtadir. Brilliance ran on from behind to displace Hidden Destiny from the third spot while Gun Salute ran below par.

The well backed Count Royal led all the way and easily won the 1100 metres Churchill Downs Plate, a race for horses rated 0 to 25. Failed favourite Splendid Dancer once again came in for spirited support but the filly was tardy at the start and was never in contention thereafter.

Still Will prevails in Guruswamy Cup

2011-06-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

Dominic trained Still Will finished on powerfully in the hands of jockey P S Chouhan to measure the front running Friendly Bond in the final strides of the race to win the 1200 metres K N Guruswamy Memorial Cup (Div I), a race for horses rated 60 to 85, the feature event of Saturday’s races. Last outing winner Citrali won the lower division of the race at fancy odds even as favourite Florida finished in the ruck.
Friendly Bond was firmly backed to win and not without reason. Friendly Bond had been rated highly by the stable and after a failed attempt in a classic over a mile; he ran some run of the mill races. Now brought back to sprint, he was at a mark where he could make his presence felt. However, with Abnoba receiving inspired support, Friendly Bond was available at nourishing odds. Still Will was available close to 10 to 1 though this moody customer runs best when he is fresh. Another Destiny led the field with a fast run with Friendly Bond in close attendance while Still Will was in about fourth or fifth position, three horses wide. Montedoro was sluggish at the start while Eagle Claws who had beaten classic winner Siachen last summer, lost position early on and fell back to the rear. Friendly Bond shook off Another Destiny to take charge, with Sweet Surrender chasing in earnest. In the meanwhile, Chouhan brought Still Will with a big run on the wide outside. The lesser fancied runner finished on strongly to get past the front runner in the shadow of the post. Sweet Surrender showed semblance of some old spark to finish third. Favourite Abnoba bled during the race and made no show. Eagle Claws and Montedoro finished on purposefully finishing within striking proximity of the winner.

Arjun Mangalorkar trained Florida had been blazing the track and since the filly had won twice in winter without being extended, she was widely expected to maintain her winning streak. There was heavy downpour before the start of the race which altered the character of the track. Jockey John had Florida led the field into the straight but under pressure, faltered and finished down the field. Romance In The Air and Corleone came into strong contention even as apprentice jockey Pradeep was working his way from behind on the wide outside on Citrali despite the kick back inconveniencing both the rider and the horse. Corleone went ahead with a furlong out but was caught up in the closing strides of the race by Citrali thanks to the persevering efforts of Pradeep. The Puttanna trainee had recorded an impressive win in her last outing and her win was not out of turn though the flop show of Florida was unexpected. The well supported Illustrious too disappointed.

Forever Glory closed home with a rush to get past favourite Top Secret to win the Southern Regent Trophy, a race for maiden three year olds. With Saratoga Spring being withdrawn on veterinary grounds, Top Secret was backed to on money favouritism with Forever Glory being next in demand. When Stephane Ladjad had Top Secret in front with a furlong left and opened up a good break, it looked as though he would oblige. But the finishing burst of Forever Glory under the driving finish of Mark Gallagher put paid to the pretensions of the front runner.

M P Mahaesh trained Crown Vision was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the 1200 metres Epsom Plate (Div I) but the favourite found foot when Missoni had established what eventually turned out to be a winning lead. From a fourth position at the bend, Crown Vision picked up steam in the straight and finished with a strong effort but fell short narrowly. The small made Crown Vision will relish a slightly extended trip. Recharged headed Its My Party at the post for the third slot. The lower division of the race too saw a winner who ran above the expectations of her most optimistic supporters. Sky Glider was pushed to the front on turning for home and the progeny of Puerto Madero put up a dogged resistance and just about held on to win from well backed Mystic Dawn who once again let down a sea of expectations. Supremacy showed up briefly but retired to finish a tame third.

Jockey Pradeep Chouhan, who had won on Still Will and Missoni, had a treble for the day as he drove out Sivanta to just about get the better of Ibelieveinmiracles. Ibelieveinmiracles came into strong contention with a furlong out but Sivanta who came through the middle with a lightening run, managed to neck out the front runner. Dancing Emeralds ran on from behind to finish third and possibly he can do better with some more ground to cover.

Chouhan could have four for the day but Not Not Seven who won the day’s opener was relegated to the second spot following an objection by the jockey of the third placed Spring Beauty for blocking his progress at a crucial stage of the race by drifting out of the rails and also for bumping the runner up Unchallenged.

Speed Six Speed outclasses the field

2011-05-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

Padmanabhan trained Speed Six outclassed a top field in the 1400 metres Gr 2 Juvenile Million, the feature event of Sunday’s races. The manner in which Speed Six swamped a seasoned opposition in what was only his second run of his career marks him out as a strong contender for next month’s Gr 1 Colts Trial Stakes.

Amadeus had finished a close third to Picasso in the Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million and was expectedly backed to the exclusion of the rest to win this lead up race for the classics. The got-abroad colt Amadeus had shown amazing turn of foot in all his outings and had been blazing the track. Speed Six had given glimpse of his immense potential in his debut win but was short on experience. The fact that his dam Six Speed, herself a multi-classic winning horses, had not produced any champions as the previous ones had started out impressively only to fade out without living up to the promise of the debut win made many sceptical about his chances. However, one could expect Speed Six to be different considering the fact that he had recorded his first win in winter with hardly any work as he had come into training after being operated for a splint bone in December. The fact that he was something special was indicated by the BTC handicapper rating him at 56 after his win in a maidens’ race. Astapi, an impressive debutant winner at Mumbai, Hyderabad’s Super Duper and Star Marquees had their share of supporters.

The two market fancies Amadeus and Speed Six found themselves in front from the inside draw and after traversing a furlong, Neeraj Rawal decided to take the second favourite to the front. Speed Six set a decent pace followed by Own Empire, Amadeus, Super Duper, Astapi and the rest, with Star Marquees and I Specialist at the tail end of the field. Speed Six brought the field into view with a lead of a couple of lengths over Amadeus but with the latter not showing the patented acceleration and wilting under pressure, it was left to Speed Six to do all the front running without being pressed by his opponents. Speed Six checked in a shade over two lengths in an excellent timing of one minute 25.9 seconds. I Specialist came up with a long stretch run to neck out Astapi for the third slot. The other runners in the fray ran without hope.

With this win, Speed Six can only improve and immensely better for this experience. At this stage he appears to have only Pronto Pronto as his main threat in the Colts Trial Stakes. Pronto Pronto is to have a mock race and is expected to go into the Colts Trial Stakes without the benefit of a race run. Amadeus appears to have problems with tackling longer distances.

One of the best performed three year olds in the country, Black Magic Woman from C D Katrak’s yards, had a lung opener in an ordinary six furlong race. The hugely talented daughter of Placerville chased Romance In The Air for most part of the journey before kicking clear in the final furlong. Valahak ran on to finish second while six-year old mare Romance In The Air put up a promising show and should strike in her age group. One is not sure at this point of time whether Black Magic Woman will be targeted for the Fillies Trial Stakes which is over a mile or confined to sprints. There is no doubt that she enjoys top billing and she is best horse of her age though officially she may not enjoy that tag. Black Magic Woman easily clocked a smart timing of one minute12.96 seconds.

Padmanabhan’s Celebrity was another who enhanced her reputation with an impressive win in the 1400 metres Ministerial Trophy, a race for maiden three year olds. The daughter of dual Derby winner Littleover, Celebrity had lost narrowly in her debut run in winter and thereafter, played up violently at the start in a sweepstakes race at Hyderabad. Celebrity did not jump smartly but she was steadied quickly and settled down to run without any hiccups. After this experience, she should progress well. After tracking Mountain Prince into the straight, Celebrity went sailing clear to win by a widening margin of eight lengths in good timing of one minute 27.15 seconds with Saganaki plodding in second position. If she shows improvement on this run, Celebrity can be a contender for the Fillies Trial Stakes.

Satish Narredu trained Bourne Supreme successfully landed a huge punt. The progeny of Rebuttal had made a winning debut in winter and yet again he was backed spiritedly to land the spoils in the 1400 metres Basque Plate, the concluding race of the day. There was also strong support for Chemin De Fer but that was nothing comparable to that enjoyed by the eventual winner. Jockey Neeraj Rawal, who had earlier booted home a treble, blotted his copybook on the favourite. He came in as a replacement for jockey B Prakash who had reported sick after his ride on Amadeus. Rawal failed to work the filly from the outside draw into a striking position. He lost position early on as he had Chemin De Fer racing on the wide outside before dropping back to the rear of the field. The filly was completely out of the reckoning as she came very wide into the straight and ended up sixth just a second shy of the eventual winner. Bourne Supreme, despite drifting out under pressure, held on to win from Vijay Keerti. One has to give Chemin De Fer another chance to find out whether this effort was in keeping with the expectations.

Vittal Deshmukh’s Doomna’s Conquest received one sided support in the 1200 metres Prince Khartoum Trophy. The filly was checked for soundness at the gates as she was trotted before she was allowed to run. Lesser fancied runner Hawa led all the way and held on gallantly to win from Sunday Cruz while Doomna’s Conquest struggled to pick up steam and was a tame third.

One Cool Cat who had the benefit of a forward run, was backed strongly to claim the Astounding Plate (Div I) but the four-year old caught a tartar in Star of desire who refused to give up under relentless pressure from the favourite and won at nourishing odds. Habanero had the best credentials to win the lower division of the race and he did so at the expense of the well backed Your Destiny.

Augusta and Silver Court were the betting rage in the Santa Anita Plate but both these horses failed to run to the expectations of their backers. Fire Star was quietly fancied to pull it off and under the hands of forceful riding of jockey John, Fire Star just about held on to win at the expense of Augusta.

Berlusconi overhauls Balmoral Castle close home

2011-05-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Pesi Shroff trained Berlusconi made a winning debut in Bangalore when coming up with a spirited run and overhauling Balmoral Castle in the final strides of the race in the 1600 metres Karnataka Police Cup, a race for horses rated 80 and above, which featured Saturday’s races. Balmoral Castle led all the way except at the post.

Berlusconi was backed to the exclusion of the rest to land the spoils as the progeny of Iktiyar had won his last outing at Mumbai and was showing out in the workouts. Balmoral Castle was second in demand. Neeraj Rawal had Balmoral Castle in front from the word `go’ with stablemate Topkapi in close attendance while Berlusconi who was in striking position, lost ground at around the 800 metres as Mighty Heart was falling back on him. Jockey Prakash had to check his horse in order to prevent it from clipping the front runner. This however did not cause any harm to the favourite’s chances as Prakash was able to recover ground quickly as the pace of the race was modest and he was able to come through the shortest way home to essay his challenge on the outside of Balmoral Castle and Topkapi. Balmoral Castle battled on doggedly in front and it took a strong persevering effort on the part of Prakash to get Berlusconi to stretch out fully and get the verdict in his favour in the closing stages of the race. Topkapi held on to the third spot.

Prakash however failed to drive out Nearness of You to victory in the Lady Gibraltar Plate (Div I) as Arrow In Auto Mode held on valiantly to prevail by a neck. Silver Springs set a modest pace as Hyderabad companion chased the pace setter with Nearness of You settled in the third position. Rounding the final bend, Chouhan had Arrow In Auto Mode overhaul the front runner and under pressure, the progeny of Razeen slightly drifted out. Prakash who was making his move on Nearness of You on the outside of Arrow In Auto Mode chased course in anticipation of the front runner drifting out further. Nearness of You finished on strongly but was neck shy at the finish.

Waikato was expected to have it easy in the lower division the race but it required all the brilliance of Prakash to enable the favourite to survive the onslaught of Akalaki. Waikato was hard pressed by Akalaki who was seen on the race track for only the second time in her career as a setback had kept her out of training, defied her looks and showed that she is ready to strike before long. The rest of the runners were a distance behind.

The betting in the Heir Apparent Trophy (Div I), a five and half furlong race, was confined to Starista and Caraway. However, both these runners flopped as lesser fancied Grand Success sneaked through in the final furlong to win with a measure of comfort. Caraway managed to get the second spot ahead of Starista who reportedly bled after the race. The lower division of the race too had some modest runners in the fray and it was won by Ganapathy’s Southern Bay whose despite dramatic expansion in her odds, had no problem in disposing of the challenge of Yawar and Saphira.

Jockey Noel Callow had a well-priced double through Current Ray and Allez Vite. Free Law began at cramped odds to win the 1200 metres Adarsh Plate with Colour of Money receiving inspired support to end up as a strong second favourite. Forest Regent too was well backed. The support for Free Law dwindled considerably close to race time. Jockey Ladjad Stephane replaced C Alford in the saddle but to his bad luck, the filly reared up violently at the gates, resulting in the jockey being thrown backwards from the saddle. Stephane suffered a fracture on his toe which effectively rules him out of action for a month or more. The filly was a non-starter as a result. Current Ray was available at lucrative odds. Move To Remember set a fast pace followed by Ultimate Fantasy, Colour of Money, Forest Regent and the rest with Current Ray unable to get a favourable position early on and was loitering almost at the tail end. Colour of Money took control of the proceedings after the final turn but his supremacy was short lived as Current Ray showed up on the outside with a brilliant run to go sailing clear to win in great style. Forest Regent could not quicken though he was in striking position and had to settle for third slot. May be he will perform better if he is asked to cover more ground.

The mile long Dupont Plate saw Karisini being backed strongly though four kg claimer Kiran Rai was in the saddle. Allez Vite came in for sustained support in the ring to end up almost as a favourite. Six Gun Smith ran freely in front to set a fast pace early on before Yamas took over that job. Allez Vite was settled in about the sixth position behind Rezoom while Kiran Rai was unable to obtain a favourable position for Karisini who lost all her chances as a result. Noel Callow brought Allez Vite with a strong run in the centre of the course and managed to shoot through the gap between Yamas and Rezoom who had come into strong contention. After a brief duel, Allez Vite went away for a comfortable win over Rezoom who has time and again found the winning post an elusive one. Sky Diver ran on from behind to take the third slot.

In what looked like a minefield of a race, Puttanna trained Jeyem who had not been exploited thus far, attracted all the betting and true to market expectation, Jeyem ran prominently and went into a decisive lead inside the final 300 metres and won comfortably from Count Royal who made a futile chase.

Prakash guides D’Artagnan to victory

2011-05-16T02:16:00.000-07:00

Jockey Y S Srinath suffered an unfortunate injury to his knee following a fall astride Preordained on Saturday in pre-race parade in front of Grand Stand and he could not fulfil his engagements on Sunday. The jockeys who replaced him reaped a rich harvest, with four of them being winners including D’Artagnan in the Gr 3 Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Cup, the first of the 14 graded races programmed for the summer season. Sunday’s card was a mixed bag for punters, with Prakash profiting from two chance rides to open his account with a double.

In the absence of any horse which enjoyed clear cut superiority in the 11-horse field in the fray for the feature event, D’Artagnan who hadn’t won for quite some time but had been figuring at the finish in graded races at Mumbai, ended up as the favourite based on blazing workouts. D’Artagnan had initially raised great deal of expectations as a juvenile but had not lived up to that promise unable to carry his front running tactics up to the winning post. Prakash gradually worked his way on D’Artagnan to take charge of the proceedings within the first furlong followed by Cavalry Charge and Mighty Heart, with Spearhead, String Along racing in striking distance while the rest were spaced out behind. D’Artagnan came in to the homestretch with a good break over the rest and he established a winning lead when he spurted clear of the rest with less than two furlongs to go which held him in good stead. String Along threatened his supremacy briefly before fading out while Spearhead finished with a flourish to nose out the former for the runner up berth. The fancied Kyles of Bute and Couleur Rouge made no show.

Classic winner Astounding Gallop who had recently changed stables, won the Usha Stud Plate (Div I) quite easily where the fancied Camorra was not up to the task. Though Astounding Gallop reportedly had only one pace work only, that did not prevent him from asserting himself with aggressive running which saw the Babu Rao trainee take charge of the proceedings after turning for home. Astounding Gallop stretched away to record a facile win in the hands of Prakash, with Camorra finishing second best ahead of Bucephalas. The progeny of Gaswar should improve on this effort though he may be thrown at the deep end in the Karnataka Cup, a mile long Grade II event. The consistent Accurate won the lower division of the race at the expense of favourite Crown Empress. Appu let Saloni dictate the pace well into the straight before asking Accurate to quicken which he did remarkably to go sailing clear. Crown Empress chased him in vain. Saloni held off Native Talent for the third spot.

Darius Byramji trained horses always attract disproportionate attention for the simple reason that they blaze the track in morning workouts though they rarely reproduce that spark on the race track. Ben Ten was spiritedly backed to win the 1400 metres Allaire Plate. African Queen, who had run into some good horses in her first season, came in for support as the odds expanded on Ben Ten. Jockey Noel Callow had African Queen racing in a handy position before asking the progeny of Burden of Proof to quicken at the top of the straight. African Queen sped away from the rest to spare a distance at the finish to Walter and Muqtadir. Ben Ten was not spotted. Royal Fortune whipped around at the start and dropped apprentice jockey Rajesh.

Intrigue who had been showing out in the workouts, duly won the Mount Everest Trophy, a five and furlong race for maiden three year olds, from Unique Show. Unique Show lost a forward position early on as Optimus Zone went on to the filly which caused her to lose ground. She was finishing on strongly but the favourite had reached the safety of the post by that time. Optimus Zone ran on to be third.

Juno was slammed in the betting ring to win the M N Prakash Memorial Trophy (Div I) and the Neil Darashah trainee justified the market expectations with an easy win. Senator dropped back abruptly midway through the race after being clipped by a horse causing all the horses which were racing on his outside to go wide. Juno who had an untroubled passage, brooked no opposition as she won from Foswell by a widening margin of five lengths. Ganapathy’s Mystic Dawn who hadn’t lived up to the promise he showed as a juvenile, was backed strongly to win the lower division of the race. Citrali, who had six placed efforts in winter, came in for spirited support close to race time. Jockey John who replaced Srinath on Citrali was alert to the task though the horse itself was bit sluggish to begin with. John got busy on Citrali from the start and the progeny of Juniper got past the favourite with a furlong out and easily won the race. Ailsa came with a big stretch run to edge out Mystic Dawn for the runner up berth. Oceanic Wind who was squeezed out by Citrali at a crucial stage finished fourth.

Lesser fancied Brilliance from trainer Ganapathy’s yard easily won the day’s opener at the expense of favourite Bounty Hunter. After racing wide till turning for home, Brilliance put in a strong effort in the middle of the course to go clear inside the final 300 metres and win with measure of comfort.

In the day’s concluding race which looked like a minefield, Samar Singh’s Black Beauty finally obliged her supporters by necking out Take My Word and Good Gift. More than half the horses in the fray appeared to be out for an airing.

Carla wins on day of hard-knock for punters

2011-05-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Ironically the only favourite that won on the opening day’s races of the Bangalore Summer Season on Saturday was Carla who had let down as an on-money favourite in her last run in winter. Carla managed to get the measure of Sirono in the final strides of the race to win the Kirshnaraja Wadiyar Cup, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of the day. Samar Singh’s Lovely Kiss smashed the opposition in the day’s other highlight by recording a very impressive win.

The start to the eagerly anticipated season was anything but bizarre for punters as the first three races of the day were consumed by lesser fancied runners. Lad King had the credentials to win the opening race of the day, the 1200 metres Welcome Plate, a race for maiden three year olds, but he certainly did not deserve the one-sided support. Arabian Gold who is bred as half-brother to classic winning Flaming Arrow is a capable horse though the fact that he was essaying a trip that was reckoned to be sharp for his style of running may have been the reason why he was allowed at fancy price. In the event, Arabian Gold who chased Magnomical into the straight, assumed command with a furlong out and won in the hands of Australian jockey Noel Callow who was making his debut in India. Callow is a highly regarded jockey and had won the jockeys championship at Singapore in 2007. Callow seemed to have no problem in adjusting to the right handed track. Lad King could not accelerate in the straight and finished a disappointing second. Pedigree Nick ran on from behind to edge past Magnomical for the third spot.

Carla opened as a firm favourite to win the day’s feature event but since she had bled in her last run, race goers hesitantly supported her in the ring. Sirono who had a setback when sent to Mumbai for the Sprinters Cup, was showing out in the workouts though on handicap difference vis-à-vis his clash with Carla in the past, he was bound to find the weight difference going against him. Classic Charge showed the way to the eight-horse field with Sirono and Carla in striking proximity. Classic Charge put up a dogged resistance before Sirono managed to put his neck in front. However, his supremacy was short-lived as Carla came up with a late charge to get the nod close home.

Lovely Kiss had run behind the well performed Midtown Magic in her first outing and then had gone on record an impressive win towards the fag end of the season. Silken Touch who had gone down fighting to Tiberius cornered all the support in the ring. Lovely Kiss was enthusiastically supported to win by her supporters while Preordained was at lucrative odds. Srinath had a fall on Preordained in front of the Grand Stand causing the horse to be withdrawn. Srinath reportedly bruised his knee. Scarlet Knight and Crown Vision led the field from the start with jockey Chary working his way gradually from the outside draw to stay in touch with the front runners. Silken Touch was settled in about fourth or fifth position. With Scarlet Knight going slightly wide at the final bend, Lovely Kiss got a dream run along the rails and the Hazara Stud Farm bred daughter of Rebuttal was quick to seize the initiative and go sailing clear. Silken Touch joined issue but was flat footed as Lovely Kiss skipped away to record an emphatic by a widening margin of six lengths. Deep Blue Sky was a faraway third.

Admiral was backed down to on money favouritism in the Royal Command Plate (Div I) with Gun Salute having his share of supporters. Admiral led from the start but started sending distress signals with a furlong out. Gun Salute quickened in the hands of jockey Appu and stretched away for a facile win. One Cool Cat ran on from behind to finish second. Ganapathy’s Gold Venture was the firm favourite in the lower division of the race though in the absence of any worthwhile horse in the fray, she was backed to win over a five and half furlong trip where her breeding suggests that she is at home over twice that distance. Rank outsider Shuddering who chased the favourite into the straight, went ahead inside the final quarter mile and held off the belated challenge of well fancied Dancing Emeralds to bring off the biggest upset of the day. Gold Venture weakened to finish third. Shuddering returned a dividend of over 200 to 1 on a tenner on the tote!

It was difficult to pick a winner in the 1200 metres Sha Tin Plate because of the absence of any surface form. Splendid Dancer was considered to have the best credentials so much so that her odds shortened significantly despite no visible improvement in her performance capabilities as evidenced by her runs in winter. Splendid Dancer did raise hopes with a start to finish effort but she could not sustain the effort as Nityanand trained Divine Touch came home with a big run on the wide outside to record a facile win at nourishing odds. Aetius also ran above expectations to finish third.

Castro who had let down as a favourite, was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the 1400 metres Rare Gem Plate with the odds on Dancerella going up significantly. Castro failed to justify the immense faith of the punters as he plodded home to be a poor third. Dancerella fought a stiff battle with the quietly fancied Top Secret before getting the better of the former in the shadow of the post.

North Cape who had let down on quite a few occasions, perhaps relished the underfoot conditions and a weak opposition as he led from the start and then sped away from favourite Gunpowder to record an easy win in the hands of apprentice jockey Kiran Rai.

Pronto Pronto enjoys highest billing

2011-05-11T12:19:00.001-07:00

The summer season is all set to start on Saturday, with the reason promising exciting fare. Good horses are distributed among quite a few stables which should make for competitive racing. Gone are the days in the past when we could at this point of time point out one horse as being a cut above the rest. With breeding of horses in India showing a remarkable improvement, contests in classics will always be keen and each time we could end up having a different winner. Gone are the days of monopoly of horses like the one enjoyed by the great Elusive Pimpernel. It simply means that we have more equals among the horses with the top trainers in the country. One has often heard of veteran trainers saying that the horses competing in classics these days are not of good standard. There is nothing wrong with the horses. It is just they are in a time warp which makes it difficult for them to accept the fact that in the days of intense competition, total dominance of one or two is a thing of the past.

Imtiaz Sait trained Pronto Pronto enjoys the highest rating among the current lot of three year olds competing in the summer season. Pronto Pronto beat a creditable opposition in the Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders’ Juvenile Colts Championship after conceding weight to some good quality winners. This win marked him out as a horse of immense potential for the winners of this race in the past have all gone on to make a bigger impact in their career. The fact that he conceded weight to his adversaries who had a win under their belt also enhanced the value of that win. The trainer rates the horse high and he makes a return to the summer season after a longish break. One has to wait and see how this son of Major Impact progresses.

Pesi Shroff’s Picasso who emerged as a top horse by winning the Gr 1 Poonawalla Breeders Multi-Million has been rested and has not come to Bangalore. Possibly he will be campaigned during the Pune plums and then targeted for Indian classics if he shows further progress on his juvenile form. The champion trainer however has a top horse in Amadeus, the progeny of Choisir who finished a close third in the Poonawalla Million. Amadeus is endowed with a big turn of foot and he will be a handful during the summer action. Pesi has also brought the well performed Xisca to race in the graded races for four-year olds and over. This year we have a number of trainers from Mumbai in action, with Cooji Katrak and Vinayak also brining a few horses for the summer season. Altamash Ahmed who ended with a treble on the final day of the Mumbai season has brought Astapi who won a Million on the Invitation Cup day at the expense of Touching Town. The horse is shaping well. Dr Anil Kumar who has had success rare to come by, also has come with a horse.

Vittal Deshmukh has brought Super Duper who is also one of the top horses of Hyderabad. The grey has remained unbeaten thus far though he cannot be said to the best horse because that honour at this point of time is claimed by Windsor Manor who had the beating of Midtown Magic to her credit. Windsor Manor has been kept back at Hyderabad while another top horse of Kolkata, Dandified too will not be seen in action here, the connections preferring to win the plums back home against modest oppositions. Laxman Singh has a couple of horses who can make a mark here.

Locally based Irfan Ghatala and Padmanabhan have some good quality horses whose progress will be watched with great interest. The highest rated local three year old is Tiberius who recorded a hat-trick of wins though all by a small margin. Zultanite who made a smashing debut but was not seen in action thereafter, is a top quality horse. If all is well with him, this progeny of Zultanite will prove a handful. Similarly, Show Time is a good horse. There are quite a few horses from trainer Irfan Ghatala who will be vying to make a mark during the season and his horses appear to be on the boil, it may be profitable to follow his wards.

Padmanabhan has some top horses in the form of Speed Six, Touching The Town, Nearness of You and a couple of horses which are expected to show out during the season. The trainer should be in limelight. Becket among older horses is expected to do well though given the share of problems that he has had, it is difficult to see him regain the peak of Invitation Cup success.

Trainer Ganapathy has reason to look forward to the reason with renewed hope. He has two top horses in Star Marquees and Forest Regent, both of whom won with such authority in the winter season that they will be in the thick of things. Jaggy Dhariwal, who had a dream winter season, has always been in the limelight and he will have his usual quota of winners. Arabian Prince will be in the thick of action in the graded races meant for older horses.

Satish Narredu has some horses which are capable of winning their share of horses. Unfortunately for Darius Byramji, he lost the best horse that he had, namely Aidan who was put down following multiple fractures suffered in a workout during the fag end of the winter season. He has some quality horses but his horses have generally not corresponded to any kind of expectation that the punters may have. Arjun Mangalorkar is hoping that some of his three year olds live up to the hope that he has on them though at this point of time, it is difficult to pinpoint any future champion. He has a top quality older horse in Optimus Prime who should come out well by the terms of the race and make his mark in graded races. Optimus Prime though is a problematic horse and it will need all the skills of the trainer to keep him going with relatively less work.

About 75 outstation horses should contribute to lift the quality of the competition during the two and half month season. The Bangalore Summer Classics have always served as pointers for monsoon and winter classics and the current season too should live up to that billing.

For a change we have the pleasure of seeing the season start on time without the usual strife which resulted in uncertainty and postponing of the start. All vexed problems have been sorted out and hopefully an atmosphere conducive for good racing will prevail. Rains during the season have also contributed to add its own romanticism to racing.

There is one hiccup though. About 14 jockeys have not been issued licenses and the jockeys are threatening that they may not ride on the first day if the licenses are not restored. However, their threat may not go through because the authorities , in the past, have successfully managed to conduct races with the help of foreign jockeys, retained riders and apprentices even when the big jockeys struck work.

Suraj Narredu to ride to Arlington Park

2011-05-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

India’s top jockey Suraj Narredu is all set to break new ground when he leaves India on Thursday evening to Chicago to ride at Arlington Park. The ambitious young jockey has the unique distinction of being the first Indian to complete 1000 winners in record time and he has always looked for opportunities to achieve newer targets. The chance to ride at Arlington Park should help Suraj hone his skills further and he should come back as a stronger jockey in every aspect. Suraj will have a stint of a month and half which he could stretch depending on the way things shape up.

There are many Indian jockeys who have achieved much more than Suraj but they did not have his adventurous trait. In fact, one or two of the top Indian jockeys had shied away when presented with opportunity to ride abroad. Only Srinath rode with big success abroad, at Macau where he had more than 20 winners in one season. To-date this rates as the best performance by an Indian jockey abroad. Suraj who tasted big success at Mauritius winning the jockeys championship among emerging jockeys two years ago during an international racing festival has done well for himself by setting himself newer benchmarks.

``Riding at USA had always been my dream. I always look for opportunities to be creative and the experience of riding at USA should boost my career graph significantly. Riding against some top jockeys in a totally new environment and different surfaces is sure to enhance my riding skills as also toughen me up in all aspects. I am going to cherish the invaluable experience. I have got a good agent who is sure to get me some quality rides. I am immensely confident of handling pressure,’’ said Suraj who broke the news to Racingpulse about his departing to USA via New Delhi on Thursday. Well known racing journalist Tom Krish who is based at Chicago, has done much of the legwork to ensure that Suraj did not miss out on the opportunity.

``I have been retained to ride for Mr Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan’s horses but they have been kind enough to give me permission to ride at USA though the summer season in Bangalore is going to get underway over the weekend,’’ said Suraj. One remarkable trait of Suraj ever since he began his racing career as an apprentice a decade ago has been his hunger for success which fortunately has not waned. This trait has also helped him to explore and experiment which indeed is a good sign because any jockey in his position would have been content to sit back and relax.

``An Indian jockey riding in Chicago is big news here. I am sure Suraj will do everything to help get India riders recognition,’’ Tom Krish said. He will be keenly following Suraj’s progress at Arlington Park and other racing centers.

Suraj has been winning the jockeys championship in Bangalore with amazing consistency. He has won several Derbys but his biggest win thus far has been the success on Becket in the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup where he managed to outwit Indian Derby winner Jacqueline in the dying moments of the race.
Here’s wishing Suraj the very best in his latest endeavour.

Get set and go for the summer season

2011-05-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

With all the thorny issues that could have hurt the start of the summer season having been resolved well in time, the stage is set for the prompt start of the Bangalore Summer Season on Saturday, May 14. This is a departure from the past as the previous season had all been affected by some strife or the other which had seen the first week’s races being cancelled and the resolution to the problems taking its own time, causing frustration among race goers who wanted the action to begin after a small break. Nothing cheers race goers more than the sight of horses in full flow.

The Bangalore Summer Season is also eagerly awaited because racing action is confined to only Bangalore and Mysore during the summer months. Bangalore attracts quality horses from all over India which makes way for quality action in graded races. As many as 14 graded races will be gone through during the season which lasts less than three months. Unless the horses are on the boil, it is difficult to win during the season.

The last of the problems to be resolved was the syces issue. The syces demanded Rs 100 per day for doing the extra horse which has been granted. As has been reported earlier, the issues relating to BTF, norms for trainers have been put on fold. Status quo is what has ensured ironing out all the differences.

There was unnecessary delay as for as the issue of track numbers was concerned. This resulted in the track work of the first week going un-reported. A number of horses worked during this period and race goers will be at a loss in the absence of report of preparatory gallops. The turf club is well aware of the fact that track numbers are to be issued afresh during the summer season and they could have taken measures well in advance instead of delaying the issue for long. The turf club has got new digitized numbers so that recognising the numbers become easy for those observing track works.

It would have been even better if each stable was given a different set of colours for easy identification. Former Karnataka State cricket captain and Test umpire A V Jayaprakash said that this measure would have helped immensely. ``It would be easy for the club to implement it by entrusting the responsibility of getting the saddle cloth of required colour and paying the trainers to get those numbers printed on them. This way the club also could also have prevented the delay in issuing of numbers as the club would have delegated its responsibility.’’

Surely this idea needs consideration because it will be easy to identify horses even if they sport wrong track numbers willingly or unwillingly as the horse’s stable colour will make it difficult for any professional to take chance on this score. Possibly, the club could consider this step from the coming year.

The track has been in good shape as record rainfall during the month of April has helped immensely. The tan bark has dissolved nicely and we have a lush green race track. The track reporters have a complaint though about the outer sand track. The sand on the track is thin and faster timings are placing a premium on identifying a good work from an average work. Traditionally, the outer sand track is heavier than the inner sand and if a horse achieves certain timing, one could say with conviction that the horse is ready to strike.

The trainers however feel that this is not an issue and some of them believe that it light sand prevents horses from getting injured during workouts. One has also heard the contrary view from some trainers complaining about the sand being light and causing injury to their horses and also causing their horses to end up as favourites when they are far from ready due to track work! The track reporters also want lighting to improve as track work starts at 5.30 a.m. and visibility is poor. As it is, the track reporters face an additional problem because the temporary stables have resulted in horses going out of sight between 800 and 500 metres. The other problem that they are facing is the recording of track numbers and horse numbers which go for work. Quite often, they have found it difficult to relate the work because the person in charge is not present or not recorded properly. It is mandatory for every horse which enters the track to be recorded by the club’s official. This is an area which the turf club should address as the majority of race goers base their predictions on track work alone. This being a crucial barometer for most, helping in proper dissemination of track work is also the responsibility of the turf club.

This year the number of trainers participating in the summer from Mumbai has gone up. Pesi Shroff will have about eight quality horses taking part in the plums. Cooji Katrak has brought about six horses while long time regular Imtiaz Sait who had skipped the season for about four years, has come with 11 horses. Trainer Vinayak too is bringing a string of horses. The regulars from Hyderabad, Vittal Deshmukh, Leo D’Silva, Shezad Abbas and Laxman Singh have brought their share of horses.

All is well that ends well

2011-04-27T02:43:00.000-07:00

English poet T S Eliot had pointed out that tolerance is the responsibility of those with wider vision. Perhaps this might well have helped resolve the crisis caused by Bangalore Turf Club’s new set of rules which some in the committee were hell bent on pushing through. These moves were aggressively resisted by the Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association and Karnataka Trainers Association, threatening to disrupt yet again the prompt start of the Bangalore Summer Season scheduled for Saturday, May 14.

The acrimonious exchanges that happened in the Stewards room a week before was just short of getting much more than verbal. Given the grave nature of the happenings, the quick resolution to the problem, with the turf club agreeing to restore status quo in all respects must be hailed as a pressure exerted by the sensible few among members of the club. The reversal was also a big blow to the Managing Committee of the Bangalore Turf Club which has time and again has tried to force issues without as much as a dialogue or applying thought. The committee cut sorry as it was unable to defend its policies in the face of severe questioning by the agitating organizations and members of the club.

For the record, the turf club has restored the Basic Training Fee credit of two months. All the norms pertaining to trainers have been put on fold. There is in increase in 10 per cent in stakes offered for the summer season. The incentives offered to local owners have been increased from the existing 6.5. per cent to 10 per cent. This will entail an additional burden of Rs 2 crores to the club for the financial year. All the letters exchanged between the club and the agitating associations have been treated as withdrawn. The club which had taken offense to the tone and tenor of letters thus can heave a sigh of relief because the letters cease to exist in the record. They have now been replaced by a tone of understanding and trust!

Thus a new benchmark has been established as for the first time the season will start as scheduled unless nature intervenes. Such a thing had happened several years ago and the start of the season was put off by a week due to excess rain.

The withdrawal of BTF was an ill-advised move because the sport or that matter any economic activity thrives on credit. There was some merit in the norms for trainers though they need to be thoroughly evaluated before they are implemented.

It remains to be seen if the spirit of cooperation that the club and the agitating associations showed in resolving the crisis is extended to fighting the battle for survival in the Supreme Court Another question that begs an answer is whether the Managing Committee will go through with the disciplinary proceedings initiated following the storming of their board room on April 19 by the office-bearers of KROA.
There is one additional problem that BTC is confronted with now pertaining to deadlock with Mysore Race Club on conduct of its summer season. With Mysore set to gain from the revised tote tax, BTC is averse to extending the same scale of support which is being resisted by Mysore, with the possible threat of not conducting its mini seasons. If this were to remain unresolved, the owners yet again have a fight on their hands.

About 60 outstation horses are expected to participate during the season. Mumbai champion trainer Pesi Shroff, Cooji Katrak and Imtiaz Sait are bringing their horses for the season. There will be the usual complement of horses from Hyderabad. One is not sure whether Calcutta’s champion colt Dandified will be brought to have a go at the summer classics.

Glory of Dancer was a giant among Indian stallions

2011-04-13T02:40:00.002-07:00

The death of Glory of Dancer on Wednesday in a freak accident at Nanoli Stud Farm is a big blow to Indian racing. The 21-year old son of Shareef Dancer had proved his credentials as a stallion of outstanding merit by siring champions with amazing regularity. Although he began modestly at the Bangalore based Kehelan Stud Farm, Glory of Dancer came into full bloom once he was moved to the premises of Nanoli Stud Farm.
The progeny of Glory of Dancer proved their class by winning the major races in the country with amazing regularity. Glory of Dancer also sired back to back Indian Derby winners through Hotstepper and Antonios. Glory of Dancer also helped lift the profile Nanoli Stud Farm. His death in tragic circumstances has come as a big blow to the stud farm as he seemed to be in pink of health. This year’s Indian 2000 Guineas winner Beautiful Stranger was sired by him. Beautiful Stranger incidentally is also the winner of the coveted juvenile race in the country, the Gr 1 Poonawalla Breeders Multi-Million. Blurr was another progeny of Glory of Dancer to win this prestigious race for first season runners. Glory of Dancer has covered quite a significant number of mares during the on-going breeding season and as such we can get to see his progeny race for a few more years. Last year’s racing sensation Jacqueline who was covered by Glory of Dancer year is due to foal anytime in Ireland.
``I am quite distressed by the tragic death of Glory of Dancer. Though he has already sired a number of champions, I believe his best is yet to come. The crop of 2009 has a number of exciting colts and fillies. Possibly this may be his vintage crop. He has covered some outstanding mares this year as well and as such, his progeny will continue to make their impact on Indian racing for a few years more. His daughters are also there to represent him,’’ said Khushroo Dhinjibhoy in whose Nanoli Stud Farm Glory of Dancer stood in the last several years after being shifted out from Kehelan Stud Farm. Glory of Dancer has covered about 40-odd mares during the on-going breeding season.
``Glory of Dancer was a temperamental horse though he did not translate this trait to his progeny who were straightforward race horses. In the past too, he had bolted early in the morning from his stall but fortunately he had not hurt himself seriously on that occasion,’’ said Dhinjibhoy. Glory of Dancer broke free on Wednesday as his syce unfortunately could not restrain him. Glory of Dancer hit a tree guard and then crashed to the fence which caused severe head injuries, resulting in his death.
For Farouq Rattonsey who owned the stallion, Glory of Dancer revived his sagging interest in racing. Farouq was on his way out of the sport itself with a feeling of being let down but Glory of Dancer did not let that happen by producing a series of champions which were the pride of any race horse owner. To own a champion is the dream of a race horse owner. To breed and own it is something special,’’ said Farouq who was just returning after burying the champion stallion who had given him everything that a breeder-owner could ask for of a stallion. ``Glory of Dancer gave me name, fame and glory,’’ he said. ``The only regret I have is that Glory of Dancer died in tragic circumstances. Death is inevitable but the manner in which he died in an accident saddens me,’’ he said.
Glory of Dancer produced versatile horses who won from five and 14 furlongs. Glory of Dancers was a pre-potent sire who upgraded even modest mares. Considering the fact that he has covered some well pedigreed mares in the last few years, we can expect a few more champions from his crop. He will have more than 100 horses which will make their debut over the next three years and as such his legacy will continue.
Glory of Dancer (Shareef Dancer x Glory of Hera (Formidable) was a champion colt in Italy during his racing career and ran fourth in the Gr 1 Epsom Derby. From nine crops of 198 named foals including two abroad, he has had 146 winners and 26 black type performers. Apart from Hotstepper, Antonios, Beautiful Stranger, Blurr, Glory of Dancer also sired Dancing Dynamite who was the winner of Gr 1 Maj P K Mehra Super Mile. Glorious Breaker, winner of Gr 1 Fillies Trial Stakes in Bangalore, Onassis, Cabriolet, Juventus, Lancaster, Kaiser are some of the best performed horses that come readily to one’s mind.
``The most difficult thing in breeding is to get a stallion as the prospects of a breeder is entirely dependent on him. Glory of Dancer had all the attributes of a champion stallion,’’ Farouq Rattonsey said heaping praise on his stallion that had given him everything he could hope for.
This year has been particularly cruel for Indian racing as champion stallions Razeen and Placerville had earlier died just as the covering season began.

Supreme Court to hear BTC's appeal on July 19

2011-04-13T02:40:00.001-07:00

The Supreme Court has posted BTC’s Special Leave Petition for July 19 following the government of Karnataka pressing for an early hearing. It may be recalled that BTC had gone to High Court against cancellation of lease deed by the government and it had challenged the same in the court contending that the land rightfully belonged to them by way of grant for the exclusive purpose of running racing activities only. The High Court however rejected BTC’s contention and ordered the club to vacate its premises by September last year. The BTC approached Supreme Court last July with a Special Leave Petition. Suspense now rules till such time Supreme Court decides one way or the other.
The matter was partly heard by a division bench of the Supreme Court last year. Thereafter it was posted before the registry for scrutiny of documents. The matter dragged as the government and the turf club had been asked by the court to submit whatever supplementary documents that they wished to place before the court. The matter will now come up before the bench for disposal. The fate of racing in Bangalore thus hangs in balance as the sword of Damocles has been hanging over the turf club ever since it went on an ill-advised battle in the court without giving a serious thought to its repercussions.
The majority of legal opinion that the club had sought was against exploring the legal option but one of conciliatory approach with the government. The government too showed an inclination to help by offering the land at Chikkajala and Doddajala but following the Public Interest Litigation which many felt was inspired by several of the club’s mandarins, the High Court ruled against the grant of that land stating that it was a tank bund and the law prohibits converting such areas into commercial activity. The government also offered land at Doddasonehalli which was also rejected as unsuitable by the turf club. The land identified for the turf club is now being allotted to the National Cricket Academy.
The short-sighted policy of the club mandarins has resulted in racing facing a bleak future. The existing premises is cramped and under litigation. There is no other alternative venue for BTC to shift. The turf club resisted the attempt of successive government s to find them alternative land for well over two decades. Had the BTC accepted to shift, they could have been sitting pretty on a much better location and with no legal hassles.
The Managing Committee of the turf club is now busy in creating more hurdles in the smooth conduct of racing by taking some unreasonable decisions recently which is bound to hurt the prompt start of the Bangalore Summer Season on May 14. They have decided to stop the BTF and the credit given for veterinary treatment and feed supplements. The world economy runs on credit but BTC authorities, for reasons bet known to them, have decided to meddle with a system that has worked wonderfully well for over two decades. In the past, BTC used to give even subsidies for horses but they have now been done away with but the BTF facility is the fulcrum on which racing revolves. The BTC managing committee wants to bleed the sport especially at a time when they are engaged in a battle for survival with the government. Unfortunately, the majority of Managing Committee members have no stake in racing and are hell bent on causing disruption of racing.
In contrast, Hyderabad Race Club has been very pragmatic and is seriously considering shifting from the congested Malakpet to more spacious land at Gachibowli. The club is reportedly negotiating with the government for a bigger chunk of land and concessions which can help the club to build an ultra-modern race course.
Unfortunately, BTC cannot change its past because of which its future looks bleak. BTC seems to be caught in a time warp!

It’s astounding, time is fleeting
Madness takes its toll
The blackness would hit and the void would be calling
Let’s do the time warp again…
Let’s do the time warp again!

Tiberius lands the Heroji Lad Juvenile Million

2011-03-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Irfan Ghatala trained Tiberius fought a resolute battle with front running Preordained and surged ahead in the closing strides of the race to win the Gr 3 Heroji Lad Bangalore Juvenile Million, the feature event of concluding day’s Bangalore Winter Races on Saturday. The Hazara Stud Farm bred Tiberius was thus recording his third straight win of the season. Nirmal Singh who owns the Hazara Stud Farm, is also the owner of Tiberius and surely the performance of the colt is a good advertisement for his sire Rebuttal who already has a couple of graded race performers from his first crop, in the first season itself.

Tiberius was the on money favourite to win the race by virtue of his two impressive wins. Casanova who was originally scheduled to run the mile long Colts Championship last week at Mumbai, was brought back to race in this million after he had showed out in his final spurt. He was well supported to win as the expectation of a good performance from him was quite high. However, he raced too keen, fought for his head for a while and then lost interest at the final furlong and finished a dismal last. Preordained was taken on a start to finish mission with Saratoga Spring and Ability racing behind while Casanova raced three horses wide. Current Ray and Tiberius brought the tail end. Jockey Valdmir De Sousa sensibly moved up on the outside as the favourite was not relishing the slow pace and brought him within striking reach of the front runner though he took the turn slightly wide. This perhaps helped the favourite to land the spoils as he did not produce the patented burst of acceleration and took a long while before he could measure Preordained in the final moments of the race. Saratoga Spring finished on strongly taking the third spot.

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Aristos was not only the best performed horse but had also seen super class company and as such but the only deterrent to him being considered as outstanding in the Leading Stud Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, was because of the fact that apprentice jockey Vaibhav hasn’t been riding with great confidence. However, Aristos was well supported in what appeared an open time of betting. Vaibhav had Aristos dictate the pace from the start and the six-year old son of Okawango held off the strong challenge essayed by Mighty Heart and Lowndes Square to land the spoils at lucrative odds. This win should be a confidence boosting one for Vaibhav who should improve as he gets more experience.

Warren Singh’s Lads Gladiator who had run behind Optimus Prime, obliged as a well backed favourite in the Leading Owner Trophy (Div I), a race for horses rated 60 to 85. Amiable Lady set a scorching pace and very nearly pulled it off but she slackened inside the final 100 metres. Alford drove out Lads Gladiator to measure up the front runner and then managed to have the favourite in front at the post as Captain’s Lover came home with a big rush. Joriki, who was one of the fancied runners, ran a disappointing fourth. Alpha Baby, who had failed to display her true potential during the season, finally came good and won the lower division of the race from Star Presence and late rallying Marie Curie. Chronicle, who was strongly backed to win, was not ideally placed to make his presence felt.

Faraz Arshad trained Affirmative won the Champion Jockey Trophy (Div I), a race for maiden three year olds, with ease from Shivalik Prince. The latter was the firm favourite, based on his excellent workouts but the progeny of Rebuttal ran green and was not ready to win as yet. Affirmative led from the start and skipped away from Shivalik Prince who was getting into stride long after the front runner had sewn up the race. Shivalik Prince appears a good a good type of a horse who should get his share of races during the summer season as this run is sure to help him improve tremendously. Padmanabhan’s Speed Six proved too speedy in the lower division of the race, winning in a good time of one minute 07.09 seconds, to herald his arrival as a youngster of promise. Ultimate Fantasy, who was backed down spiritedly from a higher quote, had no problem in winning the Division III race of the race from rank outsider Indian and favourite Whisper In Town. The last named was sluggish at the start and this effectively sealed her fate.

Amit Cady’s Dance N Celebrate had put in an outstanding workout but she was not strongly backed to win the 1400 metres Champion Trainer Trophy as the market focus was on Sunstorm, Magnitude Star and Sky Diver. These horses were not spotted at the busy end as Dance N Celebrate, with aggressive front running effort, bolted in comfortably ahead of Deep Blue Sky. De Sousa who had a rewarding season thus could sign off the season with a good double having earlier won on Tiberius in the feature event. Sky Diver ran on to finish third.

Drop of Honey came in for spirited support only to lose steam in the betting ring close to race time in the 1200 metres Leading Tipster Trophy. The five year old mare was trotted at the gates to check for soundness but was finally certified fit to run. In the meanwhile, Amber Star received one sided support to end up as a firm favourite. In the event, Drop Of Honey proved too good for the field, assuming command inside the final 300 metres and winning in great style from Ladzone.

Inspirator had let down on a couple of occasions but chose this occasion to bring off a win a lucrative odds in the concluding race of the day, aptly named Leading Bookmaker Trophy. Inspirator came into contention in the final furlong and was not hard pressed to stave off the challenge of Sky Rider and the rest.

Apprentice jockey Rajesh in limelight

2011-03-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

Apprentice jockey Rajesh was in limelight with a lucrative treble on the penultimate day of Bangalore Winter Races on Friday. Rajesh’s bag of wins included that on Camorra in the feature event, the Sandur Trophy, Youre Chilubuli and Foswell. Rajesh has emerged as a jockey of immense potential and his three wins was in keeping with the rapid strides that he has made during the season.

Camorra had recorded a comfortable win in her last outing and on the evidence of that run she had the capability to record an encore. Satish Narredu trained Accurate who had already recorded a hat-trick was strongly supported along with Gazaki in what appeared a competitive race. Rajesh had Camorra dictate the pace from the start and had the progeny of Brave Act quicken for home in the final furlong. The lead that he established held him in good stead as Accurate and Crown Vision charged home with big efforts. Camorra spared half a length at the finish to Accurate who in turn was an identical distance ahead of Crown Vision. Crown Vision could have made a difference to the outcome of the race if the support that she had from the saddle was better. Love Conquers All who had his share of supporters raced at the wrong end of the field and was not spotted at the busy end.

The end of season always sees a surfeit of entries in the race meant for maiden three year olds as most trainers would be hoping to give a mandatory run during the season. The Mercara Plate, a race for maiden three year olds for six furlongs, was run in three divisions. Padmanabhan trained Chemin De Fer gathered strong support in the betting ring on the basis of the filly’s eye-catching run in her last outing. There was support for Rapadan Glory. Jockey Neeraj Rawal had Chemin De Fer tracking Rapadan Glory till entering the straight before she left the field stranded. She won by a widening margin of five lengths in a smart time of one minute 14.1 seconds. Hillstone ran on to finish second ahead of Final Countdown. Rapadan Glory faded out in the final furlong to finish a poor fourth. Chemin De Fer is a good type of a youngster and she should be a force to reckon with during the summer season.

Hillingdon was the betting rage in the Division II of the race on the basis of the colt’s impressive workouts but the progeny of Royal Kingdom ran disappointingly and was outpaced easily by Forest Regent. Gallagher had Forest Regent dictate the pace from the start and skipped away as the expected show of acceleration did not come from the favourite who finished a dismal second.

Trainer Samar Singh had his second winner of the season through the well backed Royal Fortune who won the Division III of the race quite capably from Brownie.

Swift Star had been consistent enough to merit victory in the Vijaynagar Trophy (Div I). The Satish Narredu trainee had no problem in disposing of his rivals among whom Recharged showed some zest with a late rally. Arjun Mangalorkar’s Florida recorded an encore in the lower division of the race with a speedy start to finish effort, winning at the expense of Mystic Dawn who was the best of the beaten brigade.

Pradeep Annaiah’s Youre Chilubuli had recorded a runaway win in his last essay the previous week and once again he was backed to win the 1400 metres Bhatkal Plate. Youre Chilubuli duly obliged after staving off a spirited resistance put up by Mercutio in the hands of apprentice jockey Rajesh. There was inspired support for Puttanna trained Pritvi but midway through the race jockey Sreekanth was unseated as his horse stumbled or clipped one of the horses in front.

Foswell was backed spiritedly to win the 1100 metres Vibrant Plate and apprentice jockey Rajesh yet again rose to the occasion by bringing the fancied runner with a strong run with a furlong out and drove the horse out of the reach of Sky Glider who warmed up to the task after the cause had been lost.

Neil Darashah’s Native Talent had it easy in the 1800 metres Banavasi Plate. After being held up in the fourth position, Native Talent sailed past the front runners with a furlong out with minimum of fuss and won with plenty to spare from Lester.
Gallagher guided Halo of Reverence to a facile win in the 1600 metres Chamundi Plate with Burning Ambitions managing to edge out Segomo for the runner up berth. Fancied Lampon dropped out of contention abruptly after being prominent till approaching the final turn.

Optimus Prime blitzes the field

2011-03-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

Arjun Mangalorkar trained Optimus Prime confirmed his status as an eminent sprinter at this centre with an authoritative decimation of the field in the 1200 metres Stewards Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of Saturday’s races. Barring an odd race, all the races in the eight event card saw one sided contests as fancied runners faced timid opposition.

The Dashmesh Stud Farm produce had his share of problems which had seen Optimus Prime race just three times in the last two seasons. After a lung opener early in the season, Optimus Prime had smashed the opposition and was expected to keep his winning spree. However, the opposition he was taking in the Stewards Cup had many accomplished runners in the fray with Carla who had recorded a very impressive win being the overwhelming favourite. Carla has never been a model of consistency and to compound her problems, she also bled which hurt her chances and the hopes of those who had pinned their faith in this horse from trainer Suleiman Attaollahi.

Clear Mandate set a fast pace as the starter dispatched the field for the six furlong race followed by Superb Style, Miss ruby and Lady Duff in the front bunch. Carla never got off to a start expected of her. Optimus Prime who relishes a strong pace and likes to come from behind was in about the eighth or ninth position along the rails. Clear Mandate brought the field into view but Optimus Prime who was angled out of the rails to get a clear run with a furlong out, devoured ground and in a trice had gone clear and won pulling by a widening margin of five lengths in a smart time of one minute 12.79 seconds. The progeny of Valid Concept, who missed a nomination to Sprinters Cup by virtue of the fact that he did not have enough runs to merit consideration, has nevertheless proved his mettle and should be on the boil during the summer season where the terms of the race will suit him. Clear Mandate ran on to finish second ahead of Lady Duff while the rest were outclassed.

Arjun Mangalorkar was in the limelight with a treble as he had other winners through Sky Train and Sky Marshall. Sky Train which was at unbackable odds to win the 1200 metres Hoysala Cup, missed the kick, ran into a spot of bother before getting a clear run inside the final furlong. The progeny of China Visit picked up speed to leave the field stranded in the final stages of the race. Ice Mint edged out Abnoba for the runner up berth.

Arjun’s other win had come through Sky Marshal who won the day’s opener, the 1400 metres Anekal Plate from late rallying Windsor Park t nourishing odds. North Cape was backed down spiritedly to win ahead of Shahizaar but both these horses ran disappointing races. Sky Marshal led all the way and was lucky to win as Windsor Park ran into traffic problems in the straight. By the time Arshad Asbar was able to get a clear run along the rails, Sky Marshal had opened up a big lead which held him in good stead as Windsor Park came home with a big rush only to see the winning post coming too soon for comfort.

Two big gambles for landed during the course of the day. The Hazara Stud Farm bred Bourne Supreme who was running for the first time after being gelded, was entrusted in R Koch who wins once in a blue moon and it was no coincidence that it was a full moon day! There was a rush of money on Bourne Supreme who was backed down from a higher quote to just over evens. Bourne Supreme left the field stranded to win as he pleased by a widening margin of six lengths over ante post favourite Caraway to lift the Agumbe Plate (Div II), a race for maiden three year olds in great style. The upper division of the race was won by Amit Cady trained Colour of Money who proved too superior with an end to end effort in the hands of jockey V R De Sousa. Hillstone made a late rally to snatch the runner up berth from No Doubt.

Pradeep Annaiah’s Youre Chilubuli was backed down despite T Bernard being astride in the Makalidurga Plate (Div II). The optimism was not misplaced as the favourite showed his true prowess by winning by a big margin of over eight lengths, giving the jockey the liberty of looking back repeatedly and easing the horse long way from home. Man Down Under showed some interest while finishing second with a belated run. Amit Cady’s Price To Fame was at cramped odds in the lower division of the race and the favourite had no problem in keeping the challenge of Nectar Crown at bay.

Darius Byramji’s Alexander Helios was well backed to find his winning form in the Magadi Plate, a mile long race for horses rated 20 to 45. Gallagher had to drive out Alexander Helios to contain the challenge of front running stablemate Plaka in the closing strides of the race. Brave Cat made an earnest effort long after the cause had been lost to finish an eye-catching third. Sun Doro was not far behind.

Mountain Range proves too speedy

2011-03-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

Arjun Mangalorkar trained Mountain Range proved too superior to the opposition while winning the 1400 metres Sringeri Plate, a race for maiden three year olds, one of the highlights of a lacklustre card of eight events that was gone through on Friday. The quality of racing on display was poor and given the fact that the season is soon to end, perhaps it is only to be expected.

Mountain Range, Arabian Gold and Magnomical were all equally well supported to begin with but the first named firmed up as a favourite close to race time. Mountain Range had run third in his first outing before running listlessly at Hyderabad where he took a fly jump, stumbled and then was out of contention. The progeny of Razeen had made good progress in the intervening period but the fact that his last run was bad was the reason why the connections of Arabian gold and Magnomical who had run a forward race in the Governor’s Trophy had a number of takers. One horse which impressed in the paddock was Hill Rising but with the owner mate being the hot favourite, her chances were not considered good.

Jockey John had Mountain Range dictate the pace from the word `go’ with Arabian Gold in close proximity but the character of the race altered once these two runners took the final stretch. Arabian Gold failed to quicken while Mountain Range kept on increasing the lead to go clear of the field. Hill Rising finished with a powerful run to take the second spot ahead of Arabian Gold while Magnomical was completely out of depth.

The only trophy event of the day, the Talkad Trophy was won by favourite Fame And Glory who lasted out in his front running effort and won from late rallying Sunset Grill. There was support for Chantilly Jewel but she could not make much headway after racing prominently till the final furlong.

The progeny of Midtown, Show Time who had impressed in a mock race, was backed to the exclusion of the rest in the BARI Plate (Div I). Show Time had no problem in disposing the exclusion of the rest. She easily contained the challenge of another debutant Café Del Monte in a smart time of one minute 14.90 seconds. Show Time is a good type of youngster. Gun Salute, with a late rally, edged out Mi Amor for the third spot. The lower division of the race was won by favourite Migrolinio who brooked no opposition as he won with a start to finish dash from Saganaki in a relatively slow timing of one minute 16.22 seconds.

Brunetta was fancied ahead of Dramatic Dancer in the N E Raymond Memorial Plate (Div I). Dramatic Dancer appeared to be in season and she was swishing her tail as she was loaded into the gates which perhaps may be the reason for the filly’s below par performance. Amit Cady’s In The Zone who had come down more than 20 points in the handicap scale, was backed by those in the know despite his lack of any forward effort in his recent outings. In The Zone slipped through along the rails with a furlong out and held off the strong finish of Brunetta to win after a very long gap. Amar Prem was the betting rage in the lower division of the race where last time winner Sabari also came in for inspired support. The expected thrust on Supreme arch was not noticed in the ring and he ran at lucrative odds. However, the progeny of Black Cash showed up strongly in the final furlong and easily held off the challenge of Refresh and Amar Prem who was never in with a fighting chance. Sabari circled round the field at the final bend and was poorly handled by apprentice Pradeep as she finished a poor fourth. Leon Cavallo returned with a burst blood vessel.

Both the divisions of the Gokarna Plate had poor quality runners in the fray and winner-picking could only be a shot in the dark in such a scenario. Count Royal, who had recently changed hands, was backed down from a higher quote of 10 to 1 to end up at less than 3 to 1 in the ring. There were several horses which had their share of supporters. As it happens in this sort of races, trainer Sharat Kumar’s Cesaria managed to kick on to record a comfortable win over late finishing Silver Court who managed to neck out Count Royal from the runner up berth. The lower division of the race was won by Unchallenged who faced a stiff fight from the well backed favourite Another Voice, another Sharat Kumar trainee, but held on to record a narrow win. Jockey John tried to reverse the verdict in the Stewards room by lodging an objection against jockey V R De Sousa for crossing him in the final 100 metres which resulted in him in losing ground and the race. The objection was thrown out in quick time as it was John who had been continuously obstructing the path of Unchallenged right from the top of the straight.

What A Friend obliges yet again

2011-03-12T23:50:00.001-08:00

Trainer Sharat Kumar has worked wonders on What A Friend who recorded his third win of the season when getting the better of Hatsuhana yet again in the 1400 metres Kanteerava Cup, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of Saturday’s races. Hatsuhana was better placed over What A Friend in scales vis-à-vis their previous encounter but the latter yet again asserted his superiority with a powerful charge in the final furlong.

What A Friend had run behind Fleeting Arrow in his debut run and the latter went on to win several classics. The expectation on What A Friend was higher than that on stablemate but the horse had a setback and faded out from the scene. After it changed stables, Sharat Kumar has been able to get the six-year old gelding to realize his potential albeit late in his career. He has been able to sort out the problem which prevented this progeny of Placerville from living up to expectation.

Hatsuhana has had his share of problems but has bounced back well though he was unlucky to run into a better opponent for the second time running. Though he began as the favourite, Mysore challenger Ohiyesa ended up enjoying greater support. Rugged Beauty and Tanzanite were the others who came in for active consideration. What A Friend was allowed to run at liberal odds. Bucethalis was the pace setter as jockey Gallagher had Ohiyesa take a handy second position midway through the seven furlong race while Hatsuhana was in about the seventh or eighth position tracking What A Friend. Pradeep Chouhan brought Hatsuhana on the wide outside and he probably saw What A Friend in front being a strong threat as he tightened the runner slightly and surged ahead. The way Hatsuhana took charge; it looked as though the race was over for the Neil Darashah trainee. However, Christopher was able to angle out What A Friend and rode out relentlessly with the free use of the aircush whip to get the lesser fancied runner to produce that one decisive thrust which carried him past the front runner. Ohiyesa ran on to be a tame third.

Trainer Samar Singh who was going through a lean patch opened his account through the Hazara Stud Farm bred Lovely Kiss. Lovely Kiss had run such an impressive second to Midtown Magic that one had no hesitation in nominating the daughter of Rebuttal as the best bet of the day despite jockey Jagadeesh being assigned to ride him. Top weighed Free Law came in for inspired support to end up as a joint favourite with Lovely Kiss. Free Law showed enough speed to dictate the pace but with a furlong out, Lovely Kiss went ahead. Though the filly veered out of a straight course, she still managed to spare three lengths at the finish to Free Law. Chantilly was a faraway third.

There was nothing much to choose between At The Helm and Dancerella as both had performed well in their previous outings and the seven furlong maidens race was strictly confined to these two. Though Dancerella surged ahead inside the final furlong, At The Helm was easily the better travelling of the two and won by half a length which could have expanded with little more distance to cover. The front running Forever Glory managed to neck out Sunday Storm for the third spot.

Royal Surprise finally broke the jinx as this Amit Cady trained got abroad filly produced a strong run in the homestretch to win the 1600 metres Virajpet Plate. Royal Surprise went off the bridle well before the final turn but the persevering efforts of jockey V R De Sousa enabled the filly to produce a winning effort. Trainer Dominic had rated Love Conquers All pretty high and this was the reason why he had taken the horse for a tilt at Delhi Derby. Since coming back, Love Conquers All had a run benefit and had lesser known Ramandeep astride the gelding. The horse was backed down spiritedly from a higher quote to end up as a firm favourite. Love Conquers All missed the kicked, improved places rapidly but could not produce that bit extra in the decisive moment of the race. Royal Surprise held off the challenge of Hard To Pin Down who nosed out Allez Vite and Love Conquers All to keep the runner up berth. With a better quality rider, Love Conquers All could have pulled it off.
The trainer-jockey combination of Amit Cady and De Sousa had a double for the day as earlier in the day, Back Among Friends who had found one better on two successive occasions managed to stave off the challenge of favourite Mitraya in the Devarayana Durga Plate (Div I). Back Among Friends hung in badly but the jockey managed to drive out the horse to eke out a narrow win. Sky Glider put up a dogged resistance before weakening to finish third. Sky Rider was perhaps backed more by default than by virtue of his performance. Sprawling Elegance hit the front from the word `go’ and jockey Appu had no problem in guiding the lesser fancied runner to victory over late charging Black Beauty.
Sharat Kumar’s Frame Partner won the 1600 metres Bagalkote Plate at lucrative odds. The horse was quietly fancied as could be evidenced by the pay-out in place and the forceful effort put by less heralded Mallikarjun who brought the progeny of Juniper on the wide outside to get past Sun Gold to record an easy win. Sun Gold necked out Golden Dixie to finish second best. When horses like Frame Partner dominate the day’s proceedings, majority of punters can hardly get a clue and as such, receive a drubbing.

Prasanna Kumar’s charge Cowboy Cal produced a winning effort in the 1800 metres Magod Falls Plate easily containing the challenge of last outing winner Lampon who warmed up to the task when the cause had been lost. Halo of Reverence was well supported but was not spotted at the busy end.

Caspian Sea lucky to scrape home

2011-03-11T23:44:00.000-08:00

Rashid Byramji led in a winner after a longish interval through lesser fancied Caspian Sea who just about managed to reach the safety of the winning post before Captain’s Lover could extricate from the rails after being kept there for a long time by Brunetta, in the Nilgiris Cup, a seven furlong race for horses rated 60 to 85, which featured races held on Saturday.

The eight event card did not throw any major surprise though Hamsafar won as a long shot. She had been consistent but as she had had not won, she was not considered as a possible winner as the focus of attention was on other horses who have the habit of ending up as favourites with little or no credentials because of the hype they enjoy. The public also cannot be blamed because more often than not such horses have obliged without solid racing form especially when they are running in lower classes.
Bucephalas who had run a forward race was more supported than the rest in the Nilgiris Cup. There was significant thrust on Captain’s Lover close to race time which was a clear indication that she would be in serious business. Caspian Sea hadn’t been running to his abilities though with a four kg claimer in Rajesh Kumar, his chances were bound to improve dramatically as he had got more than 10 kg drop since his last win. Caprioska, Caspian Sea, Spark of Isis raced in close proximity in front while Captain’s Lover was eased in about the sixth position with Brunetta on her outside for company. Bucephalas who was in the rear group was under pressure to keep pace and was strongly urged to cover up the leeway at the final turn.
Caspian Seas surged ahead on turning for home with Caprioska and Spark of Isis not falling back rapidly while jockey Harish on Captain’s Lover was unable to get a clear run as the horses in front of him were going nowhere and Brunetta on her outside not conceding an inch and keeping the second favourite stuck along the rails. Harish had to wait for a while before forcing his way but by the time the five-year old mare could into full steam, Caspian Sea had gone into a big lead which held him in good stead as he managed to win by ¾ lengths at the finish. With a clear run, Captain’s Love doubtless would have been the winner. Spark of Isis nosed out Joriki for the third spot.

Puttanna trained horses always prove to be different customers when the right thrust is on them. Lester who had managed to keep away from public glare, was quietly supported to win the Thungabhadra Plate (Div I), a seven furlong race for horses rated 40 to 65. The Senator was widely expected to win. Virtuoso who was available at lucrative odds was the pace setter as The Senator was held in a handy position with the rest following in close proximity. Spark of Solitaire lost all his chances at the gate itself. Virtuoso shook off even as the supporters of The Senator were watching in dismay as the lack of headway being made by the favourite. The front runner appeared to be safe from the clutches of other contestants but Lester who was allowed to run to potential, flew home to catch the front runner in the final strides of the race. Royal Player was third while The Senator was a disappointing fifth. Puttanna was able to give perfect alibis for his ward’s sudden improved performance and escape without any penalty. Satish Narredu’s Simply Phenomenal towered over the rest after the five-year old’s eye-catching run last time out. Jockey Suraj had no hesitation in taking the favourite to the front and Simply Phenomenal was not hard pressed by any of the runners while checking in well clear of the rest. Ailsa ran on to finish second ahead of Prashastha and Cash Is King.
Capote opened as on money favourite to win the Ardent Knight Trophy (Div I) but the odds drifted out showing that as there is increasing trust deficit where horses of Dr Vijay Mallya are concerned. The reason is that these days horses which run at cramped price rarely oblige and Capote belonged to that category as he had already failed as an on money favourite. Capote raced in true earnest as Intrigue tried steal the race with a start to finish attempt but was collared and passed by Affirmative with a furlong out. Capote finished on powerfully getting the measure of the front runner in the shadow of the post. With the withdrawal of ante post favourite Cinnamon Rush in the lower division of the race, Practically Perfect was backed down as if her defeat was out of question. The daughter of Sunday Doubt, Practically Perfect swept past the opposition to finish well clear of Bourbon Rock. Sunday Doubt who stood at Dashmesh Stud Farm, unfortunately died after covering only one crop. His progeny have been doing well, winning their fair share of juvenile races. It is a pity that he died early for he could have made a greater impact with his subsequent crops.

Prithviraj’s Sparkling Life was the betting rage in the 1200 metres but the four year old was never in a prominent position to deliver the goods. The well backed Thrillseeker led all the way, had the race well in control before the final bend and then skipped away to record a facile win. Ailsa chased the winner without hope.

Hamsafar had a decent chance to win the 1400 metres Gadag Plate as the four year old filly has been pretty consistent though she had found the winning post elusive. However, she was taking on a poor lot of horses which was the reason why she was offered as the second best horse in our selections. However, she was totally neglected in the betting ring, returning a dividend about 50 to 1 on a tenner! Apprentice jockey Vaibhav had Hamsafar lead all the way and the progeny of Inner City won untroubled from Smart Exotic and late rallying Indian Royalty who was running after a pretty long lay off

Valahak looked outstanding in the 1200 metres Manasa Sarovara Plate as his last win had been outstanding. Though he was withdrawn from the fray on an earlier occasion, a cursory look at him in the paddocks was enough to give the impression that he stood out for his looks. Jockey John brought Valahak with a powerful run with a furlong out to measure the front running Moves Goodenough to record an encore in style for trainer Prasanna Kumar.

New invitational race proposed on Christmas day

2011-03-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

There had been persistent debate whether the format of the Invitation Cup races needed to be changed for the last several years. The plea was to make it as a weight for age race without penalties like the Arc De Triomphe which is the richest race on grass in the world. The protagonists of this move wanted the best horses of classic vintage take on older accomplished and classic winning horses. The traditionalists had shot down the proposal as they felt change was unnecessary.

This issue came up once again at the Turf Authorities of India Meeting on Monday. With Hyderabad Race Club and Madras Race Club opposing the move, a compromise was struck in the form of framing a new race, to be held on rotational basis on December 25. The race, named Indian National Championship Trophy, is to offer stake money of Rs 1 crore. It will be open to four year olds and over and without penalties. The colts and geldings will carry 57 kgs and fillies and mares will care 55.5 kgs. The modalities needs to be worked but the race which was recommended by the Patterns Race Committee has been approved in principle and a formal announcement is awaited.
The Invitation Cup weekend racing has races over varying trips, starting from a sprint, to super mile to mile and half to 15 furlongs. For some time, there was also a race over 2000 metres called Vintage Cup which was later changed to Japan Cup. However, this race was abandoned as this was splitting the entries from the Stayers Cup. As such, the Pattern Race Committee wanted this newly proposed invitational race to be mile and quarter going by the fact that world over, the long distance races no longer hold charm and barring the Epsom Derby, the other Derbys like the Kentucky Derby (2000 M), the French Derby (2100 M) are over shorter trips.
In the last 30 odd years, we haven’t seen a Triple Crown winner as the Belmont Stakes is over 2400 metres and horses which win the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes find it difficult to perform well over the longer trip which has always been won by horses which are specialists over this trip. A race over 2000 metres would attract the best of milers and horses which are capable of getting longer trips. This would have been a fine middle path considering the fact that our breeding is oriented towards producing sprinter milers. However, the breeders themselves reportedly shot down the proposal to reduce the trip to 2000 metres and wanted it to be over the traditional Derby distance of mile and half. This race will decide the champion of champions and the winner of this race will be awarded the horse of the year title by the Turf Authorities of India instead of the existing system which is dependent on points accumulated over a year’s performance.

Moonlight Romance became somewhat of a sensation wining the Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby and Invitation Cup. If the Invitation Cup itself was shifted from the present March which is not exactly conducive for the conduct of racing in several centres due to severe heat to December 25 which is the proposed date for the new race, it would have been ideal. Racing in Hyderabad closes by end of February, conditions are not so good in almost all racing centres with even Bangalore which has normally salubrious climate, has also warmed up significantly over the last few years. A December Invitation Cup would have meant a big race every eight months starting from Bangalore Derby in July, Indian Derby in February and Invitation Cup in December. However, it is unlikely that such a proposal would be accepted.

The reason why a new race is being proposed instead of changing the existing Invitation Cup as weight for age race was because of the view that four year olds are not mature enough to take on older horses and the result of this year’s races meant for four year olds and over were all won by older horses strengthening this belief. By December 25, four year olds will be just a few days away from turning a year older and hence the maturity level would be higher to take on older champions.
We have to wait and see how many horses last this long given the intense competition and the stressful conditions under which these horses race once they make their debut. We have a Group I race in the month of September namely the Gr 1 President of India Gold Cup which is a weight for age race without penalties. This race, despite its rich heritage and status, does not attract too many horses because of the fact that good horses will be running at a handicap which will make it difficult for the other horses to beat.

The Invitation Cup weekend sees graded races over varying distances with the only missing event being the seven furlong race which is now a multi-million race without the tag. There is a proposal to make it is a Group II race.

Some changes have been made in the pattern of nomination to Invitation Cup races. With their being restriction in some centres as to how many horses they can accommodate in race, each turf authority can now nominate only three horses for each of these races. Kolkata cannot accommodate more than 15 horses in each race. The handicappers of each centre can nominate any number of reserves and the organising club’s handicapper is at liberty to fill up the vacancies based on the rating of horses. Balloting of horses is permitted in the event of the fields being more than what can be accommodated. For example, even RWI”TC cannot accommodate more than 18 horses for Stayers Cup because of the starting point.

The maximum permissible field will be 20 runners in each race with the minimum to be accommodated being 15. Horses which are nominated should have run at that centre, during the season (ie April 1 of previous year till date).

In a significant development, the Madras Race Club has agreed to introduce the rating system. Whatever the flaws, the ratings for each race as against its previous rating will be available.

Lessons from the Invitation Cup weekend

2011-03-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

The Royal Western India Turf Club organised the Invitation Cup weekend with its customary zeal. There was high quality action and the club’s chairman Vivek Jain as usual worked hard to make the event colourful in all respects though the awards function was a flop because under the existing system, it is bound to repetitive and boring. Imagine the situation where year after year, the same horse keeps winning!

The lack of excitement about these awards could not have been better illustrated by the fact that most of the award winners were not present on the occasion. Perhaps the awards are an embarrassment of sorts for the recipients themselves. What is the value of these awards, advertised as Oscars of racing when the organisers could not get the winners to receive their prizes. The presentation ceremony was boring notwithstanding the best effort made by presenter Vir Das. Without his presentation which was laced with ribald humour which kept the crowd entertained, it would have been a disaster. The policy of RWITC as hosts seemed to be at pleasing all going by the number of special awards that were presented though they failed to recognize the contribution of people who make the sport happen, be it the racing officials or the silent workers.

Coming back to racing, there were many inconsistent performances which were annoying to say the least. The feeling of having been let down was evident in the number of postings in the public forum where race goers have expressed anguish. Suraj Narredu was suspended after trainer Pesi Shroff and the owners of Xisca and jockey Stephane Pasquier reported to the authorities that the jockey was doing the job of a policeman and was trying to keep the second favourite stuck along the rails. One felt sad for Suraj who is a champion in his own right seen in this light.

The track was a source of concern. It was hard and the kick back had many horses and jockeys in great deal of bother. Some of the horses who ran in the Invitation Cup weekend races had bruised eyes as the kick back smashed the faces of horses and jockeys. One jockey returned with a black eye despite the protective goggles worn by him. The watering was uneven and it is surprising that RWITC which is always progressive when it comes to procuring modern facilities, does not have the facility of an automatic water sprinkler. Watering by using a hose pipe is not the answer in these times. The heat seriously hurt the horses with several of them returning with burst blood vessels.

The RWITC can also take the lead in procuring the facility to clock sectional timings of each of the runners in a race. Also the camera work needs to be improved because objections are solely decided by Stewards based on what they see in television replays. At present what they see on TV can be pretty misleading. Something like the Hawk Eye as the one used in determining LBW decisions in cricket may help the Stewards possibly take correct decisions while deciding on objections. At present, it is decided without giving a serious thought to the nature of objection but merely seconding the opinion of those with whom they are identified with in the room. The Third Umpire facility is sorely needed at this stage to prevent controversies as also to stop stewards from taking whimsical decisions.

Moonlight Romance became the second horse after Smart Chieftain to win the Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby and the Invitation Cup during the last one decade. These three races carry higher bonus points as allocated by the pattern racing committee. Incidentally, another great of Indian racing Elusive Pimpernel had also achieved a similar feat. More than two decades ago, Revelation had won the Indian Oaks, Indian Derby and the Invitation Cup and Moonlight Romance accomplished that and more. The Usha Stud Farm could not have asked for a better result from the Invitation Cup. The first two placed horses of the Invitation Cup were sired by China Visit. The stallion seems to be firing on all cylinders just as cynics were writing him off. Incidentally, China Visit also sired Atilla who won the Sprinters Cup.

Champion trainer Pesi Shroff had the mortification of seeing three of his horses lose out narrowly in the Group I races. Xisca went down fighting to Moonlight Romance in the Invitation Cup; Onassis lost the Super Mile in a close finish to Mr Greedy while Cabriolet was floored by the brilliance of Arabian Prince in the Stayers Cup. Atilla’s victory was indeed the only bright spot for the trainer. But the important thing for the trainer is that with better luck he could have swept the graded races like he had done when he was a jockey. As a jockey, he won three graded races during the Invitation Cup weekend at Chennai, winning the Invitation Cup on Amorous Knight, Stayers Cup on Pavielle and Sprinters Cup on Recardo. With the kind of horses that he has at his command, he is sure to achieve this feat one day.
Richard Hughes could erase the bad memories of losing out the Indian Derby by his wrong choice of horse which helped David Allan get an unexpected success in the biggest race of Indian calendar. He was back on Moonlight Romance and he rode the filly with his customary brilliance, tactfully averting what could have spelt disaster following Business Tycoon breaking down. Luckily, there was no pile up as the jockeys who were in his path showed presence of mind and quick reflexes to steer clear of the trouble. The fact that Moonlight Romance was the one who was affected most and yet came and won confirms the belief that she was easily the best of her vintage. This was the second Invitation Cup success of Hughes as he had earlier won the same event at Bangalore on Smart Chieftain.

Moonlight Romance joins elite league

2011-03-07T03:55:00.000-08:00

Cooji Katrak trained Moonlight Romance achieved a unique place in the history of Indian racing as she achieved the rare feat of winning the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, McDowell Indian Derby and HDIL Indian Turf Invitation Cup by staving off the spirited bid of Xisca in a fitting finale to the Invitation Cup weekend races on Sunday. Chaitanya Chakram and Smart Chieftain had achieved this unique distinction in the past. The fact that only a few fillies have won this event in the 48 year history of the race puts the achievement of the daughter of China Visit in proper perspective.

Moonlight Romance was the favorite to win this event which is billed as the final of the national championships in racing. The filly had done nothing wrong having done whatever that was asked of her. Richard Hughes who had partnered Ocean And Beyond in the Derby this time wisely trusted the Indian Derby winner to deliver the goods. There were many who believed that Xisca who was finishing on well in the Indian Derby could turn the tables on her and as such, the spirited support for the Pesi Shroff trained filly was on expected lines. Ocean And Beyond did not inspire confidence in those who had blindly put their money on him to deliver the goods last time out. Though there were many Derby winners in the fray, they were not expected to disturb the first four placed horses of the Indian Derby. But as things panned out, Moonlight Romance could well have become a victim as Golconda Derby winner broke down passing the six furlong marker and Richard Hughes had to ride with all the skills at his command to prevent the filly from suffering an accident. Moonlight Romance’s rhythm was upset as she had to go wide but Hughes was able to steady her and keep her going. Business Tycoon who suffered a fracture, was euthanized.

Moon Emperor did the job of the pace setter followed by Business Tyccon, Vijay Monarch, Ocean And Beyond, Moonlight Romance, Xisca along the rails and Sun Kingdom on her outside, Maachupicchu, Sunny’s Secret and Balmoral Castle racing in that order. When Business Tyccon broke down, both Nai McCullah who was on Ocean And Beyond and Hughes on Moonlight Romance reacted in anticipation and swung out wide while the rest stayed on course. Business Tycoon veered out and grinded to a halt and thus a major accident was averted.

Moonlight Romance cruised into the straight and Hughes waited the filly till the final furlong before asking the favourite to quicken. She broke into a good lead even as Stephane Pasquier was getting busy on Xisca. Moonlight Romance managed to pull out the reserves in her as the winning post came close and held off the spirited of Xisca by a neck. Ocean And Beyond ran on to finish third while Maachipicchu who perhaps did not relish the tactic of being ridden in restraint and ran on to finish a disappointing fourth.

Hughes who was obviously thrilled that he was to deliver the goods after making an error of judgment in the Indian Derby said: ``The mishap could have cost Moonlight Romance the winning opportunity as in a big race, even a minor interference can have a bearing on the chances of a horse. Moonlight Romance quickly gained her composure back and made things easy for me.’’

Stephane Pasquier said that Xisca gave a brave performance. ``Xisca does not quicken the way Moonlight Romance does and as a result, I had some catching up to do. Moonlight Romance has proved that she is better of the two,’’ he added.

Altamash trained Astapi won the HDIL Entertainment Million in a close finish from Touching The Town and Lake Superior. Jockey Silvester De Sousa persisted in using the whip on the right which caused the filly to shift and go on to Lake Superior whose progress was hampered. Lake Superior too shifted out and appeared to have made contact with Touching The Town which lost the race by a whisker. There was an objection by Richard Hughes against Silvester for continuously shifting out and bumping him twice which cost him a certain second place in the context of the situation. Trainer Padmanabhan too objected against the jockey for the second interference his horse suffered due to the outward shift of the winner. The Chairman of the Stewards Shivlal Daga strongly advocated for the objection to be upheld along with two other Stewards. However, the two newly appointed race day Stewards along with Vivek Jain, Shamlal Ruia and Gautam Lal voted for overruling the objection much to the surprise of the majority of race goers who felt the objection should have been upheld going by the same body’s repeated judgments in the past. Even a top attorney who was present felt that the objection should have upheld, a feeling which was echoed by the majority of the racing professionals.

Atilla pulls it off in Sprinters Cup

2011-03-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

In keeping with the expectation of a possible upset in the Gr 1 Oasis Star Sprinters Cup, lesser fancied runner from trainer Pesi Shroff yard Atilla pulled it off at the expense of Celestial Way and Forest Flair on Saturday. Upsets are par for this event where several factors other than the relative merits of the runners has a crucial role to play. Everything went right for Atilla who had the merit, good draw and luck of the race going in her favour. Jockey Imran Chisty rode a fine race on the winner who added another feather in the cap of Usha Stud Farm’s stallion China Visit who thus had a sprinters cup winner besides the conqueror of the Indian Derby. Madhur Bajaj who principally owns the horse could not have asked for a better gift for the generosity that he had bestowed on the Western India trainers by sponsoring a posh lounge for their comfort.

The race was named after India’s best ever sprinter Oasis Star who had twice won this event as a favourite and it was quite evident that none in the race was in her league. The race was expected to throw a surprise though given the immediate form of the horses, the outcome was expected to be among Forest Flair, Celestial Way, Elise and hitherto unbeaten Nefyn who was running for the first time in the season following an operation for a knee chip. The fact that Nefyn had showed out in a mock race made many plump for him. Atilla had always been a consistent horse though many had reckoned that the Sprinters Cup field may be beyond her compass. She had won once during the season and the top jockeys associate had preferred other horses in the fray possibly their contractual obligations dictating which horse they would prefer to ride. The draw of the race was bound to hurt the prospects of both Celestial Way and Forest Flair who were drawn the widest in the field of 14 runners.

Successor from the inner most draw and Vijay Damini from a wider draw showed early speed to lead the way as Atilla and Nefyn raced in close proximity of these runners while Forest Flair showed enough zest to take a forward position. Celestial Way could not get a forward position and jockey Richard Hughes had to drop her right behind the field. Successor led briefly into the straight but it was clear that Atilla was traveling better than the pace setters. Atilla quickly seized the initiative and went sailing clear though she drifted out under pressure but jockey Chisty quickly reacted and prevented her drifting out more which would have hurt her chances. Forest Flair showed up briefly but faded out in the final stages of the race. Hughes maneuvered his way on Celestial Way from way behind through the crowded field and the daughter of Orpen came up with a powerful challenge. However, Atilla reached the safety of the post before Celestial Way could overhaul her. Forest Flair ran on to finish third but unfortunately this top performer bled after the race which will effectively end his dominance in sprints given the handicap scale at which he has to perform with the additional problem of being a bleeder. There was a cluster finish behind, with hardly a couple of lengths covering the verdict of the entire field. Weizhou was fourth ahead of Eloise.

This was the first Sprinters Cup success for Pesi Shroff as a trainer. As a jockey, he has won this event several times. For owners Madhur Bajaj, Mohan Chattaram Banwajit J Singh and Kishore M Dinghra, this was their first Group I race success. The winner clocked a smart time of one minute 10.8 seconds and spared ¾ of lengths at the finish to Celestial Way.

Arabian Prince outstays the rest in record time

2011-03-05T12:39:00.000-08:00

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Arabian Prince became the Maharaja of long distance races in India when swamping the opposition in the Gr 1 Privilege Industries Stayers Cup, the highlight of first day’s action of the Invitation Cup weekend races on Saturday.

Arabian Prince who had proved his invincible aura over staying trips by winning the Gr 2 Maharaja’s Cup at Bangalore at the expense of Horse of the Year Becket, also has to his credit the best timing over a mile and half trip for any horse in the country. He had further enhanced his credentials by winning a host of graded races at Kolkata. He had imposing credentials, looked outstanding in the paddock and simply left the field stranded when winning in a record timing of three minutes 09.98 seconds bettering the record of Radical Force which stood at three minutes 11.63 seconds by a significant margin. Jockey Chris Hayes rode a brilliant race, getting all his moves right and thus recorded his second Group I success at Mumbai this season. Importantly Arabian Prince did his sire Burden of Proof proud by winning the longest graded race in the country and thus proved his sire’s versatility to produce horses capable of making their mark at the highest level from five furlongs and 15 furlongs!

Arabian Prince had everything going for him in the grueling race. Though his sire is more known for producing sprinter milers, his dam Arabian Prince had foaled Arabian Knight who had won this event at Hyderabad in a record timing. Cabriolet who has been in rousing form and Sunlight who had run some game races over longer trips as a pace setter to Moonlight Romance were the ones expected to fight it out. Sunlight however disappointed, well before the race came on the boil.

Spearhead did the assigned job of a pace maker quite admirably. Arabian Prince raced in close proximity while Sunlight who raced a little wide till passing the winning post for the first time, was hurried by Richard Hughes to take the spot ahead of the fancied runner from Dr Vijay Mallya’s yard. Sunlight was pushed to take over the running at around the 800 metres but this did not provoke any panic from Chris Hayes who sat still and waited with Arabian Prince till the final two furlongs. Sunlight was unable to break free as Arabian Prince dismissed off his opponent with minimum of fuss and sped away for what looked like an effortless win. Chris Hayes could ease up the horse long way from home but the fact that a record timing resulted was due to the fast pace and the ease with which Arabian Prince could accelerate once given his head.

For a moment when Cabriolet joined issue with Arabian Prince inside the final 350 metres, it looked as though the former could carry his fight to the wire but he weakened. However, he did well to stay on in second spot. Native Knight showed up briefly but ran out of reserves and Hyderabad’s Vijay’s Angel managed to take the third place to save some blushes for the Hyderabad camp who thus had a placed horse in Group I company. Though there was many who believed that Autonomy could make his presence felt on his known class, it was clear that in a true run race, he would find the trip too taxing for comfort.

Padmanabhan trained Nearness of You who was given a poor ride in her last run by jockey Imran Chisty, made amends by winning the day’s other highlight, the Western India Bookmakers’ Association Million, a rich terms race for three year olds. Jockey David Allan did not hesitate to have the daughter of Diffident dictate the pace from the word go over the mile long trip. The big made Nearness of You had no problem in staving off the challenge of Mishri who was the nearest challenger. Voyager and Javo who were expected to figure at the finish, made no show.

Moonlight Romance on verge of a unique record

2011-03-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Usha Stud Farm bred Moonlight Romance is on the verge of emulating Smart Chieftain who had the unique distinction of winning the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, McDowell Indian Derby and the Indian Turf Invitation Cup several years ago. Moonlight Romance is already a dual Derby heroine and her win in the Invitation Cup will be a fitting tribute to the amazing talent of the talented daughter of China Visit. Richard Hughes seems to have given up his reservation that he had about the filly and has now chosen her ahead of Ocean And Beyond who finished second best in the Indian Derby. The first four finishers of the Indian Derby are all in fray and there is no reason to believe that there could be a result other than the one that we saw in the Derby. These horses have maintained their form and fitness and should once again be involved in a close a finish.

After Storm Again won the Indian Derby and Invitation Cup, no other horse has been able to repeat this feat. In the 48 years history of Invitation Cup, only 17 winners of Indian Derby have gone on to win this race. Last year Jacqueline set a record of sorts by winning four Indian classics in a row but she faltered in the Invitation Cup and was conquered by Becket in the final stride of the race. Becket was thus avenging the defeat that he suffered in the Indian Derby. The battle between these two super stars had given immense value to last year’s running of Invitation Cup at Mumbai and the absorbing finish that one witnessed enabled the event to live up to the hype. Jacqueline has since been retired to the stud farm and is in foal to Glory of Dancer and should be landing in Ireland to be covered by leading stallion Galileo. Becket however is still racing and has since won the Gr 1 President of India Gold Cup though his sojourn in Mumbai has not been fruitful as he suffered two defeats. He still has a chance to liven up the proceedings on the Invitation Cup day by making an emphatic statement in the Super Mile.

Coming back to the Invitation Cup, fillies have generally not been able to sustain their form in this premier event. If we look into the scroll of honour of Invitation Cup, very few fillies have won this event which is not the case with the Indian Derby. Moonlight Romance is a tough filly and the advantage that she has is that she is not required to travel as the Invitation Cup is being held for the second successive time in Mumbai as Madras Race Club expressed its inability to host the event due to financial crunch. Incidentally, we don’t see a single representative from that centre participating in any of the invitational events. It is a pity because Madras Race Course is one of the best in the country though racing has fallen on bad days due to absence of bonafide competition. The self-inflicted isolation has surely hurt the sport as MRC was once a premier racing centre.
Moonlight Romance is a gutsy daughter of China Visit out of a Derby winning mare Wandering Star who incidentally had lost by a whisker in a juvenile million at Chennai in her first season of racing. Moonlight Romance won the Oaks and Derby in emphatic fashion. Richard Hughes perhaps misjudged the ability of the filly as he placed too much emphasis on the poor quality of horses that finished behind her in the Oaks instead of judging he filly on her own merit. The fact that he was proved wrong may have been galling for the jockey who otherwise has not done anything wrong in his assessment of horses in India. Hughes believed that he made the right choice and was not willing to concede that he erred even after Moonlight Romance had decisively won the race.

Now Richard Hughes has brought some pressure on himself by his decision to go with Moonlight Romance. He has to prove that he has made the right choice. The big made Ocean And Beyond, did not live up to the expectations of Hughes in the Derby. ``I made the right choice but the horse was not the same I rode in the Ruia Cup. I was under pressure from the nine furlong marker,’’ he had said. Irishman Nail McCullagh gets a chance to ride the got-abroad son of Kingsalsa. It remains to be seen whether Hughes stands vindicated or McCullagh like David Allan gets a windfall.

Pesi Shroff trained Xisca who made a late rally and finished third is widely expected to give a scare. ``Earlier we believed that Ocean And Beyond and Moonlight Romance were superior. But after the Indian Derby, we have got hopes that these two races can be beaten,’’ he had said. Xisca, who is another daughter of China Visit, is also a dual Derby heroine. She has plenty of stamina but lacks finishing speed. With the experience of Indian Derby in hindsight, French champion jockey Stephane Pasquier will be in a better position to judge the way he should ride the filly in the Invitation Cup. Given the talent of the jockey and the ability of the horse, Xisca can be expected to be the dark `un in the fray.

Pesi’s other ward Macchupicchu was pushed to the fourth spot in the final moments of the race by stablemate Xisca. Prakash believed that he could have finished third but was taken unawares by Xisca. The son of Emerald Cat has proved to be an outstanding performer and he has in him to produce one big effort that could fetch him the prestigious event of Indian racing.

Business Tycoon who won the Golconda Derby is also in the fray but he stands little chance as he could have been beaten there by Balmoral Castle with the luck of the race. Both these horses are optimistic contenders and can come into contention only if there is a massive upset.

Becket, Siachen tower over the rest

2011-03-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

If Becket had not performed poorly in his last run over a mile, he would have gone into the Gr 1 Maj P K Mehra Super Mile as an overwhelming favourite. He ran a poor race, was well beaten and failed to show the spark that had made him a super star at the very same venue in the last year’s running of the Invitation Cup where he had measured super filly Jacqueline. After his shock defeat, he will not enjoy the tag of invincible aura and Indian 1000 Guineas heroine Siachen is bound to start as a favourite given the fact that the mile trip suits her best and she has not put a foot wrong over this trip.

The Super Mile has been one of the premier attractions of the Invitation Cup weekend races as exceptional horses have always taken part in this event. The race named after a man who revolutionised breeding in India through his Usha Stud Farm, has never been short of glamour quotient.

Becket will surely continue to have his share of admirers who will give him one more chance to redeem their expectation. When Becket set out his career, jockey Wayne Smith who had ridden him in workouts during his formative days had said that this was a horse he would like to own. ``I don’t think any horse in India would beat him up to a mile. I am not sure if he stays longer trips.’’ Interestinglyy, Becket proved his worth only over long trips though his solitary run in a mile race at Hyderabad saw him smash the record. Since he missed the Guineas, he was always prepared with the Derby in view and this may have blunted his initial speed as he was taught to relax for most of the trip before he was asked to produce his patented acceleration.

After running second in the Indian Derby and then winning the Invitation Cup, Becket was targeted for terms events over longer trips. He won over nine, 10 and 12 furlongs and lost by a whisker over nine furlongs in the early part of the Mumbai season. Then he was brought back in trip where he seemed rusty and off colour. Since then he has put in some fine workouts and with him being specifically targeted for the mile, he may re-adjust to the shortened trip and produce his best. At his best, he should be a good thing.

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Siachen has twice beaten Moonlight Romance in Group I events. Her win in the Indian 1000 Guineas where she came from behind to easily beat Moonlight Romance highlighted her prowess over the mile long trip. After a below par performance in the Indian Oaks, she was switched back in distance and will be racing to her strengths. The daughter of Burden of Proof will go into the race as a favourite due to the poor run of Becket in his previous essay. The battle between the two will be one of the highlights of the Invitation Cup weekend racing.

Star Future finished an impressive second in the Indian 2000 Guineas to Ocean And Beyond but both these horses have been since disqualified as they tested positive for a banned substance. The trainer of Star Future, C D Katrak had felt that Star Future would have won the Guineas easily but for the poor jockeyship of Suraj Narredu. Now with Richard Hughes to guide his fortunes, one has to wait and see whether the trainer was right in his assessment.

S S Shah trained Beautiful Stranger, who got the Indian 2000 Guineas by default, is a capable horse. He is a full brother to Dancing Dynamite who won the Super Mile in Hyderabad and was unfortunate to miss out by a whisker in last year’s running of this race. Beautiful Stranger is a horse who cannot be trifled with.

Sprint Star who was outstanding in trips up to a mile at Bangalore has somehow not been able to show that form at Mumbai. His runs have been below par thus far. If he is able to regain his old touch, he can be right there at the finish.

Pesi Shroff’s Onassis is another who merits attention on his impressive second to Onassis. The well performed Couleur Rouge has always defied expectation and whether she will once again live up to the billing as a giant killer remains to be seen. One will sure miss the presence of Diego Rivera who was retired from racing earlier this week following a setback in training.

Sprinters Cup has an intriguing look

2011-03-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Traditionally the Gr 1 Oasis Star Sprinters Cup has been a graveyard of favourites. Interestingly the only two times that favourites looked invincible in the last decade was when Oasis Star after whose name the cup has been named was running. On both the occasions that Oasis Star ran in this race, she won in record timing. Other than Oasis Star, there has been an odd favourite who has won the Sprinters Cup but they have been exceptions to the rule. With the horses well matched, luck of the race and draw plays a vital role and as such upsets are par for this race.

Forest Flair picks himself as a probable winner in this race as the progeny of Placerville lost in last year’s edition to Palazzio’s Sun. Forest Flair has given weight and a beating to most of the contestants in fray. But his poor run last time out puts a question mark whether he is in the same condition that made him an invincible sprinter on the local circuit. Trainer Karthik Ganapathy attributed the below par performance last time out to the wide outside draw that he had in the Dr S C Jain Sprinters Cup. Once again he has got an outer draw. Surely he does not inspire confidence that he did during his prime. As such, he can only be termed as a frontline contender but not as s sure shot.

Faisal Abbas trained Weizhou produced a shocker of a result in the Dr S C Jain Sprinters Cup. He sported blinkers for the first time and this seemed to have worked wonders. But whether things will fall in place for him to strike yet again remains to be seen. When Weizhou ran last time, he was the least fancied runner but now he carries the tag being a fancied runner and hence the horse and jockey will not be as relaxed as the last race As such, how both deliver under pressure is what gives clue to his prospects. Y S Srinath who has won the Sprinters Cup four times knows a trick or two to manage tricky situations.

Pesi Shroff trained Eloise made an effective switch back in distance from the mile to sprint by finishing second to Weizhou. She needed the re-orientation run to sharpen her for the sprint and now that she has proved her worth; she is a force to reckon with. She has been drawn well and will be guided by Stephane Pasquier and as such, they are a formidable combination in this race which has a big field of 14 runners.

Then there are the pair of runners from Padmanabhan namely D’Artagnan and Celestial Way. D’Artagnan thrives on more racing though he has been founding wanting when it came to winning. He has been consistently figuring on board and was third to Palazzio’s Sun in last year’s addition. He has been dawn well, worked brilliantly and if he translates his workouts into race performance, he can beat them all. But then he has never lived up to expectations.

Celestial Way has been a gusty performer. The small made daughter of Orpen won a Graded race over sprint in Bangalore during the summer season and thereafter was campaigned over longer trips. She made a good switch back in distance while finishing full of running and occupying the third spot behind “Weizhou and Eloise. Now with Richard Hughes to guide her fortunes, her chances cannot be ignored though she has got an outer draw.

Bezan Chenoy trained Nefyn has been an unbeaten performer though he has been sparingly raced. Each of his appearance has been a winning one. He is being thrown at the deep end without the benefit of a race run as his first run is his best. He is a dark `un in the fray.

Shyam Habbu’s Ikaria performed well at Kolkata where he dominated the sprints with some amazing performances. Ikraia had her initiation to racing in Mumbai and as such he is no stranger to the race track here. Ikaria is a game performer who deserves healthy respect.

Then there are capable runners in Bhagirathi, Captivating and Attila who can make the race an intriguing one

Arabian Prince looks solid in Stayers Cup

2011-03-03T08:26:00.001-08:00

The Gr 1 Stayers Cup has never attracted a big field as Indian breeding is oriented towards producing sprinter milers. However, this year’s running of the Stayers Cup has proved to be an exception with as many as 11 runners in the fray. The race too has a competitive look with about three to four horses going into the race as strong contenders. Spark of Gold who finished third in last year’s edition is the only horse to have gone over the trip among the horses in fray. Jaggy Dhariwal trained Arabian Prince who has won over the Leger trip and done consistently well at Kolkata this season, is stoutly bred to stay and should have a bold show.

For a son of Burden of Proof, Arabian Prince has got the stamina influence from his dam Arabian Rose who was a solid race performer having missed the Indian Derby to Indictment by a narrow margin. Arabian Prince has already foaled a winner of this race through Arabian Knight who won the Stayers Cup at Hyderabad two years ago in record timing. As such, Arabian Prince is not lacking on the stamina aspect as he has won over trips up to 14 furlongs in emphatic fashion. He just has to get the additional furlong in the same fashion as he has done over the Leger trip.
Arabian Prince has been in good shape since the summer season as he won the Maharaja’s Cup and Bangalore St Leger. After being re-located to Kolkata for the plums there, Arabian Prince has proved to be invincible. He beat a quality opposition over a mile and his last win at Kolkata was equally emphatic. There are no issues with his staying the gruelling trip and is in best of shape. Chris Hayes knows the horse pretty well and rides with understanding. As such there is no reason to believe why he cannot win the longest Group I race of the country.

Autonomy is a rousing performer. He won over 2800 metres during the season but then on that occasion, the race was run at such a crawling pace that he could sprint the last part and win. The fact that the other runners were again gaining ground on him towards the finish as he seemed to be tiring is a disconcerting factor. However, if the race turns out to be a crawl and it becomes a question of speed at the finish, Autonomy can pull it off.

Pesi Shroff trained Cabriolet is a formidable contender who again derives stamina from his dam Highland Ghille who is bred as a half-sister to Zurbaran who won the Indian St Leger. Cabriolet has this habit of getting left in the gates, relaxing in the rear group and then unleashing a terrific turn of foot. His last win was emphatic and going by that performance, he will surely go into the race either as a favourite or shares the favouritism with Arabian Prince.

Cooji Katrak trained Sunlight who finished second to Moonlight Romance in the Indian Oaks, is another who is stoutly bred to stay. Though jockey Richard Hughes will be carrying few kgs more than the allotted weight, the connections are pretty hopeful that it will not make a difference. Sunlight has in her to surprise everyone in the fray. The daughter of China Visit has been working well and she gets a chance to win the race after twice being used as a pace maker to her more illustrious owner mates.

Native Knight ran consistently in all the Indian classics last year including the Indian St Leger where he finished third. Unfortunately he has no habit of winning. Spark of Gold has tackled this trip well while there are younger horses like Rezoom who can make their presence felt.

India have miles to go before World Cup can be theirs

2011-03-01T23:23:00.000-08:00

India’s position as favourites for the World Cup has been rudely shaken by the inability of its bowlers to defend a massive total of 338 against England. The team has several shortcomings which cannot be addressed to at this point of time. They simply have to hope that their batsmen fire on all cylinders and get a total which can cover up for India’s poor bowling and fielding. As Dhoni wryly put it: ``If you have to score massive totals each time you go to bat in order to win, things are indeed going to be very tight.’’

What makes India favourites in the eyes of many people is because they are playing in home conditions in which their batsmen and bowlers excel. The team has done nothing wrong in the last few years and boasts of the best possible combination. The team has also proved to be adept at handling pressure situations. Their biggest plus point is captain cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose stoic presence does not betray the pressure he may be going through. He does not get excited or overawed by situations. Or at least that is what he conveys by singular lack of display of any emotion. And what is more, there is not better gambler than Dhoni in World cricket. Like a true gambler, he does not hesitate to make bold moves which at times may look ill-logical but look inspirational for the result it has invariably produced. The Indian team under him has been able to recover from impossible situations and often snatched victory from jaws of defeat.

India’s tied game against England however exposed many chinks in India’s armour. After having piled up an imposing total of 338 runs, the mindset of the captain was too defensive for comfort. Instead of attacking, the thinking appeared to be on containment. It was shocking to see Harbajan Singh and Piyush Chawla who are the attacking bowlers of the side and expected to take wickets, bowling with containment as their target. That strategy is ok with part time bowlers but not expected of frontline bowlers. Either the bowlers were not sure of what was expected of them or Dhoni did not make them aware. For once he seemed to be resigned to having a bowling attack which is not capable of dismissing the opposite side. The containment approach is not going to take us anywhere. The batsmen are in great touch but the bowlers have to lift their level of performance for India to have a realistic chance.

There are plenty of positives to this Indian side. India have an array of World class batsmen who have scored more runs than the runs collectively made by some of the teams participating in the World Cup. In Virender Sewag they have a batsman who is capable of destroying any bowling attack in the world. The situation has no bearing on his batting. He knows only one way to bat: That is to take the cover off the ball. He is a good asset to India as he can help the team wriggle out of any crisis which the other batsmen in the side are not capable of doing. The nature of wicket has little bearing on his batting. At his destructive best, he can win matches on his own. His presence alone is sure to make the bowlers of the opposing side lose their rhythm.

Sachin Tendulkar has been simply amazing. Having already scored 98 centuries in international cricket, he is only getting better with age. His amazing century in the tied match against England was simply breath taking. The master batsman appears to be at his best and seems to have regained the touch which made him master of the situation. Then there is Virat Kholi who has shown great maturity for one who is relatively young in international experience. There is Yusuf Pathan who can be a nightmare to any team on his day. There are support players like Gautham Gambir and Yuvaraj Singh. There is captain Dhoni to control the innings and play the role of a destroyer or sheet anchor. There are no areas of concern as far as batting is concerned.

India’s biggest drawback is that they don’t have outstanding fielders in the side. Barring Virat Kholi and Suresh Raina, the rest of the fielders are not world class. Captain Dhoni has many players to hide in the field which is a difficult task because against a weak fielding, the opposite side can milk runs by aggressive running between the wickets. Even Yuvaraj Singh is a pale shadow of his former self. The knee injuries have taken their toll and he is not a swift mover on the field like before. Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel are not athletic on field like many of their aged colleagues. Dhoni highlighted this point and pleaded helplessness in the match against England when he said: ``We could have defended the total against England if the fielding was better but we have to make do with what we have. We have several slow movers in the field’’

Dhoni’s frustration was also evident that his side could not defend a huge total against England. ``If tall scores as the one we got is not enough, I don’t how many will be enough. It may be difficult for the team to score such massive totals each time they set out to bat.’’ Obviously he was hinting at bowlers who were ineffective when England chased without any discomfort. But for England wilting not due to the pressure exerted by Indian bowlers but by their temperament giving way at a crucial juncture, India might well have lost the match. Remember this English side had received a drubbing from Australia in their last one-day series as a build up to the World Cup.

Can a team hope to win the World Cup with weak fielding and bowling which lacks aggression? The bowling is heavily dependent on Zaheer Khan to deliver each time and unfortunately of late he has been injury prone. Harbajan Singh is good but he is such a passionate cricketer that he can lose his equilibrium at the slightest provocation. Piyush Chawla can only be effective only if the wicket has some help to offer. He need to be bold and attack rather than look at making his position safe in the side by giving minimum number of runs in his quota of overs. Munaf Patel is not menacing. In a tight situation every run can make a huge difference and on this score, India can still overcome their drawbacks and win the world cup if luck continues to favour Dhoni the way it has ever since he has taken over the reins of Indian cricket team.

In the existing scenario, Indian batsmen cannot hope to have an off day. They need to score heavily in order to help the bowlers to have an imposing total to bowl to. The advent of 20-20 cricket has changed the traditional mindset of the players. Now nothing is impossible. In the past a total in excess of 280 had the opposite side beaten even before they started their run chase. England almost overhauled India’s massive total of 338.

Dhoni’s team has often defied the odds. It is this trait which has given hopes to millions that India may regain the World Cup they last won in 1983 as underdogs. Anil Kumble believes that ``this team has in it to win the World Cup.’’

Pakistan seems to be having a side capable of causing a major surprise. The team has many talented players and as former Pakistan captain Imran Khan put it: ``India’s worst nightmare would be meeting Pakistan in quarter-finals.’’ Though India has beaten Pakistan in every World Cup match they have played, the present Pakistan team players have a great deal to gain by lifting their level of performance. The turmoil in Pakistan has isolated the team and the players have suffered as the country is not in a position to host any cricket series. Pakistan side appears formidable but quite often their performance has beem influenced by extraneous factors which is why they can never be expected to perform consistently for a length of time. They carry the tag of being unreliable.

Australia who won the World Cup three times in a row are a formidable side though in the recent past they may have lost their invincible aura. They have a good side and currently enjoy the number one status in limited overs cricket notwithstanding their slump in Test cricket. Under Ponting who knows what it is to win a World Cup, they are a team to reckon with. They have a good batting line up but more importantly their bowling attack is the most formidable among all teams in World Cup. Sri Lankan Tigers are to be feared as the dark ones in the fray.

David Allan guides Magnitude to land the spoils

2011-02-26T11:39:00.001-08:00

David Allan rode a splendid race on Magnitude to guide the Ganapathy trainee to a fine victory in the Governor’s Trophy, the feature event of Saturday’s races. The power packed riding by David Allan enabled Magnitude to stave off the strong challenge essayed by Severstahl in the mile long terms event. Favourite Castro was not in the race right from the word `go’

Castro who was a late rallying second as a favourite to Severstahl was once again backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the hope that over the extended trip, he would make amends for his last start failure. Severstahl, who had beaten him, was running in the race without penalty but still he was quoted at generous odds. So was Magnitude who had run a suggestive fourth to Midtown Magic in his last essay.
Much to the chagrin of race goers, Castro took a lethargic start and stayed put to end up a dismal last. Magnomical was the pace setter followed by No Doubt, Saratoga Spring, Severstahl, Magnitude, Current Ray and Castro. Saratoga Spring had the first run on his opponents as the field straightened for the home stretch with Magnitude improving places along the rails on the inside of No Doubt while Severstahl loomed large on the wide outside. Current Ray and Castro were beaten causes well before the race came on the boil. Magnitude picked up speed under the strong driving finish of Allan and thwarted the spirited bid of Severstahl who at one stage threatened to overhaul the eventual winner. Magnitude stretched out strongly to win by a shade less than a length while Saratoga Spring ran on to finish third.

For the first time in the season, the race for first season runners dominated the proceedings with as many as four races featured for three year olds. Apart from the Governor’s Cup, the Infants Plate, a sprint race for three year olds was inundated by so many entries that the club could make three divisions out of it. The rush was also perhaps because there is a break of one week due to running of the Invitation Cup weekend races at Mumbai. There are just six days left to be run during the season. Incidentally all the three divisions turned out to be one-sided contests.
Irfan Ghatala trained Hillsboro was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the Infants Plate (Div I) and the favouritism was justified as the progeny of Mr Mellon checked in well clear of Mi Amor and Sunday Cruz. Virtually it was a procession headed by the favourite. Another Ghatala trainee Hllfiger literally toyed with the opposition while winning the Infants Plate (Div II) in great style. Chemin De Fer came up with an eye catching run from way behind to finish a suggestive second. Her turn should come soon. The Infants Plate (Div III) saw Forever Glory too go into the race as a firm favourite but the filly was unable to match strides with Ability who won start to finish untroubled. Will Still ran on from behind to edge out Rappadan Glory from the third spot.

The lesser fancied Rich Radiant from trainer Prithviraj’s yard finished with a powerful run to just about nose out Yamas in the 2000 metres Bhagamandala Plate. Yamas shaped like a winner when he went into a useful lead with a furlong out as Rich Radiant had some leeway to cover but the latter picked up speed in nick of time to land the spoils Allez Vite who was bidding for a hat trick changed course from outside to the rails and made a strong challenge, but could only finish third.
Puttanna trained Pritvi was backed down spiritedly and as it happens with some of them, he was seen in serious light, swamping the opposition in the 1400 metres Mudabidri Plate. Sun Gold was a faraway second while I Fancy You was not sighted when the winner crossed the winning post.

Kingdomofdreams had it easy in the Varada Trophy, a six furlong race for horses rated 60 to 85. After racing a handy third as Another Destiny made the pace, Kingdomofdreams slipped into the lead and sped away from the late rallying favourite Corleone.

Super Surprise was backed down spiritedly in the Ramnagar Plate though close to race time, Ideal Match once again ended up as the favourite. In the event, Super Surprise who shot into the lead inside the final 300 metres won with a great measure of comfort from Silver Court and Inspirator who found foot long after the race was in the safe keeping of the eventual winner. Ideal Match did not raise any sort of a gallop and finished dismally.

Cavalry Charge romps home in feature

2011-02-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

These days it is increasingly becoming difficult to predict the way the horses sporting the famous colours of white and black V are going to run. Inconsistency in pattern of running is becoming too glaring for comfort. Cavalry Charge had gone down rather tamely after the drift in odds as a favourite in his previous outing but this time out, the strong support in the ring was indicative of the shape of things to come. The progeny of Burden of Proof hit the front from the word `go’ and was never headed as he romped home to a fine victory in the 2000 metres Delhi Race Club Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the main event of races held on Friday. Also joining this category of horses was Camorra who had not true to her potential in her previous outing but this time, showed remarkable alacrity and zest when staving off the challenge of Flame Back.

The Delhi Race Club Trophy saw Cavalry Charge displace Topkapi as the favourite. The latter had run twice during the season and had done nothing of note but he was nevertheless supported to win as Cavalry Charge had let down as a favourite over the same distance. Jockey Chris Hayes took Cavalry Charge on a start to finish mission and though Topkapi tried hard to catch up with the front runner after the final turn, he found the favourite unrelenting. Topkapi was a tame second ahead of Oban.
The Bangalore Turf Club can be expected to do crazy things. Rains which greeted the runners as they left the paddock, intensified as the horses were being loaded for the start for the last race. However, the horses were pulled out of the gates and made to get drenched in the heavy rain for nearly half an hour. The conditions were bad and it would have been wise to cancel the last race but the BTC authorities were unwilling to do this as this would mean loss of revenue due to refund of money bet through the totalisator pools. Each of the races in Bangalore grosses close to Rs 1 crore and the club would have lost about Rs 10 lakhs as its income. For this the club was prepared to let the horses and the jockeys endanger themselves and also compromise the money of the betting public which would have backed before the situation turned worse. The jockeys would surely have been shivering because as someone put cynically, they are not used to taking even a cold water bath! The race was started after rains relented but the jockeys rode as if their hands were frozen. It was no surprise that Sundance Kid who found himself in front won at the expense of Spark of Knight and Chantilly Jewel. Two market fancies Vayomi and Not Not Seven were not sighted. Probably if the Stipes were to critically look into the performance of the jockeys, they may have ended up hauling up most of the jockeys before the Stewards for their apparent lack of efforts!

Camorra had finished down the field in her last outing and had faded out from the scene after a front running effort. However, this time, Camorra was not inclined to give up and ran on resolutely to contain the challenge of late rallying Flame Back in the 1400 metres A V R Char Memorial Cup (Div II), a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Gunpowder who was installed the favourite, was never in the hunt and possibly he may have overreached himself and may find winning in this category tough. Flame Back, though consistent, has been finding the winning post elusive. Sunstone broke the jinx in the upper division of the race. After three runner-up efforts during the season, Sunstone produced a winning gallop, getting past the front running Six Gun Smith to win with a measure of comfort. Gluteus Maximus, who was strongly fancied on the basis of his impressive last start win, ran below part. Elusive Speed who was bidding for a hat-trick was stranded at the gates and lost all his chances.

Trainer Ganapathy finally saddled a well backed winner in Star Marquess in the 1400 metres Katil Plate, a race for maiden three year olds. Backed to the exclusion of his rivals, the got abroad colt tracked Field Marshall and Waikato who set a fast clip and then steadily measured the front runners and won by a widening margin of five lengths over Field Marshall. Arabian Gold ran on from behind to finish third.
Satish Narredu’s Amiable Lady was the second horse from his yard to bid for hat-trick on the day same day but she failed narrowly as Saratoga finished on strongly to get the measure of the favourite in the dying moments of the race. Rubellite ran on from behind to finish third.

Arjun Mangalorkar’s Florida, who was making a belated debut, toyed with the opposition when winning the 1100 metres Jayanagar Plate by over seven lengths. Cool Whistle was second ahead of Sachimore.

In the day’s other action, Dominic trained Vayuputra obliged at nourishing odds in the 1400 metres Sivaganga Plate. Vayuputra tracked Give Me The Money into the straight before being driven out to get past the front runner and win with a measure of comfort. Golden Dixie ran into money when placing third. The victory of Vayuputra and Saratoga provided the trainer-jockey combination of Dominic and P S Chouhan a double for the day.

Government delivers knockout punch on BTC

2011-02-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Bangalore Turf Club which is battling for its survival with the eviction threat looming large and the matter pending adjudication in Supreme Court, suffered a huge body blow on Thursday when the government proposed to increase the turnover tax on tote from the existing four to eight present which is bound to have a huge impact on its revenues. The Mysore Race Club has escaped the blow, with the turnover tax maintained at the existing rate of four per cent.

The increase is bound to paralyze the totalisator pools, already affected due to 10 per cent tax deduction. The government take was four per cent. Now with the increase, the turf club has to increase its cut from the collection by at least another two to three per cent which is sure to cripple the system and drive the punters to illegal channels where a punter can back without paying any tax. Reduced dividends become unattractive for punters to back on club operated totes. In the short run, the government will get higher revenue though in the long run it evens out. The Bangalore Turf Club is the only turf club in the country which survives by extracting revenue through its core activity which is conduct of racing and generating revenue through betting unlike other turf clubs in the country like RWITC which survives on the income generated by non-racing activity like renting out its premises and fee charged on use of mobile phone in its premises during racing.
The current annual turnover of Bangalore Turf Club through its totalisator pools is about Rs 1200 crores and as per initial estimates, it is expected to fall by about 200 crores as the dividends are sure to reduce to increase in tax. The money which is used to flow from other states will see a decrease. The club was operating on six per cent commission but with the increase, the club will have to reduce its intake by at least two per cent to prevent a body blow to its revenue collections. If BTC reduces its commission by two per cent, then the club may be able to survive but the reduced revenue will have impact the stake money paid out in a big way. Bangalore Turf Club used to pay highest stake money for its individual races but now at this rate, the stake money may have to be frozen at the existing level for a long time to come thereby adversely affecting small owners who now face extinction. As it is, owing hoses is not economically viable due to low stakes and the club, instead of increasing the stake, may now look at ways and means to cut the stake which makes it even more difficult to even maintain the horses, leave alone recovering the cost of investment on horses.

The Mysore Race Club has done well to extract concession from the government. Obviously its lobbying has worked. But Bangalore Turf Club, beset as it is with egoistic committee, hell bent on riding on their egos and doing precious little for the sport, has failed to lobby with the government. The Committee Members, busy as they are with their personal agenda, did not do anything to impress on the Chief Minister the need to maintain the turnover tax at the existing level.
What is more galling is that ;the increase in the budget proposal made by the Chief Minister Yeddyurapa who also holds the portfolio of finance was on the anvil but there was no discernible effort on the club to handle the threat of increase in turnover tax. The committee and the club members are right now busy in getting their own kith and kin as members of the club. Such a scenario is only to be expected when the majority of members don’t have any stake in the sport.

Incredible feats on race track

2011-02-22T01:50:00.000-08:00

I had written sometime back that sport is being about courageous. Nowadays with so much at stake, jockeys rarely take chances and at the slightest pretext, want to withdraw. We have seen several race days being cancelled if there is some amount of rain as jockeys protest citing dangerous underfoot conditions. But there have been instances when jockeys have shown exemplary courage in the face of adversity and such deeds need to be remembered for posterity.

The other day I was playing the videos of Kolkata races held on February 16 and was fascinated by the splendid effort by apprentice jockey Shezad Khan who fortuitously stayed in the saddle despite his horse brushing the rails and the jockey almost rolling out of the horse. The jockey miraculously jumped back on to the saddle and managed to ride out the horse. Nine out of 10 times the jockey would have landed on the ground with a thud as the horse ducked by the impact on the rails and the jockey’s both legs came out of the horse and he was fractions away from hitting the ground on the right side of the horse. The fact that the jockey managed to climb back itself was a miracle. That he did it on a moving horse without losing his balance or equanimity was an act worthy of a seasoned circus artist. Ashridge, the Bharath Singh trainee was cruising home in the 2000 metres Wansfell Handicap but inside the final 150 metres, the horse brushed the rails as the jockey used the whip aggressively without retaining his balance and the horse brushed the rails, causing him to be almost thrown off. His acrobatics brought him back on the horse. The pity is that his heroics did not win him the race as the horse could only finish third.
The present day race goers may not remember the feats of jockey Vasanth Shinde, the complete saddle artist. In fact he was god’s gift to the saddle. There has not been a jockey like him before or after. He was simply amazing. There was not a false note in the way he rode horses. He seat, his finesse, his understanding of a horse is something the present day jockeys lack. The first running of the Kingfisher Derby in 1988 was an eventful one. In a three horse photo finish, Treasure Girl nosed out Nine Carat and Lucky Shrike to win the Derby in the hands of Aslam Kader. Nine Carat stumbled badly at the start, came down on his knees but the jockey miraculously stayed in the saddle, gained composure and then drove out the filly who just about lost by a whisker. It was an amazing performance by the jockey and the horse.
Shinde's victory on Tiberio in Mumbai way back in the 70's is still talked in awe by old-timers. During the 1800 metres race, the saddle slipped but undeterred, Shinde rode his mount to victory with great ingenuity and guts, holding the saddle in one hand and reins in the other. Shinde then was as some said, God’s own jockey and incredible feats in the saddle came naturally to him.

Jockey Karl Umrigar who unfortunately died very early in his career, was said to be amazingly talented who could defy the odds by his incredible feats in the saddle. He won with a slipped saddle on Pink Passion over 2000 metres trip. Kheem Singh who was the first Indian jockey to win the Indian Derby won a race at Pune with the saddle slipped at the start with his legs dangling out. The horse was expected to be ridden in restraint but he hit the front and the jockey hung on and managed to win the race which had racing veterans singing his praises. Wally Swinburn who won on Invitation Cup on Columbia very nearly came down at around the 600 metres marker due to a bad bump that he received but the jockey rode with amazing composure, allowed the horse to recover from the shock and managed to win. Jockey Still who rode Air Hostess was another who hung on to the neck of the horse and won the Bangalore Oaks.
India’s all-time favourite Elusive Pimpernel was such a game horse that despite being thrown off the saddle and pulled out violently inside the final 100 metres to get a clear run, flew home to win the Chief Justice Cup against some stalwarts is still fresh in one’s memory. The performance of Sir Bruce in the Pune Derby is permanently etched in one’s memory. Sir Bruce literally came down at the final bend and lost huge ground to eventual winner Amorous Knight but the brave horse came with such a stunning run only to miss the berth narrowly. Sir Bruce went on to avenge the defeat in the Indian Derby and was also a successful stallion.

Similarly the never say die spirit of jockey S R Bhagwat ensured the victory of Grand Entry in a 2000 metres term race The horse was practically out of the running at the final bend but the horse came up with amazing acceleration to win. Jockey S John also deserves commendation for his persistence on Scarface in a six furlong trip at Mumbai where almost everyone was reconciled to the defeat of the favourite as he was not sighted at the final bend. John persisted and the horse responded and won fluently in the end. This was a case where the jockey and horse were the heroes.
Long back a leading jockey who is now a successful trainer had tipped his horse as a certainty. He had said that if even he were to have a fall in the race, he could still get back on the horse and win! Funnily, the jockey was left in the gates as the horse took off! As such, he could not perform one of those incredible feats that I have narrated in the story!

Placerville, a champion of champions

2011-02-21T00:11:00.000-08:00

Hall of Fame stallion Placerville (Mr Prospector – Classy Cathy) died at the famed Poonawalla Stud Farm on Saturday. The death of Placerville coming as it did within a week of legendary stallion Razeen’s death has been a big blow for Indian racing. Though both these veterans were in the twilight of their career, they had classic performers in each crop and were a great value addition to Indian breeding through their daughters. Placerville had lifted the profile of the Poonawalla Stud Farm for the consistency with which he produced classic winners. Like a true champion stallion, Placerville too died with his working boot on, having covered one mare during the on-going breeding season. Twenty-one year old Placerville died of cardiac arrest.

Placerville produced champions that are literally who is who of Indian racing. Smart Chieftain who won the Indian Triple Crown (Indian 2000 Guineas, Indian Derby and Indian St Leger), also won the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby and the Indian Turf Invitation Cup was a star performing son of Placerville. Continual who had smashed his way to the top with recording breaking performances unfortunately did not live long to realize his full potential as an injury just two weeks before the running of the Indian Derby ended what would have been a glorious career. The Pelican and Sweeping Success who won the Indian Invitation Cup and Noble Prince who won the Indian St Leger besides finishing a close third in the Indian Derby are among the many top notch horses sired by Placerville. The last classic winning son of Placerville was Business Tycoon who won the Golconda Derby on January 30. Placerville produced 157 black type performers in a career spanning two decades in the stud in India.

The produce of Placerville was known for speed. Her Excellency, Six Speed, Haunting Memories, Palazzio, Blue Horizon all set the tracks ablaze with their phenomenal performance. The countless number of classic winners that Placerville sired and the amazing quality of his daughters are sure to carry on the legacy of the great stalwart.

The last mare that Placerville covered before he had cardiac arrest was Memory Bay who is bred as full sister to the celebrated Mystical, the only Indian horse to have won back to back races at Dubai during the Racing Carnival. ``I hope the mare conceives and produces a champion which will be a horse to treasure for,’’ said Zavaray Poonawalla who had an emotional attachment with the stallion and he will miss seeing the pride of his stud farm every few days that he would visit the stallion station. ``I see a void now,’’ he added.

``I feel a great personal loss at the death of Placerville. I have immense gratitude towards Placerville for having done so well for us. He had a good racing record and excellent pedigree which made him the pride of Indian racing. Placerville and Razeen died within a few days of each other and both have done immensely well for Indian breeding. And both died in identical fashion, attending to the call of duty,’’ Zavaray added.

``Placerville was a very potent horse and he could cover any number of mares. Placerville has produced so many champions and it is hard to nominate who was my personal favourite though horses like Continual, Smart Chieftain, Southern Empire, Sweeping Success, Her Excellency, Simply Noble, The Pelican, Six Speed, Haunting Memories and Palazzio are close to my heart,’’ he added.

Ms Simone and Ms Delna Poonawalla said that ``Placerville had a great life and died in the best possible way. He was a great horse and his memory will always live in our hearts.’’

From 13 crops of 595 named foals, of 537 starters, 442 winners, 157 black type performers, 1118 winners, Placerville has sired countless number of champion of champions.

Class Apart wins Sprinters Million with ease

2011-02-19T12:09:00.000-08:00

Barring classics, it is rare to see a challenger from Mumbai take part in a graded race in Bangalore and Class Apart belonged to that rare brigade. Dallas Todywalla trained Class Apart came all the way from Mumbai because there was not much scope for a sprinter during the rest of the season as the millions for three-year olds from now onwards will be over longer trips and the Gr 3 P Dayanand Pai and P Satish Pai Bangalore Winter Million was an ideal race especially considering the fact that the local three year olds are yet to show great promise. The progeny of Burden of Proof, Class Apart justified the optimism of the connections to bring him all the way from Mumbai as he led from the start and easily held off the challenge of Preordained to land the rich prize.

There were just six runners in the fray and three of them, Class Apart, Preordained and Araceli were all backed with enthusiasm, with the first named going into the race as a firm favourite. Jockey Chris Hayes took the speedy Class Apart on a start to finish mission, with Preordained in chase followed by Araceli and the rest. Class Apart travelled well within herself and skipped away from Preordained in the final furlong to win with a measure of comfort. Araceli lost pace to bow out of contention when the race came on the boil. Own Empire moved strongly from behind to finish third.

Two better quality sprinters were seen in action in the Talakaveri Plate (Div II), a race for maiden three year olds. The speedy daughter of Ivan Denisovich, Loveatfirstsight was backed down spiritedly, with the odds on At The Helm expanding. Loveatfirstsight led the field with At The Helm in hot pursuit with the rest totally proving a mismatch. Though Loveatfirstsight drifted out in the final furlong, she still proved good enough to win by a shade less than two lengths. Win Again won the upper division of the race in emphatic fashion. The speedy daughter of Sussex left the field standing to win by a widening margin of four lengths over Colour of Money in a fractionally slower timing than the one clocked by Loveatfirstsight. There was solid support for Rhythmic Dancer but the filly was outpaced from the start and finished way down the field.

The race track has never been as bad as it has been this year. The short sighted policy of the Managing Committee may also have had a bearing as the usual quantum of tan bark is not being supplemented. The water sprinkler too is not being used and watering is done by the hose pipe which has also resulted in watering being uneven. Reportedly, the club is wary of spending money for its core activity which is racing but does not hesitate to host a party for members unmindful of the cost. Surely the club continues to have lopsided priorities. The track at most places is loose and horses are finding it difficult to get a firm foothold especially in the area close to the rails.

Coming back to racing, Carla bounced back to winning form in great style in the 120 metres Shravanabelagola Plate (Div I). Considering the fact that Carla was racing in a race meant for horses in the 40 to 65 bracket, she was a cinch but the progeny of Burden of Proof has never been a model of consistency as evidenced by her poor run at Mysore and Hyderabad. She was also treated for a wind problem but Carla showed no discomfort when thrashing the field pointless by nine lengths in a good timing of one minute 13.09 seconds. Lad Fury, who was strongly fancied, found the opponent too classy for comfort. Carla can maintain the winning streak if her trainer is able to keep her form going.

M P Mahaesh trained Crown Vision won the lower division of the race as jockey Suraj Narredu drove out the favourite strongly to contain the challenge of late rallying Swift Star who is a known bleeder. Juno too flashed on the scene late to snatch the third spot ahead of Super Gold.

Padmanabhan trained Con Artiste brought off a big upset in the 1600 metres Bull Temple Trophy. The daughter of Hurricane State was definitely not winning out of turn but since she had not performed well over a mile, her claims were ignored in the betting ring as One Life To Love came in for spirited support. In the event, Gazaki who was bidding for a hat-trick, made a strong claim for the cup by taking charge from a handy second position and broke clear to shape like a winner. However, the filly slackened in the closing stages of the race and Con Artiste closed with a rush to surge ahead in the final strides of the race. Indian Bolt too showed some positive intent when finishing third.

Apprentice jockey Noornabi drove out Enduring Speed for his maiden success over Youre Stunning in the Classic Story Plate (Div I). Youre Stunning came in for strong support but the favourite found the winner too speedy for comfort. Youre Stunning also returned lame with a sprained tendon. Sharat Kumar’s Tern Me On recorded an encore in the lower division of the race in the hands of jockey John. Trillion Win was the best of the beaten brigade.

Five year old gelding Lampon finally came out of the maidens rank, winning the 1400 metres Manipal Plate, a race for horses in the lowest category. Allegro, Jewel Lady and Lampon were all fancied to win by their respective connections but Lampon proved too good against a very mediocre lot of horses.

Optimus Prime wins on sheer class

2011-02-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

Arjun Mangalorkar trained Optimus Prime won the S Rangarajan Memorial Trophy, a sprint race for horses 80 and above, the feature event of Friday’s races with ease from Lads Gladiator. The progeny of Valid Concept, despite the many niggles, had benefitted by the run benefit he had as he came from behind on the wide outside to speed past the opponents to win with a measure of comfort.

Optimus Prime was originally considered as a classic prospect but he did not do well over extended trips. His win during the last season over a sprint brought to the fore his sprinting abilities. However, since he cannot be worked regularly on the outer sand track, this is also a restricting factor in getting him fit as also the number of races that he can run in a season. He was well supported to win along with Friendly Bond but the latter put in a pathetic performance and was not seen at the busy end.

Lady Duff and The Spartan disputed the lead in front as the field set out for the six furlong trip, with Friendly Bond, Lads Gladiator and Classic Charge staying in touch while Optimus Prime who found the early pace hot, racing in about sixth position. Lady Duff led the field into the straight with The Spartan fading out and Lads Gladiator slipping through the rails. But the complexion of the race changed once Optimus Prime found his gear and showed up on the wide outside. He easily beat the challenge of Lads Gladiator. Incidentally, Optimus Prime had beaten Lads Gladiator in his last triumph as well.

Faraz Arshad, who is going through a lean patch, had a rewarding day as he recorded a double. The progeny of Emerald Cat, Sunny Express recorded an impressive win in the 1400 metres Madhavnagar Plate, a race for maiden three year olds. After loitering at the wrong end of the field, Sunny Express came home with a big run to swoop past the front running Dancerella to record an impressive win. African Queen was third ahead of favourite Mablshwar Memories who ran green and finished fourth. The favourite may be better off tackling longer trips.

Prithviraj trained Karisini recorded a smashing win in the 1600 metres Brindavan Garden Plate. Karisini had won well over nine furlongs but was immediately raced in the Oaks where she found the transition difficult to make. Now brought back to a more suitable mile, Karisini took charge of the proceedings after racing in a handy position till the homestretch and then stretched away for an effortless win in a good timing of one minute 38.51 seconds. The progeny of China Visit is in good shape and can repeat notwithstanding the stiff penalty that she is likely to incur. Royal Surprise who is yet to shed her maiden status, ran on to finish second and possibly the longer trip may have brought out the best in her. Never Say Goodbye had her winning streak halted as she finished a tame third.

After many promising efforts which failed to bear fruition, Irfan Ghatala trained Lad Diva surprised in the 1200 metres Dharmasthala Plate. Habanero, who was backed to the exclusion of his rivals, was never in the hunt and finished a poor fifth. Back Among Friends who was well supported appeared to have stolen a march with a furlong out but the finishing burst of Lad Diva floored the front runner.

True Impression was another who received spirited support to win the seven furlongs race but he caught a tartar in Spark of Isis who struck when least expected. Modern Art set a scorching pace with Spark of Isis sitting a handy second. The latter sped away from the front runner inside the final 300 metres and opened up a big lead and despite a valiant effort by jockey Suraj Narredu, the favourite fell short narrowly. The race was eventful as Spring A Surprise broke down, causing jockey Khurshad Alam to be thrown off from the saddle. The jockey was unconscious when he was shifted to the hospital but he is reportedly doing fine and is under observation. Mr President was badly interfered but jockey Sreekanth managed to stay in the saddle and complete the course albeit a few seconds after the rest had crossed the post.

Sun Doro, who had failed as a favourite, obliged in the Bandipur Trophy (Div I) though carrying less confidence of the punters. It is difficult to fathom what Selvaraj is up to as the jockey rides in similar style when he is in serious business or when giving a run. His horses can never be backed with any degree of conviction. Sun Doro managed to get the better of front running Prime To Fame to land the spoils. Smart Exotic reached the safety of the winning post in the lower division of the race even as North Cape closed with a threatening run.

Matias looked too good in the 1800 metres Longchamp Plate and the favourite won as he should in the hands of jockey Mark Gallagher who incidentally had a treble for the day, his other winners coming through Sunny Express and Smart Exotic. Royal Prodigy ran on to finish second while the rest of the runners were way behind.
Born To Perform who had let down last time out when strongly fancied by the connections, made amends by winning the day’s opener with a late surge, getting the measure of Halo of Reverence. Favourite Fire Star was a well beaten third.

Lack of professionalism is a concern, says Wally

2011-02-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

Wally Swinburn who rode in India for a number of years with remarkable success is back on a `nostalgic’ visit to India. He attended the Indian Derby, the auction sale at Pune and was at Bangalore for last week’s races. Wally’s association with Bangalore’s champion trainer R M Puttanna in the `60s was legendary. Wally rode at Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore and was known to be an excellent judge of horses and a brilliant rider who understood the psyche of the horse.

Wally’s son Walter also rode in India and was a hugely successful jockey in England. Walter Swinburne rode Epsom Derby winners on Shergar (1981), Shahrastani (1986), and Lammtarra (1995). Walter also rode the winner of Arc de Triomphe All Along. Wally has continued his association with racing by setting up a stud farm and has been running a successful operation for the last two and half decades. Incidentally, Wally also bred Gaswar who has proved to be a highly successful stallion in India.

``I am due to visit Anne Wright’s stud farm to have a look at Gaswar who has proved to be such a hit with limited number of opportunities that he has had,’’ said Wally in a chat with this writer at the conclusion of Saturday’s races at Bangalore.
Wally fondly recollected the seasons he spent in India and particularly his association with trainer R M Puttanna. When asked him about his impressions of the present day Indian jockeys, he said that he was saddened by ``absence of professionalism’’. India has had good jockeys but I am surprised that the present lot of jockeys don’t have the same commitment. For them, their job seems to end at getting on to a horse and ride in a race. They don’t seem to be involved in the way a professional should. I am not sure if they know that the horse has a mind of its own. Understanding the horse is the key to good riding, ‘’ he said.

Wally felt that the turf clubs could have helped by setting up schools for budding jockeys and putting them through a hard grind like in Ireland, under the care of senior jockeys to teach them the nuances of the sport. ``In the absence of such a system, it is a hit and miss game. In the Indian Derby almost all the horses were ridden by foreign jockeys. This is because of the lacunae created by dearth of good jockeys due to inadequate training. I was pretty impressed by jockey B Prakash among the current lot I saw,’’ he said.

Wally rode several classic winners in India and he was also astride Columbia which won the Indian Turf Invitation Cup. ``As a jockey you learn all the time. If you think you have learnt enough, then you cease to grow. Even at the time of retiring I felt that I had much more to learn.’’

Trainer Padmanabhan said that Wally was a top class jockey who rarely relied on the use of the whip. ``He was persuasive on a horse and rode hands and heels with remarkable effect. He had great understanding of a horse and trainers with whom he was associated, benefitted immensely by his insight.’’

Wally Swinburn rode his first winner at Warwick in 1953. Wally rode full time in Ireland, England, and France and in India during the winter months. In 1977, he became the first jockey in Ireland to record tally of 101 winners for the season. He won a couple of champion jockey titles at Ireland. He rode three Irish Classic winners; two 1,000 Guineas (Pidget 1972 and Princes Polly 1982) and an Irish Oaks (Blue Wind 1981). Wally retired in 1982 and now owns the 125-acre Genesis Green Stud in Newmarket. His son Walter Swinburn, who retired in April 2000, has won every British and Irish Classic barring the Leger and was an accomplished big race jockey.
The Bangalore Turf Club felicitated the veteran in the paddock on Saturday. The Jockeys Association of India could well have utilised his presence by making him give pep talk to the present jockeys and also explain the dos and don’t to be successful. Unfortunately they did not.

Mighty Heart records encore in style

2011-02-12T22:16:00.000-08:00

Neil Darashah trained Mighty Heart who has bounced back to top form after a series of listless performances recorded an encore in style while claiming the Narasimharaja Cup, a seven furlongs race for horses rated 80 and above, the main event of a long card of 10 events that were gone through on Saturday. Trainer Sharat Kumar was in limelight as his horses struck form against the run of expectation, boosted by the right money they attracted as he saddled a well-priced treble.

Clear Mandate and Flaming Lamborgini were the market fancies as they had the form to recommend their credentials. The latter lost support close to race time and it was clear that he may not be in serious business as Flaming Lamborgini has always produced his best when least fancied. Clean Mandate led the field into the straight with Ohiyesa and Mighty Heart in close attendance. Jockey Appu goaded Mighty Heart to get past the front runners with a furlong out and then skipped away from Ohiyesa to record a comfortable win. Tanzanite ran on to finish third while the fancied duo was not spotted at the busy end, with Flaming Lamborgini out of contention well before the final turn.

Sans Craintes Stud Farm’s Midtown who covered one season before succumbing to a twisted colic, has had several first start winners but he had something special in the form of Touching The Town who scorched the turf while recording the most impressive win by a first season runner. The filly shot off from the gates in brilliant fashion and despite being eased up with more than 100 metres left in the race, slocked a speedy time of one minute 7 seconds. Had John who carried a overweight of two kgs on the filly stretched her, she could well have set a new mark for the 1100 metres trip. No Doubt was eight lengths adrift second ahead of Caraway. The Padmanabhan trainee Touching The Town is surely a star in the making. Favourite Shahraan won the upper division of the Savadatti Plate in a relatively slower timing from Intrigue who put in a belated noteworthy effort.

Rip Van Winkle had been a pace setter when stablemate Unleashed had won in his last outing. Now backed to the exclusion of the rest in the 1600 metres Ilkal Plate, Suraj Narredu had the favourite dictate the pace all the way and survived a scare from Native Talent who even went ahead with a furlong out. Rip Van Winkle fought back to wrest the lead once again and land the spoils. Simply Phenomenal was third while The Senator who has never shown his mettle over a mile was a tame fourth.
Lowndes Square was a strong favourite who let down his supporters in the Dashmesh Stud Plate (Div I). Chintz attempted runaway tactics but started to falter on turning for home. Hatsuhana came into strong contention with a powerful run inside the final 300 metres but he was beaten close home by the well fancied What A Friend. Lowndes Square who was prominent till measured by the winner and runner up was a tame third. Dominic’s Rugged Beauty led all the way and won the lower division of the race with comfort from Alpha Baby and Star Presence. Favourite Brunetta, who led for a while, was not spotted at the busy end.

Sharat Kumar’s Rubellite who had been well waited with for a touch, came in for some inspired support by the people in the know and landed the spoils in the Amazing Grey Plate over seven furlongs. Rubellite was strongly ridden out to win by jockey Christopher who makes an intermittent appearance at the race course. The Dawn made a late rally to be a good second ahead of I Fancy You while Foresight who finished fourth could have made a difference to the outcome of the result with better saddle assistance than the one provided by apprentice Pradeep.

Wild Nexus was the on money favourite to win the 1200 metres Gumbaz Trophy but he was withdrawn from the fray before the horses came to the paddock as he was reportedly lame. Sun Doro got all the support by default but he was withdrawn at the gates as he threw tantrums and possibly hurt himself. There was no clear favourite though Mitraya ended up as a favourite in the belief that he would be the only trier in the race as the rest in the field were not mentally prepared to win due to unexpected development of two favourites being pulled out just before the start. Mitraya raced in earnest but Its My Party proved too superior and won quite easily.
Brave Cat was backed down spiritedly to win the Doddaballapur Plate (Div I), a race for horses in the lowest category. Jockey John had to drive out the favourite to win from Hamsafar and Ideal Match. The well backed Angel Queen won the lower division of the race where favourite Absence burst his blood vessels and faded out from the reckoning well before the race came on the boil. Silver Court rallied late to finish a suggestive second.

China Visit gives Usha Stud Farm reason to celebrate

2011-02-12T09:44:00.000-08:00

The Usha Stud Farm took its Indian Derby tally to a record 12 winners when the daughter of China Visit, Moonlight Romance accomplished the rare Derby double of winning the Gr 1 Kingfisher Derby and Gr 1 McDowell Indian Derby. Moonlight Romance held off the challenge of Ocean And Beyond, Xisca, Macchupicchu to win the most coveted event of Indian racing calendar in thrilling fashion. The victory of Moonlight Romance was in keeping with the raising status of Usha Stud Farm’s resident stallion China Visit, who after a hesitant start, has been firing classic winners to enjoy a near sweep this year. Apart from Moonlight Romance, Xisca is also the winner of two individual Derbys namely the Deccan Derby and the Calcutta Derby Stakes.

The son of Red Ransom, China Visit was expected to continue the legacy of all time sire sensation in India Razeen who is in the twilight of his career but when his progeny did not fire in the manner expected, there was panic. The Usha Stud Farm had always dominated classics in Indian racing calendar and when this did not happen with only Ruby Queen among the first batch winning a classic, there was fear that China Visit may have been a wrong choice for the leading nursery of the country. However, a series of good quality sprinters coupled with good performers in the second year gave hope that China Visit might well be a late bloomer. The amazing string of Derbys won by the progeny of China Visit, the highest by any stallion in India in the current year, has clearly enhanced the value of the stallion.

The Usha Stud Farm has already imported Multidimensional (Danehill) to boost its operations. China Visit did not get the usual number of coverings last year but with Moonlight Romance winning the Indian Derby, his importance is in the scheme of things of the stud farm is bound to gain more importance. Interestingly, Ameeta Mehra who is the Managing Director of the Usha Stud Farm had predicted soon after the victory of Moonlight Romance in the Bangalore Derby that this was only a precursor to many such wins in the future and her prediction came true with the performance of Xisca and Moonlight Romance who both went on achieve fame and glory.
At the presentation ceremony of Indian Derby, Ameeta said: ``People were sceptical about the produce of China Visit but this year’s results would surely silence such critics. China Visit has proved his worth and more importantly helped us to break the jinx. We were stuck on 11 for a number of years. Moonlight Romance has helped us to break this barrier and hopefully we will see many China Visit progeny scaling new heights. I am sure China Visit has convinced lot of people of his ability.’’

Usha Stud Farm’s Razeen has sired four individual Indian Derby winners through Indictment, Star Supreme, Southern Regent and Psychic Flame, he also gets the unique distinction of having an Indian Derby winner through his daughter Wandering Star, herself a Derby winner. Moonlight Romance is by a gutsy race horse Wandering Star who won the Gr 1 Deccan Derby in her shortened racing career. Razeen incidentally had a hand in the winners of third, fourth and fifth placed horses in the Indian Derby through his daughters.

The ‘doosra’ mindset of race-goers!

2011-02-10T21:09:00.000-08:00

Indian racing enthusiasts are a matured lot having a good understanding of the nuances of the sport, its ups and downs and willing to take things sportingly. But there also exists a section which is firm in its belief that racing is all about manipulations. The failure of every favourite is viewed with suspicion and the victory of a lesser fancied runner belonging to the same trainer or owner at the expense of the favourite is considered as a conspiracy. Instances of the connections indulging in manipulating the results of their horses are seen in India but then everything cannot be straight bracketed.

In racing conspiracy theory takes wings as a heady mix of conviction and lack of logic overrides reason. The power of the internet has helped propound theories of conspiracy no matter how little evidence one has on hand. Leaping to conclusions and possibly the fondness for stock expressions has also led to perforation of conspiracy theory in every aspect of racing. I have come across one person who sees a devil in every race. He possibly may be visiting a psychiatrist if he does not spot a devil!

In recent times, with the public getting plenty of avenues to express their views or rather vent their anger, anybody visiting these sections would not be wrong if he tends to believe that Indian racing is all about manipulations and doosras. This sort of situation has been brought about by unequal distribution of horses where good horses are concentrated in a few hands.

In the Indian Derby, trainer Pesi Shroff had five runners which had more or less one common owner in each of these horses while Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and his partners had four runners. There were three other horses representing different owners.

Moonlight Romance who was the second favourite won at the expense of favourite Ocean And Beyond. The filly had accounted for two individual Derby winners on different occasions and had every credential to win. It is just that Richard Hughes chose to ride Ocean And Beyond in the Derby in preference to the filly and the horse went into the race as a firm favourite. Hughes had strong conviction to do so and he continued to believe in his conviction even after the race that he had made the right choice except that the horse did not respond the way he had done in his previous race.

Hughes is not the first jockey in the world of horse racing to have a chosen a loser when confronted with the problem of choosing between two or more horses. Racing is full of stories of how jockeys missed a chance of a life time in winning the most coveted event by their error of judgment or due to the fact that the horse they chose failed to produce its best on the all-important day. For instance, former jockey Warren Singh who won over 1000 races never won the Bangalore Summer Derby in his career though on one occasion he possibly could have won.. He had a choice to make between Treasure Girl and Lucky Shrike and he chose the latter which lost by a whisker to the horse he had discarded.

Hughes had won the Oaks and Indian Derby last year on Jacqueline. He did not have a problem of choice. But this year, Hughes had to choose between Moonlight Romance and Ocean And Beyond. Hughes may have been influenced by the fact that Moonlight Romance, having won the Oaks hardly two weeks ago, would not be in the best of shape to reproduce another gruelling effort. This may have weighed heavily on his mind.
A decade ago when Hughes was yet to reach the pinnacle of glory, he rode Padmanabhan trained Running Flame to win in the Indian Oaks and the Invitation Cup but the filly was below par and lost to all Asian champion outside of Japan, namely Saddle up. The filly did not show the spark of Oaks though the filly bounced back to beat Saddle Up in the Invitation Cup. Possibly this influenced him to take Ocean And Beyond though he is not willing to concede that possibly he might have made a wrong choice.
I had a chance to chat with Hughes on Saturday evening, the day prior to the Derby and Hughes was quite emphatic that Ocean And Beyond was unbeatable. He did not believe that Moonlight Romance could be a big threat. ``Moonlight Romance beat Frost Fairy by six lengths in the Oaks and look at the performance of the latter today in an ordinary race,’’ he had countered. Many jockeys including Paul Mulrennan who rode Sunlight in the Derby felt that Hughes had indeed made a wrong choice. One has to see which horse Hughes will ride in the Invitation Cup next month. There will surely be a change in the jockey of Moonlight Romance whatever Hughes’ decision may be.
When Dr Vijay Mallya won his first ever Indian Derby, he had three runners in the fray, with Kir Royale and Enrico being the fancied runners while Cordon Bleu was at odds of over 10 to 1. Cordon Bleu won in the hands of Mick Kinnane and everyone hailed the winner and one rarely bothered to even think if the result was contrived.
The more fancied runner among the lot of horses owned by the same person has managed to win but quite often the long shot has embarrassed the connections. In recent times, Southern Empire who was the shortest priced horse in the Indian Derby got beat by stablemate Diabolical who went on a start to finish mission, with the favourite unable to cover up the lee way. There was lot of hue and cry and much acrimony. There have been instances of former jockey Malesh Narredu also finding himself on the wrong `un on a regular basis.

With only a handful among professionals and race horse owners holding all the aces, doosras are going to become an inevitable part of racing and race-goers will have to come to grips with it. Or add a new repertoire in their armoury to survive!

It is David Allan's Romance in Indian Derby

2011-02-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Usha Stud bred Moonlight Romance kept her date with destiny in the most coveted event of Indian racing calendar, the Gr 1 McDowell Indian Derby with a remarkable performance in front of a mammoth crowd on Sunday. The Kingfisher Derby heroine went on to win the Indian Derby like many of her illustrious predecessors and in the process provided veteran trainer Cooji Katrak with his first ever Indian Derby success.

For once Richard Hughes’ magic touch and his gift for picking the right horse eluded him as Ocean And Beyond which he had chosen ahead of Moonlight Romance was shy by a shade over a length. For David Allan who got a chance ride thanks to Jockeys Association of India’s refusal to permit Ryan More to ride without a work permit, seized the opportunity with both hands to record the biggest success of his racing career.

The Usha Stud Farm which has bred a record number of Indian Derby winners, swelled tits tally to 12, having been stuck on 11 for a few years. Usha Stud Farm’s resident stallion China Visit who has made a big impact on Indian racing this year, was thus recording his first triumph through Moonlight Romance in the mother of all Indian Derbys. Another daughter of China Visit, Xisca who finished third in the Derby, is also a winner of two Derbys, the Deccan Derby and the Calcutta Derby.

Ocean And Beyond who had won the Ruia trophy in impressive fashion was reckoned to be outstanding in the field of 12 runners that were in the fray for the Derby. There were many who believed that Richard Hughes may have erred in his choice but with the jockey being so emphatic about his conviction that he had made the right choice, his word was taken as Gospel truth and the got abroad gelding was backed to the exclusion of his rivals. When asked about his choice on Saturday, Richard said that he considered the relative merits of the two horses on which he had a choice and felt that he had arrived at the right decision. Even for a moment was he willing to concede that he may go wrong.

When he ran in the Ruia trophy, Ocean And Beyond had just recovered from a small setback and hence I did not push him much. I beat the opposition quite easily and since Moonlight Romance beat a pretty ordinary field which has done nothing, I strongly believe that I will be vindicated, Hughes had said.

Just after he weighed in after his desperate attempt to catch up with Moonlight Romance had failed narrowly, Hughes still felt that he would not have changed his mind even in the paddock. Ocean And Beyond did give me good feel in the race. He did not travel on the bit and I had to goad him to be in touch with the front runners. Even as he measured up Moonlight Romance in the straight, he put his ears back and gave up, he said by way of his reasons why Ocean And Beyond could have possibly failed. I have no doubt about him staying the mile and half trip. He can get even 3000 metres, he opined.

For owners Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and Prem Tharani who have stormed the Indian racing by their huge string of horses, with their trainers good enough to form a cricket team, they could not have hoped for a better result in what was their first serious year in racing. The 1-2 in the Derby was a feat to be proud of. Dr Vijay Mallya was one better in the first year he had runners in the Derby as he had achieved a rare 1-2-3 in the year Cordon Bleu won the star event in the hands of Mick Kinnane.

Ameeta Mehra whose Usha Stud Barm bred Moonlight Romance was obviously elated at the good results that China Visit has had in the last one year. My belief in the ability of China Visit to produce champions has been vindicated. We were struck at 11 for a few years as Set Alight was unfortunate to lose two years ago but I am immensely pleased we have broken the jinx and continue to maintain our record of maximum number of winners in this prestigious race.

There was a slight delay in the start of the race as the huge roar that precedes the start, got a few horses restless and jockey John had a reverse flip on Scionic. Luckily, jockey John or the filly were not hurt and the filly was reloaded. Though some horses were getting restive because of the massive crowd that was standing close to the starting gates, there was no further hiccups and the horses took off to a level start. Batista and Ocean Admiral took over the assigned job of being pace setters but the former ran out violently after crossing the Hornby Villad corner and drifted to the outer rail and took no practical part in the race except completing the formalities of going through with the motion of running the mile and half trip.

Ocean Admiral set a decent clip followed by Dear Henry, Sunlight, Macchupicchu, Unleashed with Moonlight Romance settled in about the sixth position followed by Berlusconi, Ocean And Beyond and Xisca. Even at the nine furlong marker, Hughes had to urge Ocean And Beyond to stay in touch and passing the five furlong marker, he had to really push the horse to pick up speed and then tried to get the horse to travel on the bit. Sunlight took charge of the proceedings as the field straightened for the run in for home with Macchupicchu in hot pursuit followed by Moonlight Romance who appeared to traveling well within herself with Unleashed fading out from the scene. Ocean And Beyond was being driven by Hughes to cover the leeway and jockey Stephane Pasquier was seen goading Xisca to produce a good burst of speed.

With a furlong out, David Allan was able to get past Macchupicchu with Ocean And Beyond joining the issue while Xisca had some leeway to cover. Ocean And Beyond who shot through the gap between Macchupicchu and Moonlight Romance came into strong contention but just as his supporters were beginning to hail him as the winner, the Oaks winner made a decisive surge. The filly had some reserves in store when she passed the winning post, with David Allan waving his whip in glee and tapping the horse in appreciation of the wonderful effort put in by the gutsy filly. His joy was there for all to see. Xisca caught up with the tiring Macchupicchu and snatched the third spot in the shadow of the post while Ocean And Beyond managed to save his second spot.

David Allan who has been riding with good success for trainer Padmanabhan for the last years, thus got an unexpected gift of an Indian Derby win. The Derby win is the one I covet the most because I know the value of winning the Indian Derby. I have won two Derbys at Bangalore but I treasure this the most as it is sure to lift my profile even back home, he said. This win also should boost his confidence a great deal as he had lost a couple of races due to some forced and unforced errors.

Cooji Katrak was on top of the world as he led in his first Indian Derby winner. I had immense confidence in the horse an jockey David Allan complemented the effort of the horse with a splendid ride, he said.

Dr Vijay Mallya gave away the trophies to the winning connections in front of the Grand Stand. The leading owner of Indian racing and also its biggest sponsor continues to harbour his wish to have night racing in Mumbai and has expressed his willingness to extend all support for this venture.

Spearhead springs a surprise in Stayers Trial Stakes

2011-02-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

In racing success often comes when least expected as evidenced by the victory of lesser fancied Spearhead in the 2400 metres Stayers Trial Stakes, a rich terms race for four-year olds and over, the feature event of Thursday. Spearhead was never reckoned to be a stayer and his presence in the race was more in hope as also to ensure that the race did not go void. To the pleasant surprise of the connections, Spearhead led all the way and won quite capably.

Favourite Sun Control was never in contention though on the basis of her impressive second to Balmoral Castle who lost the Golconda Derby subsequently by a whisker due to sheer bad luck, was well supported to make a smooth transition to the highest class as she was set to take on seasoned horses which had lost form inexorably. Whether Sun Control is a good stayer or not was a question that remained unanswered as the favourite was a beaten cause well before the final turn. This should not be a surprise as the trainer concerned has just one win over a mile and half trip to show in his statistics. Training horses over longer trips is perhaps not his forte.
Spearhead runs best when he races freely in front and jockey C D Hayes had no hesitation in taking the son of Burden of Proof to dictate the pace though in the end he too may have been surprised by the ease with which the horse won. Spark of Gold was in a handy second position followed by Sun Control, Henry’s Secret and Firezone. David Allan had Spark of Gold challenging the front runner strongly in the straight but the former skipped away to post a comfortable win. Henry’s Secret was a faraway third followed by the well beaten Sun Control.

Trainer S. Attaollahi who saddled Spearhead, also led in the day’s most impressive winner Delacroix who recorded the third win of the season in splendid fashion. Hayes had Delacroix dictate the pace from the word `go’ and the progeny of Glory of Dancer burst clear of the field to in a handsome time of one minute 25.79 seconds. Yas Marina held off Con Artiste for the runner up berth.

Hockenheim was strongly backed to win on the basis of the filly’s second in her last start but the favourite faltered badly. A quiet touch was brought off on Severstahl who led all the way, shook off the favourite and then held on gallantly as Castro came up with a powerful finish. A longneck ensured the victory of lesser fancied runner. Jockey Gallagher was quite forceful in his finish on the winner.
Gallagher thus had a double for the day as earlier in the day he had guided Adonis to contain the challenge of Six Gun Smith in the final stages of the race in the Smt Saraswati Sajnani Memorial Trophy (Div II) where ante post on money favourite Sun Forever made no show. Six Gun Smith led all the way but could not withstand the onslaught of Adonis who came home with a big rush to get the nod in the shadow of the post. Flame Back was a late rallying third. The upper division of the race went the way of favourite Accurate who was driven out to victory by Suraj Narredu. There was quiet touch on Sun Dancing but the apprentice was not up to the mark even though the talented filly showed semblance of returning to form but finished second best for lack of adequate support in the saddle. Sky Diver was third ahead of Anna who was asked to cover too much of leeway in the straight.

Suraj had earlier in the day won on Fiorucci in the Chamundi Hill Plate in a close finish from Sparkling Image. Sparkling Image chased favourite Fist of Rage into the straight and then surged ahead even as the favourite went out of contention. Apprentice Khurshad Alam was unable to correct the outward drift of the horse which put paid to his hopes. Fiorucci too shifted first on her own and then due to Starlight Image. The well supported Plaka ran into these shifting horses forcing De Sousa to check the horse and change course. The filly finished third. De Sousa tried to reverse the verdict in the Stewards room by raising an objection against the riders of first two placed horses but it was overruled. The jockeys however ended up paying a fine for their lack of control on their respective horses. Sparkling Image should make amends next time out.

Sweet Timer was backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the H Devereux Memorial Plate (Div I) and Srinath was able to guide the favourite to victory against a disinterested lot of horses. Leon Cavallo came through along the rails with a strong run but his chances were hurt as he burst his blood vessels. Amiable Lady recorded an encore while winning the lower division of the race with a start to finish mission against a meek opposition.

Spicy Star was spiritedly backed to win the Gaganachukki Plate (Div I) and the favourite put in a speedy effort to win from start to finish quite easily from late rallying Man Down Under. The lower division of the race went the way of Tern Me On who was also backed down with conviction despite no surface form and won trouncing the opposition.

Indian Derby to offer mind-boggling stakes

2011-01-28T09:59:00.001-08:00

Chairman of Royal Western India Turf Club Vivek Jain has brought off a marketing coup in making the UB Group to commit a whopping Rs 28 cores by way of sponsorship over the next five years. The UB Group has been sponsoring the Indian Derby for the last 27 years while the same company has been sponsoring the Kingfisher Derby for the last 23 years. Under the present agreement, the value for 2013 McDowell Indian Derby will be about US $ 1 million. Mr. Jain described the conclusion as “a path breaking development in the history of Indian racing, and a momentous milestone for the RWITC.”

The Kingfisher Derby which also has national character about it, with the result of the race, having a bearing not only on Indian classics but also on regional classics. This high profile event promises guaranteed stake money of Rs 1 core but the contribution of the UB Group is a poor Rs 50 lakhs. This amount is after the company agreed to increase its contribution by about Rs 20 lakhs over its previous contribution. This must be surely be considered a king’s ransom by Bangalore Turf Club which is not known for its marketing acumen, beset by internal bickering where the horse is not the king but its members are the super stars. The recently concluded Bangalore Winter Derby offered the lowest stake money for an event of its stature. The club compounded its error by hosting a party for its members at a five stat hotel instead of spending that money to boost the stakes for the mega event. If one considers that UB Group is giving Rs 2 million for running of the relatively less glamorous St Leger at Pune, the contribution for the Bangalore event must be considered negligible.

Why is it that Bangalore has not been able to attract sponsors when RWITC is able to them by the dozen, even for lesser events than the Derby? The reason is the priorities are all wrong in BTC. People with drive are not always at the helm at BTC but only those who manage to please the members most come into power. The person who can curry favor from the government ends up the chairman irrespective of his support in the committee. Quite often this has resulted in the committee being a divided house, with the person frustrated in his attempt to become the chairman being at loggerheads with the government supported chairman. The person elected to the post is also only interested in lasting out the term so that he ensures a place in history and rarely bothers to do anything worthwhile. As long as he keeps the members happy, he thinks he is doing a good job.

The UB Group is based out of Bangalore and its chairman Dr Vijay Mallya is a son of the soil. Yet the Kingfisher Derby does not get the same importance despite him being a member of Bangalore Turf Club. The Kingfisher Derby is the most attended Derby event in India, rivaling that of Indian Derby in attendance though not in glamour quotient. The BTC boasts of some high profile members who can make races in Bangalore high profile but they rarely venture forward unlike the RWITC where a number its members open out their purse to sponsor mega events. Apart from the Indian Derby, the UB Group has also offered to sponsor the Indian St Leger that will be held at Pune this year.

The contribution of UB Group for this year’s Indian Derby is roughly about Rs 3 cores and the winner is assured of a mind-boggling amount which will be the biggest prize money ever in Indian racing history. This is a record that can only be bettered by RWITC and no other club can hope to come anywhere near it.

Vivek Jain is obviously elated at the spate of sponsorships that he has brought for racing at Mumbai. `The deal with the UB Group is the biggest in Indian racing history for a single event. The continued sponsorship underlines the excellent understanding and relation that the club has built with the UB Group,’’ he added at a Press briefing on Thursday..

The RWITC has planned an elaborate programm for the two-day Derby weekend. Only Bangalore Summer Derby winner Sun Kingdom may be missing from the line up. Other than this horse, the who’s is who of four-year olds in India are participating in the race including Ocean And Beyond, Moonlight Romance and Xisca. These horses have won a Derby at some centre or the other. Internationally renowned artists are arriving to provide quality entertainment over the two days of racing which will feature a number of big races offering stakes of over a million.

Sun Kingdom regains lost glory through Hughes

2011-01-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

Irfan Ghatala trained Sun Kingdom kept his date with destiny when reaching the safety of the winning post ahead of the rest in the Gr 1 VIF Bangalore Derby, the star event of the season, in front of a huge crowd on Republic Day on Wednesday. Jockey Richard Hughes, who rode the winner, thus accomplished yet another mission on the Bangalore track by completing a Derby double having won the Kingfisher Derby in July on Moonlight Romance. The fact that jockey plays a big role in making or unmaking of a champion could not have been better illustrated by Hughes who was a big factor in the success of Sun Kingdom.

Sun Kingdom was the best performed horse in the fray having won two classics over a mile but there was a question mark about the progeny of Royal Kingdom tackling the mile and half trip as effectively as he had done over the shorter trip. Sun Kingdom was no doubt helped by the fact that he was tackling a weak and inexperienced opposition though the extended trip and the fact that the trainer had never won a race over this distance in his decade long career was a leveling factor. Richard Hughes stated later that he had to weigh several options including the looseness of the track on the inside by taking the longest and perhaps the safest route to a narrow success. ``The horse would not have stayed in inch longer,’’ he said when asked whether he felt comfortable when in sight of the winning post. Asked whether he had made up his mind about which horse he was going to ride in the Indian Derby, he said ``One thing is sure. I wont’ be on Sun Kingdom.’’ He said he would make up his mind about riding Ocean And Beyond or Moonlight Romance and he would rather wait than hasten a decision.

Was Richard Hughes apprehensive about the track especially since he had heard reports from other jockeys that the track was loose on the inside and also the fact that some jockeys had a fall only the previous day? Hughes said he was indeed concerned about the inside track which he felt was not comfortable and his first priority was to get off the rails from the inside draw. ``Since the field was big, there was bound to be traffic problems. Considering the fact that the pace was fast and quite a few horses were expected to rapidly drop back, I chose the option of traveling wide though taking the longer route. The strong head wind also had a bearing on the performance of horses in the straight,.’’ he said.

It won’t be a surprise if in racing dictionary in India, the name Richard Hughes spells success considering the ease with which he is delivering the goods. A lesser jockey than him would have found it hard to guide the favourite to victory. Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan was obviously delighted at the spate of success his horses are enjoying in classics and said as much when he said that whichever horse that Hughes choses to ride in the Indian Derby would be the one to win the biggest race in Indian racing calendar.

Spark of Atan took over the job of a pace setter as the 15-horse field set out for the mile and half trip, with Rezzom in second position followed by Braavo. Astounding Gallop raced in fourth position while String Along was in about the fifth position. Sun Kingdom was in the seventh. Kilimanjaro, Unleashed and Sunny’s Secret were in the rear group. Spark of Atan brought the field into the straight but fast faded out fast as String Along showed up strongly. Hughes maneuvered his way on Sun Kingdom on the wide outside and brought his horse into contention with a furlong to go. Sun Kingdom accelerated well to go ahead of String Along and managed to reach the safety of the winning post ahead of Unleashed who made a terrific rally only to by a shy by a length at the finish. Sunny’s Secret too ran on powerfully to neck out String Along for the third spot. The temperamental Kilimanjaro lived up to the belief that he could be unpredictable.

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Couleur Rouge won the day’s supporting event, the Mysore Race Club Trophy, a mile long race for horses rated 80 and above, quite capably. Though Couleur Rouge had lost narrowly to String Along in the Mysore Guineas, her performance in her subsequent outing was below par which she is why she went into the race as a lesser fancied runner. Criminal Lawyer was more fancied than the rest thanks to the presence of Hughes in the saddle. Splendid Surprise led the field ahead of Couleur Rouge into the straight but the latter smoothly cruised into the lead and skipped away from the rest before the others could get into their rhythm. Couleur Rouge won by a margin of three lengths over Criminal Lawyer who was flat footed when the race came to a boil. Spearhead was third ahead of Atlantus while Aboline who graced the wrong end of the field, showed no spark of old and ended up a poor fifth.

Darius Byramji’s Ben Ten won the Ted Fordyce Cup, a six furlong terms race for maiden three year olds, with ease, with a start to finish dash, finishing well clear of favourite Hillsboro. Rhythmic Dancer came up with a big threatening run from behind but drifted out under pressure and lost a possible chance of finishing second best. Arabian Gold ran on from behind to finish fourth and he should be better off for this educative run.

Brunetta had not been unduly extended thus far and he came good in the 1400 metres Vidhana Soudha Cup (Div I), a race for horses rated 40 to 65. After last outing winner and favourite Saddle Queen showed up inside the final furlong, Brunetta surged ahead and held on to win from a fast finishing Sparkling Sapphire. Modern Art played up while being stalled and was withdrawn from the fray. Puttanna trained Kripa had not run true to his potential in his last few runs but he was backed down spiritedly based on his past performance in the lower division of the race. Mr Ambassador had the best credentials having run an eye-catching second behind What A Friend. In the event, Kripa who went into the lead with a furlong out could not sustain his foray in front till the post and was beaten close home with ease by Mr. Ambassador. True Impression showed a big improvement in form while finishing a noteworthy third.

Cavalry Charge was the strong favourite to win the 2000 metres Indian Republic Trophy, a race for horses rated 60 to 85. There was also support for The Last Samurai who after being stranded in the gates for a few seconds, had run a suggestive fourth. Cavalry Charge held fort from the start but inside the final 250 metres, The Last Samurai came up with such an onslaught that the favourite had no answer and surrendered meekly. Sweet Caroline ran on to be third.

Satish Narredu’s Elusive Speed had won so impressively that an encore was on cards in the 1200 metres NRCE Cup. However, Gold Tern who had run suggestively in his last outing was backed down spiritedly and ended up as the favourite. However, this full brother to the well performed Rio Bravo lost all his chances at the gate. Elusive Speed, who ran prominently into the straight, easily sailed ahead and won with ease from Star of Desire and Gold Tern whose third suggested of possibilities if he had not been left in the gates.

Amit Caddy had success coming his way through Dance N Celebrate who was backed strongly to win the Nethravathi Trophy. Sunset Grill was the firm favourite. Athabasca Star and Sukanti were also considered to be in with a chance but both were lethargic at the gates. From a prominent position in front, Dance N Celebrate skipped away from his opponents to win the Nethravathi Cup over seven furlongs. Sunset Grill chased the winner in vein. Bon Giorno showed some improvement when finishing third.

Two horses received solid support in the Swarnamukhi Stakes, a five and half furlong race for maiden three year olds but both found Free Law in no mood to relent as the progeny of Burden of Proof put in a successful start to finish mission to win the race as he pleased.

Clear Mandate swells Dhariwal’s tally

2011-01-25T11:38:00.001-08:00

Trainer Jaggy Dhariwal has taken a vice like grip on the championship stakes with a healthy lead with just over half way stage of the Bangalore Winter Season. He swelled his tally by another two points on Tuesday by saddling a brace of winners including in the F K Irani Memorial Trophy, a seven furlongs race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of the day. It was a disappointing day for jockey Suraj Narredu who was astride several fancied runners but found success in only one race of the day.

Clean Mandate had performed poorly in the Golconda 2000 Guineas as he found the mile long trip stretching his stamina reserves to the hilt. Now back over a more suitable trip of seven furlongs, the progeny of Burden of Proof asserted his supremacy with a comfortable win over late rallying Flaming Lamborgini and Soberano. Red Renegade, who was also expected to be a serious contender, burst his blood vessels approaching the final bend and faded out of reckoning to end up last. Red Renegade led the field for a brief while before Spartan took over the running. Jockey C Hayes gradually worked his way on Clear Mandate from the wide outside draw to be in striking position behind the front runner. Clear Mandate cruised past The Spartan inside the final 350 metres and broke into a big lead. Though Flaming Lamborgini closed in with a rush, Clear Mandate was not in danger of being caught up with

Sunstone had twice finished second best but he continued to enjoy the trust of the race goers who made him a firm favourite yet again in the 1400 metres Kollur Plate (Div I). Supremacy settled down to lead the field followed by Sunstone, Gazaki and the rest. Sunstone shook off Supremacy to take charge in the homestretch but found Gazaki proving formidable in the end. The latter managed to sail ahead in sight of the winning post. Supremacy weakened to finish a faraway third.

Sunstorm who had recorded a smashing win in his last outing was strongly backed to win the lower division of the race ahead of Cherelle and the rest. Gluteus Maximus, who had run a suggestive third to Kilimanjaro over an extended trip in his last outing, was quietly fancied. After Camorra brought the field into view and weakened, Cherelle showed up briefly even as favourite Sunstorm was looming large on the wide outside. In the meanwhile, Gluteus Maximus who had made rapid strides from behind came through with a powerful run and even before Sunstorm could squeak into the lead, had gone away from him. Gluteus Maximus won with great deal of comfort from Sunstorm in the hands of Irish jockey Mark Gallagher who had made India his home for well for a decade before migrating to Singapore at the turn of the century. Gallagher, who has ridden many classic winners in Bangalore, will be seen action for about three weeks in India before he returns to Singapore where he is riding with fair amount of success. ``It has been a hard grind but rewarding as well’’ said Gallagher when asked about his Singapore experience.

In an incident filled day when as many as five jockeys were unseated from their horses and suffered minor injuries, the running of the 2000 metres Vedavati Plate saw jockey John having a fall on favourite Indravati soon after crossing the winning post. North Cape was the pace setter for the mile and quarter trip and for once in his career, he looked as though he might oblige after all. However, he began to weaken inside the final 100 metres even as Allez Vite ducked towards the rails from wide outside and came into strong contention. Indravati too joined issue and in the process, squeezed out North Cape. Apprentice jockey Nausad Alam managed to steer Allez Vite to win by a whisker over the favourite. Soon after crossing the winning post, John’s leg came off from the stirrup which he tried to regain for some distance before having a fall.

The first race, the Sriharikota Plate for maiden two year olds, saw two jockeys suffering a fall. Intrigue played up a lot in the paddock and even as jockey S Chinoy was trying to get onto the horse, the filly reared up and the jockey fell horizontally on his back with a thud, even hurting his head in the process. He was bleeding from the mouth but luckily it was not due to any impact of the fall but due to him biting his tongue. The jockey was in great agony and was carried off on a stretcher. Formidable Quest appeared to be jumping over non existing hurdles in front of the Grand Stand, causing jockey Md Shoaib to be thrown off from the saddle. Spiffy jumped outwards from the outside draw and lost all her chances. Favourite Current Ray had things in control from the top of the straight though for a brief while Win Again threatened to overhaul the favourite. Current Ray checked in well clear of Win Again and Shahraan.

Apprentice jockey Adarsh who is getting winners with some frequency of late, steered Romance In The Air to a thrilling win over Marie Curie in the B C Prabhakar Memorial Cup, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. After tracking stablemate Game Dancer into the straight, Romance In The Air surged ahead and though she was hard pressed by favourite Marie Curie, she held on by the skin of her teeth. Another fancied runner Sweet Timer was a tame third.

Don Diego who had consistently found one better on numerous occasions, finally obliged in the Altenberg Plate when winning with a start to finish mission over The Phenomena and Seaside Star. Apprentice jockey N Rajesh had a fall on Intizara on way to the starting gates and the filly was withdrawn from the fray.

The biggest upset of the day came on Faraz Arshad trained Smar Exotic who held off the challenge of Fame And Glory to win the 1400 metres Kailash Plate, returning the highest dividend of Rs 418 on a tenner! Spark of Knight who came in for good support close to race time, raced in earnest but found the favourite and the rank outsider beyond his reach.

In the day’s other action, Sun Forever who was making his debut as a four-year old, proved to be overwhelmingly superior, checking in by a widening margin of eight lengths in the 1400 metres Jamuna Plate. The bookmakers, in the `Absence’ of any strong opposition, were too miserly in quoting the odds on the winner from trainer Irfan Ghatala.

Sun Kingdom for VIF Bangalore Derby

2011-01-24T22:45:00.001-08:00

By all accounts, it is difficult to look beyond Irfan Ghatala trained Sun Kingdom to win the Gr 1 VIF Bangalore Derby, the star event of Bangalore winter season, to be run on Wednesday, the Republic Day. Sun Kingdom is a winner of two classics and had run behind Moonlight Romance in the Kingfisher Derby. He has imposing credentials and barring uncertainties associated with the sport of racing; he should be home and dry. Having said that, there are certain hurdles that Sun Kingdom has to still overcome and whether they can upset his chances or not remains a matter of debate.

Before discussing the credentials or the lack of it of the other contestants, one has to critically examine Sun Kingdom and also talk about its trainer. Irfan Ghatala has won two Derbys through Brown Sugar and Full Speed at Hyderabad and Mysore respectively. These horses however did not maintain their level of progress beyond certain period of time. The trainer has specialized in bringing off king sized gambles and not really concentrated on winning big races. He rarely ventures out of Bangalore . A more ambitious trainer would have certainly targeted Sun Kingdom for the Indian classics but Irfan is content to keep the son of Royal Kingdom in Bangalore . He is expected to go to Mumbai and run in the Indian Derby after this run.

One has rarely seen Irfan run his horses in mile and half trips. I don’t remember when the trainer won a race over a mile and half trip. There is no doubt that Sun Kingdom can stay the grueling trip but so far in this season he has been confined to mile long trips and mock races and hasn’t had a big lead up race after the abortive and hurried attempted job at Mysore where Sun Kingdom’s jockey fell soon after the start in the race in the Derby which was declared null and void. Sun Kingdom is blessed with a good turn of foot which he displayed in exemplary fashion in his last win in the Guineas where he was bottled up for an opening despite which he still managed to win with a measure of comfort.

Sun Kingdom will be guided by Richard Hughes who has become the darling of Indian racing crowd for the confidence that he brings to his rides. Last year he was astride Jacqueline in its record haul in Indian classics. Then he went on to have a wonderful season at England where he narrowly missed winning the jockey’s championship. His stint in India during the current winter season has been successful and he has already won two India classics through Ocean And Beyond and Moonlight Romance though the first winner is under a cloud for breach of medication rules.

The amazing quality about Hughes is that he has measured up the Indian jockeys, their strengths and weakness and plans his moves accordingly. He does not hesitate to react instinctively even if the race is not run in the manner planned or expected. On this score, he brings Sun Kingdom a clear cut superiority in the field. If everything goes as expected, Sun Kingdom may win the biggest prize of the season, the coveted Derby which has a new sponsor this year through Dr Arif Ainuddin whose VIF Group of Concerns have contributed significantly to the prize money. The Bangalore Winter Derby however offers the lowest stakes in India though the Summer Derby carries with it guaranteed prize money of Rs 1 crore to the winner.

Padmanabhan trained Kilimanjaro has caught the imagination of race goers by his spectacular win over nine furlongs in his last run. The striking manner in which he accelerated in the final furlong after coming from rear and the excellent time that he clocked has made him a realistic contender for the Derby . Kilimanjaro is a relatively inexperienced horse having run just thrice and won twice. He has trained on well and his trainer Padmanabhan exudes confidence of a good performance by his ward. Though the progeny of Iktiyar has a mind of his own, there is no denying his ability. He will stay every inch of the trip. Kilimanjaro’s dam had foaled Obligado who was a winner of the Mysore Derby and had performed consistently in good company. Jockey David Allan has struck a fine partnership with the horse and he should be able to sort out the problems of Kilimanjaro and cause a big upset.

String Along who won the Golconda Oaks is another who is a stronger contender. Though it is doubtful if she can last out the mile and half trip in a true run race, the fact that she has won over this trip is an encouraging factor.

Dante Rossetti from Mumbai has won both his outings in impressive fashion. He has gone over the trip of mile and half and won the race quite well but in a slow timing. Astounding Gallop, Unleashed, Braavo, Rezzom and Spark of Atan are the other enthusiastic contenders in the big field of 15 runners that are in the fray.

Midtown Magic asserts his superiority

2011-01-21T22:38:00.000-08:00

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Midtown Magic who was widely expected to have it easy in the Sangam Trophy, a terms race for three-year olds, the feature event of Friday’s races, was not getting into his wonted rhythm with about 100 metres left in the race but once shown the daylight after being pulled out from the rails, the progeny of Midtown finished with a flourish to win in fine fashion over Lovely Kiss. The latter, a first timer by new sire sensation Rebuttal, was a surprise second ahead of African Queen. Skyliner won the day’s other main event, Chatrapathi Cup, with ridiculous ease.

Lovely Kiss led as the field set out for the seven furlongs trip with Magnitude in close proximity while Midtown Magic was settled in about the fourth position along the rails. Midtown Magic was not too happy to be restrained but he settled down, despite being cramped for room which perhaps prevented him from getting into top gear till the final stages of the race. Lovely Kiss was not inclined to give up easily but could not sustain her foray in front when Midtown Magic came home with a big run after being pulled out and given the ground to cover. African Queen ran on well but narrowly failed to displace long timer leader from the runner up berth.
Skyliner looked a cinch in the Chatrapathi Cup, a six furlongs race for horses rated 60 to 85. There was big support for Balas Glory close to race time while Friendly Bond had his share of supporters. Jockey Chris Hayes eased Skyliner behind pace setter Another Destiny before pushing the favourite to take charge at the top of the straight. The progeny of Hurricane State burst clear of the field with minimum of ease to check in well clear of Balas Glory who nosed out Friendly Bond from the second spot. Friendly Bond should make amends over slightly extended trip. He was outpaced in the early part of the race as he lacked the initial speed which put paid to his chances. Balas Glory’s turn should come before long.

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Muqtadir enjoyed favoritism in the Chitradurga Plate (Div I) as the rest in the field did not impress on any count. Muqtadir was sluggish at the start and dropped back to the rear of the field which surely would have put a question mark about his prospects but jockey Silvester De Sousa’s persevering efforts and the lack of quality opposition enabled the progeny of first season stallion Imtiyaz (standing at Nanoli Stud) to recover lost ground and nose out Sunny Express who had seized the initiative with a furlong out. Padmanabhan trained Preordained had run green in her last outing but she seemed to have profited immensely from that educative run as she settled down to lead straightaway in the lower division of the race and won pulling up from Hockenheim and Dancerella, both these horses enjoying a fair bit of support in the ring.

Like it happens with trainer Irfan Ghatala’s horses who suffer as a result of inferior jockeys entrusted to guide the fortunes of favourites, Sun Absolute lost a definite winning chance in the 1600 metres W J Sibbrit Memorial Plate, a race for horses rated 40 to 65. Suraj Narredu drove out Never Say Goodbye to achieve a hat-trick at the expense of stablemate Yamas. Sun Absolute was settled in the rear of the group and in the straight, apprentice jockey Rajesh ran into series of problems and compounded it by trying to work his work through the crowded field on the inside. By the time he yanked the horse out of the pack to get a clear run, the front runners had established what turned out to be a winning lead. Though Sun Absolute finished fully of running and covered plenty of ground, the winning post came too soon for comfort for the progeny of Iktiyar who was denied a rightful hat-trick. While the poor ride could be attributed to jockey
Rajesh’s relative inexperience, the absence of panic in his riding was a cause for concern especially since the apprentice was riding a firm favourite. The Stipes would have surely given him the benefit of doubt. Trainer Irfan Ghatala continues to experiment at the cost of public.

M P Mahaesh trained Foresight had served notice of an early success when she had made the front running and finished third to the too good Rip Van Winkle. Now backed spiritedly ahead of the rest over a shortened trip of seven furlongs, with only Alianz cornering inspired support like many of Puttanna’s horses does, the one eyed Foresight left the field standing with a furlong to go to win as she pleased from Mercutio. The latter dictated the pace as Suraj settled Mercutio in a handy second position before pushing the progeny of Greensmith to take over the running in the homestretch. Foresight checked in by a widening margin of five lengths.

The overwhelming support that Neil Darashah trained Thrillseker enjoyed in the betting ring was definitely not misplaced. The horse was well prepared and a cut above to the opposition he was taking on as he left the fancied Sachimore a distance behind at the finish. Jockey Naushad Alam had no problem in landing a good touch on the horse. The other market fancy Silver Scepter was clipped from behind by another horse which caused a cut injury and she ran below the expectations of the connections. Cool Whistle who had let down as a favourite, obliged with a start to finish dash in the lower division of the race, easily staving off the belated charge of favourite Fruit King. Apprentice Jockey Adarsh, rather belatedly in his career, is getting winners with some regularity of late.

Sirono maintains unbeaten streak

2011-01-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Prithviraj trained Sirono further enhanced his credentials as a sprinter to reckon with while maintaining his unbeaten run with a decisive win in the 1200 metres Dariya Daulat Trophy, a race for horses rated 80 and above, the feature event of Friday’s races. Jockey Suraj Narredu was in the limelight booting home favour winners.

Sirono is sure to be campaigned ambitiously in the Sprinters Cup which is to be run in March at Mumbai. The Dariya Daulat Trophy was an ideal opportunity to exploit the handicap advantage before the progeny of Emerald Cat moved on to terms races where he is expected to cross sword with seasoned runners. Sirono was quoted at unbackable odds as none in the fray looked capable of upsetting him. The horses with proven record like Atlantus was running at a handicap disadvantage as he was carrying a back breaking load of 64 kgs on his back while Optimus Prime who is troubled by several problems, was having his first start after a longish absence from the track.
The speedy Successor led the field from the start with Classic Charge in close attendance followed by Still Will, Sirono, Stone of Destiny, Atlantus, Advantage Logan, Magnanimity and Optimus Prime. Successor held his sway till the final furlong at which point, Sirono had picked up enough momentum to go surging ahead. He won sparing a little more than a length at the finish. Classic Charge ran on to finish third while Atlantus found the weight a stopper. The winner clocked a smart time of one minute 12.28 seconds.

The Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association Trophy, a terms race for three year olds over six furlongs, has traditionally featured some good juveniles in the fray. This year there were just four runners in the fray and of them, Mad About You who had twice finished second best, appeared to have clear cut credentials to win. Debutant Ace Blood who is a full sister to the well performed Adolfito was spiritedly backed as the filly was quite forward right from the start of the season though a mild fever had delayed her debut. Mad About You went on a start to finish mission with Chris Hayes on Ace Blood restraining her from running too keen. In the homestretch, the market fancies fought out a close battle before Ace Blood emerged the better of the two in the shadow of the post, sparing a long neck at the finish. Free Styler was a faraway third.

Trainer Neil Darashah recorded a double after a longish break by winning both the divisions of the Harangi Plate, a seven furlongs race for horses rated 60 to 85. Mighty Heart had come down in handicap scale and was well prepared to have a go though he did not attract big quantum of money in the ring. Captain’s Lover, What A Friend, Bucephalas and Lock And Load were in the betting in what appeared an evenly matched field. Mighty Heart chased Lock And Load into the straight and then gathered speed and went storming ahead inside the distance post to win in the hands of jockey Mark. Lock And Load just about lasted out to claim the runner up spot from Bucephalas while What A Friend failed to produce the spark of his last run and finished a poor fourth.

Jockey Mulrennan drove out Hatsuhana to contain the challenge of Lowndes Square to win the lower division of the race. Hatsuhana was strongly fancied to win on the basis of his good forward run in his previous essay. Baton Rouge led the way with Alpha Baby, Rugged Beauty and Hatsuhana in close proximity while Lowndes Square was held back in the rear group. With a furlong out, Hatsuhana showed up in front with Lowndes Square ranging up on the outside. The latter appeared to be travelling better but Mulrennan was able to elicit that bit extra from the favourite to snatch a nose verdict. Alpha Baby, who appears to have lost form, was a tame third.

Modern Art who has won just won race in her career continued to attract more support than the rest simply because punters were not sure as to where to look for a winner. Saddle Queen came in for spirited support close to race time with The Senator ending up as the third favourite while Lester was quietly fancied. The Senator who took over the running at the top of the straight, flattered to deceive as he did not have an answer to the onslaught launched by Saddle Queen who warmed up in nick of time, and overhauled the front runner with something to spare. Lester came up with a long stretch run to snatch the third spot from Misty Moonlight while Modern Art faded out after staying in touch with the front runners till the final 350 metres.

Suraj Narredu drove out failed Fiorucci like a man possessed to pull off a thrilling win over favourite Flame Back in the concluding race of the day. Both these runners were backed spiritedly and as per market expectations were involved in a close duel for supremacy. Inside the final furlong, Flame Back appeared to have gone into a decisive lead even as Fiorucci was taking time to accelerate but once he did, he came home with a big rush to get the verdict in the closing strides of the race. Fiorucci had failed in the hands of Selvaraj but obliged in the capable hands of Suraj which has now become a pattern with horses trained by Irfan Ghatala. Not Not Seven ran a suggestive race while finishing third.

Refresh was backed with conviction by the people in the know despite the last three runs of his being pedestrian. Refresh went sailing clear inside the final 300 metres after racing a handy second and won with plenty to spare from Giving Me The Money and Sprawling Elegance in the Native Chieftain Plate (Div I), a race for horses rated 20 to 45. Showers of Luck appeared to be cut above the rest in the lower division of the race and the one sided support was perfectly justified as the progeny of Diffident checked in six lengths clear of Jewel Lady and Son of the Sun.

Cielo Rey slams opposition in CM’s Trophy

2011-01-08T23:16:00.000-08:00

Suleiman Attaollahi trained Cielo Rey who has not exactly been a model of consistency, bounced back to winning form while claiming the 2000 metres Chief Minister’s Trophy, a rich terms race for four-year olds and over, the main event of Saturday’s races. The race which serves as a lead up race for the Derby for many an aspirant had three of them in the fray but none enhanced their credentials including a supplementary entry for the premier event Airplay who incidentally was a strong fancy to win the event despite being thrown at the deep end. He did not look the part in the paddock parade.

Jockey Paul Mulrennan took Cielo Rey on a start to finish mission. The progeny of Burden of Proof’s best performance has come when he runs freely in front without pressure from other contestants. Braavo raced a few lengths behind followed by Ordained One, Airplay, Raptor Force, Spark of Gold, Youre So Beautiful and Classerville. Braavo threatened to end Cielo Rey’s foray in front but after raising hopes with 350 metres left in the race but he weakened. Youre So Beautiful who had come into contention from behind with a smooth run overhauled Braavo briefly but ran out of steam as Cielo Rey skipped away to win with a measure of comfort. Braavo fought back to snatch the runner up berth. Ordained One struggled to pick up speed and was a well beaten fourth. Airplay finished last.

Yet another of progeny of Midtown made a winning debut. I Specialist from Jaggy Dhariwal’s yards was showing out in the works and as expected, was well backed to oblige in the January Plate (Div II). Hillsboro put in a speedy effort to lead the fray as I Specialist was settled in mid group with the well-bred Nearness of You, raced in the rear group and struggled for pace in the early part. I Specialist came through the middle and grabbed the lead with a furlong out and held off the late rally made by Nearness of You who was finishing the fastest. While I Specialist was a deserving winner, Nearness of You should make rapid strides and establish her credentials as a youngster of immense potential.

Polaris and first timer Casanova disputed the favoritism in the upper division of the January Plate. These horses were a bit edgy while being loaded but in the race itself, the full brother to the well performed Captivating, Casanova bolted to the front from the word `go’ and bolted in well clear of a well beaten Polaris. Mountain Range put in a late dash to be a suggestive third.

Unleashed had let down a few times as a fancied runner but this time out, over the extended trip of mile in the K Rama Rao Memorial Cup, he was seen in different colors. Rip Van Winkle led the field on sufferance even as Silvester De Sousa had a hard time in restraining Unleashed in the third position. Crown Empress was well up with the leaders followed by the rest in close proximity. Rounding the final turn and with a quarter mile to go, De Sousa squeezed his way in the gap between the front runner and Crown Empress and bolted clear to record a smashing win. Crown Empress and Cavalry Charge fought out a stiff battle for the second slot, with the former just about nosing out his stablemate. This impressive win may see Unleashed being campaigned more ambitiously in his future assignments.

The withdrawal of Valahak from the fray paved the way for Montedoro’s encore in the R H Shaw Memorial Plate (Div I). There was inspired support for Citrali who had run a few lengths adrift when these two had clashed before. Jockey Rajesh could not settle Montedoro on an even keel as the favourite fell back to the last position. Jaldi had the first run on her opponents with Citrali offering a strong challenge but just as these two were settling the issue, came Montedoro with a lightening run from behind to go clear in a trice. Jaldi held off Citrali for the second spot. The lower division of the race too fell to another Irfan Ghatala trainee. Lad Fury’s last win was so impressive that it was difficult to look for any other horse to be a possible threat. Mystic Dawn, who had some old form to boost his credentials, came in for support but the one which attracted flood of money was Loknath’s One For The Money whose sustained support in the ring saw the odds expanding on Lad Fury. The favourite however had no problems in disposing of the opponents with ease. Dance For The Money managed to beat the challenge of Mystic Dawn for the second spot.

Wild Nexus, who had twice lost as a favourite, was third time lucky as he readily justified the exclusive support he had in the Splendid Rose Plate (Div I). Wild Nexus had no problem in staying clear of any threat posed by Sky Rider or the late rallying Sunset Grill who had a good airing. Jockey Appu had no problem in winning on Elusive Speed in the lower division of the race where the progeny of China Visit proved overwhelmingly superior to favourite Don Diego who was flat footed in the straight.

Prashastha obliged in the Kitty Bank Plate by effectively thwarting the challenge of favourite Super Spectacle. Sun Gold made a late dash to finish third.

Balmoral Castle grabs Bangalore Oaks

2011-01-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

David Allan made ample amends for his hiccup astride Becket at Mumbai last Sunday with a splendid ride on Balmoral Castle which saw the Padmanabhan trainee stave off the challenge of favourite Sun Control with a measure of comfort in the Gr 2 Bangalore Oaks, the third classic of the season, on Sunday. David Allan rode with supreme confidence and it was clear that he was out to prove a point which he did in style.

Though the Sohna Stud Farm produce Balmoral Castle was the highest rated horse in the fray, she was allowed to run at fancy odds, with the bulk of money coming on hat-tricker Sun Control and others who had success in lower category races. In the event, the well-bred Balmoral Castle who was specifically targeted for this race, beat the others who were hurriedly pitched into the fray based on their last start runs and this perhaps put paid to their hopes.

The Bangalore Oaks has almost always favoured an outsider. Sun Control who had won three races over shorter trips was pitchforked into the fray and with Richard Hughes who lends a magic touch to guide her fortunes; she was the obvious public choice. But it was surprising that Balmoral Castle who was an experienced campaigner and won the Mysore Million and had run second in the ill-fated Mysore Derby was totally neglected in the betting ring. Karisini, who had won over nine furlongs in lower class in impressive fashion, had her share of supporters. One Life To Love head the group of lesser fancied runners in the race.

Yas Marina led the field from the start with Matias, Balmoral Castle, Sun Control racing in close proximity while the others were spread out behind with One Life To Love and Spark of Desire gracing the rear. Pesi Shroff’s Scarlette played up violently at the gates but she was still loaded to race and she was never in the reckoning possibly caused by the trauma of getting stuck in the gates for a few seconds. Richard Hughes perhaps had guessed that Balmoral Castle was his only danger as he tracked the daughter of Spartacus and he even tried cleverly to box the horse but his tactics did not succeed as Balmoral Castle showed enough speed to shoot through the gap between Yas Marina and Matias. Sun Control joined issue with Balmoral Castle and the duo fought for a while before the dwindling reserves of the former was evident for all to see. Balmoral Castle battled on resolutely to win by a length from the favourite while One Life To Love who was subjected to veterinary check before being loaded in the gates finished four lengths adrift of the runner up. It looked as though there would be a battle royal as David Allan and Richard Hughes got down to fight the issue in the final furlong but Sun Control appeared like a horse whose petrol tank was leaking and dried up in the final stages of the race. Karisini was out of depth in this company.
``This was a welcome relief after the loss on Becket at Mumbai,’ said David Allan heaving a sigh of relief. ``The horse stayed well and I was pretty confident that I would land the spoils,’’ he added.

Jockey Suraj Narredu extracted an exciting win on Bhagirathi over Richard Hughes ridden Tomsk in the Kelachandra New Millennium Cup, a terms race for four year olds and over, the supporting event of the day. Cruising who appeared to have struck great form was the favourite though the odds drift close to race time was cause for concern. Bhagirathi was well backed as almost a joint favourite while Tomsk had his share of supporters along with Atlantus. Jockey Silvester De Sousa surprisingly had Cruising dictating the pace ahead of Magnanimity, Bhagirathi, Atlantus, Tomsk and Firezone who brought the tail end. Cruising faded out from the scene as Atlantus surged ahead inside the final quarter mile but was overwhelmed by Bhagirathi. Tomsk who was lugging in was pulled out by Hughes to make a strong challenge and it looked as though he would oblige. Bhagirathi pulled out that bit extra to nose out Tomsk while Atlantus finished third ahead of Cruising who packed up too abruptly for comfort.

The Hazara Stud Farm is in the news for the number of mares that it has imported from abroad in recent years as also for the two stallions of great potential standing at its stud farm. The progeny of Rebuttal, Tiberius recorded a very impressive win in the 1400 metres New Year Trophy. At Hyderabad, Zamorin had won the Juvenile Million recently and at Kolkata, on the New Year ’s Day, another progeny of Rebuttal, Dandified won the Kunigal Stud Indian Produce Stakes. Surely the stud farm owned by Nirmal Singh is making all the right moves and getting to see good results already.

Mad About You and Star Marquees were the favourites to begin with but inspired betting on Tiberius was suggestive of the confidence of the connections of the horse trained by Irfan Ghatala. Hughes sat unconcerned at the rear as the front runners led by Current Bay went at a scorching pace. Mad About You was in close proximity. Star Marquees ran into all sorts of problems as jockey Imran Khan tried to improve position on the wide outside and was a beaten cause in the straight. Tiberius came from behind with a blistering run and was sighted a winner even with a furlong left in the race. He won in great style from Mad About Town and Current Ray whose run was suggestive of an early success. Star Marquees made no improvement over his previous essay.

Dominic trained Still Will who had let down as a well fancied runner a couple of times, this time out obliged in the Jaggy Stud Plate (Div I) getting the better of front running Superb Style close home. Colonel Duff ran on to finish third. Alpha Baby ran below expectations and apprentice jockey Vaibhav had a fall soon after the runners crossed the winning post. Jaggy Dhariwal trained Joriki managed to get stronger close home in the lower division of the race at the expense of Hatsuhana who was running after a very long layoff due to setback in training. Silvester De Sousa rode the winner. Romance In The Air and Corleone who were also well supported, packed up after being prominent till the bend and finished disappointingly.

Puttanna trained Amazer attracted a flood of money in the R H Charles Memorial Plate, a six furlong race for horses rated 40 to 65. Jockey Krishnan rode with all the resources at his command but Amazer was caught up by Voice of India virtually in the final stride of the race. Sweet Timer was a close third ahead of Marie Curie. The attempt of jockey John who rode Marie Curie to reverse the placings with Sweet Timer for bumping him in the final stages of the race was overruled as having no substance. In fact, one of the Stewards suggested that jockey John should be pulled up for lodging a frivolous objection but that was an exaggerated opinion because there were grounds for objecting.

Hard To Pin Town looked overwhelmingly superior in the day’s opener, a mile long race for horses rated 20 to 45. After tracking Plaka into the straight, Hard To Pin Down easily cruised past the front runner in the final furlong and won as he pleased. Beautiful Life ran on to be a faraway third.

Sunspirit wins at the expense of Abnoba

2010-12-31T22:21:00.001-08:00

Sunspirit edged out Abnoba in the Jog Cup, the feature event of races held on Friday thanks to an opportunistic ride by Richard Hughes. An uncharacteristic ride by Suraj Narredu saw him getting bottled up at a crucial juncture of the race on Abnoba and this was exploited to the hilt by the eventual winner. The better horse on the day suffered a narrow defeat. The six event card turned out to be a drab affair.

Abnoba who had recoded a hat-trick of wins and Sunspirit were both supported enthusiastically in equal measure by their respective connections. In a slow run race, Portaone led the field with Suraj on Abnoba restraining the horse and getting stuck along the rails as Sweet Caroline raced outside of the joint favourite. Sunspirit not only graced the rear but had to travel wide right through. Rounding the final turn, Suraj failed to maneuver a clear run and by the time he could work his way out, Hughes was flat out on Sunspirit who went on to neck out his pursuer. If there were a few strides more to cover, Abnoba would have won easily. Sweet Caroline ran on to finish third.

Trainer Suleiman Attaollahi saddled a nice price double through first timer Silken Touch and Delacroix. In what appeared an open betting affair in the A P Kothawala Memorial Cup, a race for maiden two year olds, Silken Touch came through with a powerful run inside the final 350 metres and sped away from front running Ben Ten to win with great comfort. Bavaria nosed out favourite Hillstone from the third spot. Delacroix had let down huge expectations after an impressive debut win but showed out to in different colors in the Dr S K Pillay Memorial Plate. Delacroix quickened on turning for home to leave favourite Sunstone stranded long way from home. Yamas was a long way behind while taking the third spot. Duchess of York had her share of supporters by the filly that had the widest draw, took a slow jump and lost all her chances.

Gazaki had run a suggestive second behind Cherelle and as expected, she went into the 1400 metres Summer Dust Plate as an overwhelming favourite. Jockey Silvester De Sousa had the favourite in front while the rest seemed to be out of sorts. Gazaki skipped away from the rest at the top of the straight to win by a big margin over Scarlet Knight and Flip Your Destiny.

Indrāvati hadn’t been stretched last time out for which jockey Raja Rao had been suspended. Now backed to the exclusion of his rivals in the 1600 metres Subash Nagar Plate, a race for lowest rated horses, Indrāvati assumed command with a furlong out and recorded a smashing win. Burden On Me was second ahead of Burning Ambitions. There was inspired support for Born To Perform but he ran contrary to his name and was well beaten much before the runners straightened for the homestretch.

Puttanna trained Sabari had finished an eye catching third to Kirtling in her last run and despite doubts about whether the horse would run in serious earnest or not, race goers made her as the favourite. The five-year old mare was not positioned well by apprentice R Pradeep who brought the favourite widest into the straight but Sabari was so good that she won sparing more than four lengths at the finish to Enduring Speed and Good Gift.

Bracketing of horses: Is it a feasible option?

2010-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

There has been clamor for bracketing of horses as several horses belonging to the same owner run in the same race and at times, the lesser fancied horse wins at the expense of the favourite. On Sunday, Polish Patriot won from stablemate and favourite Becket by a whisker with the first six runners finishing within reach of each other. The finish was a handicappers dream though the result was due to the terms of the race which leveled the chances of most well performed horses in the fray.

The protagonists of bracketing of horses are making a renewed demand for bracketing of horses because such a system existed very long ago. We do not know whether the system will work in the present scenario and in multi-pool betting system. We do not have studies to suggest that bracketing can eliminate all the mistrust.

Bracketing of horses means that two or more horses belonging to same owner are given one number for purpose of betting. The odds will be the same and the bettor would win his bet irrespective of the winner among the bracketed horses.

This system can operate in club operated tote betting system where the ticket punched for either of the two horses participating will be the same. In the past, the system may have worked when it was a straightforward bet for a win or a place.
But we cannot say for sure if it will work nowadays. There are several questions that need to be answered. How will this system work when it comes to Second Horse Pool, Trinella, and Exacta? What will happen if there is a dead-heat? How will the dividend be calculated? How will the bookmaker offer odds? Will he make a Jodi of two or more horses of the same owner as one and offer odds? What if the odds on one horse are less than half money? What odds will he quote? Since our racing survives on money generated through betting, will there be betting at all in races where the first horse is cramped on money favourite and the other is at 10 to 1? What will happen to the jackpot pool which is a multi-leg pool which attracts quite a bit of money without corresponding returns? What will be the fate of the pool if the bracketing system is introduced?

If one were to analyze the result sheet of any season, the occurrence of a horse belonging to same owner winning at the expense of a more favoured one is less than 10 per cent of the entire season’s races in the worst scenario. Is it reason enough to bracket horses when we have over 200 races each season and do we believe that all other races are suspicion free?

If the turf clubs were to introduce bracketing system of same owners, then demands could be made for bracketing of horses belonging to same trainer even if they represent interests of different owners. The question of jockey's loyalty will also arise then. Because a handful of jockeys ride for same owners at different times, should we insist for bracketing of jockeys too?

Vivek Jain, Chairman of the RWITC, said that bracketing of horses belonging to same owners was approved by the last committee but was given up because of problems of implementing it. He says: ``The RWITC committee had approved bracketing last March but dropped the proposal as the bookies did not agree and further, consequent to the tax hike, we could not take any step that would have had a negative impact on betting.’’

Nirmal Prasad, Secretary of Bangalore Turf Club, said that bracketing of horses is not a viable proposition. ``The current system has enough safeguards. Betting will collapse if the bracketing suggestion is implemented. People who are demanding this are not aware of its impracticalities.’’

As has been wisely put, ``Racing is inextricably linked to betting and there is an element of suspicion about almost every single day. Punters who lay bets and which don't work out according to their opinion feel that bracketing is a suitable option.’’

What is racing without its mix of pitfalls, thrills and spills. Like in life, there is an element of skill and deceit involved. Without these elements, racing could be plain boring.

The rules of racing are elaborate to tackle any infraction. There are professional Stipendiary Stewards and an elected board of Stewards. What has failed us is the system. If we still think that bracketing system can eliminate all undesirable practices; it can only be a wishful thinking.

If racing has to be regulated at every level, with suspicion as the guiding factor, then we might as well close down racing. Such a sport then does not deserve to exist.

Hyderabad lifts ban on movement of horses

2010-12-27T23:57:00.000-08:00

The Hyderabad Race Club has lifted the ban on movement of horses to and fro from Bangalore to its premises following fears of an epidemic affecting the stables of Bangalore Turf Club. About 39 horses were reported to been suffering from fever last week which had resulted in several horses being withdrawn from the fray for last weekend races. The HRC unilaterally announced the ban barring Bangalore horses from entering its premises along with an advisory to the professionals that those who ride in Bangalore will not be permitted to ride at Hyderabad. With the winter season at its peak now, the decision of HRC had come as a rude jolt to racing.

The Bangalore Turf Club swung into action and had requested for the meeting of the Veterinary Commission which is the official body of the Turf Authorities of India. The Commission met in Bangalore on Monday and visited the stables of turf club. According to the findings of the Commission, about 39 horses had suffered from fever and they responded well to the treatment. There was no nasal discharge and conjunctiva. The blood samples were also set for testing and all of them have come negative for any contagious disease. In the meanwhile, the cases of fever have almost subsided barring the routine ones.

Dr S M Karthikeyan who is the Chairman of the Veterinary Commission has informed all the turf clubs that there was no need to take decision to ban movement of horses and the situation did not warrant such an action. The Hyderabad Race Club acted quickly lifting the ban and faxing its decision to all turf clubs though the club has put a rider that all horses coming to participate in the graded and sweepstakes races must have a fresh glanders and EIA certificate from a competent authority though this is not required under the Standard Operative Procedures.

Chairman of Royal Western India Turf Club Vivek Jain confirmed the receipt of clearance from Dr Karthikeyan, Chairman of Veterinary Commission. ``Since the decision to ban with immediate effect the entry of horses from Bangalore to Mumbai was taken by the Stewards of the meeting, the matter has to once again come up on Thursday for the club to the needful.’’

The decision to lift the ban has come as a great relief to race goers and professionals. The winter season is picking up steam and January is a month which hosts more than five Group I races. These races are competed by horses from all over the country and a ban on movement of horses from Bangalore which feeds top horses to all centers would have crippled these events and robbed them of their glamour.
Though Hyderabad Race Club acted in haste without even waiting for an assessment from Veterinary Commission, its decision to quickly reverse the stand has been welcomed by all racing enthusiasts.

Did Hyderabad Race Club act in haste?

2010-12-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Hyderabad Race Club perhaps acted in undue haste in issuing a notice banning movement of horses and personnel from Bangalore much before the veterinary commission of India met and took stock of the situation. The Hyderabad Race Club’s notice of Sunday is bound to cause panic in racing circles as the decision of the club has come without critical evaluation of the existing scenario. With the winter classics picking up momentum and a number of classics scheduled for the month of January, the decision of Hyderabad Race Club to ban movement of horses and personnel is seen as not being in conformation with the Standard Operative Procedures for monitoring and surveillance of equine diseases and mandatory health requirements for movement of thoroughbred horses in India.

The Hyderabad Race Club’s notice states that in view of occurrence of Pyrexia (fever) of unknown origin in horses at Bangalore, horses stationed at Bangalore will not be permitted to enter the premises of HRC until further orders.

The notice further states that ~A’ licensed jockeys are advised not to ride in races and track work at Bangalore till further notice. The trainers and their staff based at Bangalore are requested not to enter the premises of HRC till further orders. Outstation persons connected with horses should sign in the Register maintained at the Security office at the entrance. Saddlery and other riding equipment used at Bangalore will not be permitted to be brought into the premises of HRC till further notice. Further trainers are advised to follow all precautionary hygiene protocols.
A few horses which were scheduled to run during the weekend races on Friday and Saturday at Bangalore were withdrawn due to fever and this set off rumors of a wide scale epidemic like the one which affected the stables of RWITC at Pune two years ago which resulted in disruption of racing all over the country. The fever at Pune was diagnosed as equine influenza though official confirmation never came on this score. Bangalore has been experiencing unusually cold weather and during these cold months, fever is quite common. About 39 horses were reported to be having fever which was responding to treatment. Since the RWITC took its own time to notify the prevalence of wide spread fever in its stables and suffered the consequences there of, it is but natural for Hyderabad Race Club to trigger the panic button.

Dr Thimmappa, Deputy Chief Veterinary Office of Bangalore Turf Club said that there was no need to panic. ``There have been cases of about 39 horses showing symptoms of fever which is not uncommon. The horses are responding to treatment. Blood samples have been sent for further investigation. In fact, in the month of June, we had as many as 80 horses running temperature. The situation is well under control and there is no need to be alarmist about the situation.’’

In the meanwhile, the Bangalore Turf Club has convened a meeting of the Veterinary Commission of Turf Authorities of India in Bangalore on Monday at 2.30 p.m. at Bangalore Turf Club premises. The meeting among others is expected to be attended by Dr S M Karthikeyan, Chairman of Veterinary Commission, Turf Authorities of India, Dr M Rajashekar, Technical Director, Diagnostic Research Laboratories and other senior vets associated with various turf clubs in the country. Senior racing officials B K Amanulla Khan, Secretary General, Turf Authorities of India, B A Engineer, Secretary, RWITC, Robin Corner, General Manager, Racing RCTC and Dr B Sridhar, Secretary of Hyderabad Race Club are also expected to attend the meeting.

Dr M Rajashekar who is the Technical Director of Diagnostic Research Laboratories which is approved by the Government of India and located at RIWTC, Pune, made an inspection of the stables of Bangalore Turf Club on Sunday and presented the following report to be placed at the meeting on Monday. Dr Rajashekar has stated that on a request from the senior veterinary officer of BTC, he visited the stables of BTC. This is his update of the situation.

About six horses were reported with mild to moderate fever and refusal to eat Dhana (food) though they continued to eat grass on December 22. The conjunctiva was normal with no nasal discharge or cough. Six new cases were reported the next day and nine more were added on December 25 from 12 stables. No cases were reported till 5 p.m. on December 26. The animals were given routine palliative treatment and 30 ml of Oxytetracylcine for five days. The temperature subsided in less than 10 hours and there is no recurrence of temperature in the subsequent days. The conjunctiva and nasal discharge were normal; there was no cough with appetite improving. Blood count results were variable and in some cases, neutrophillia was noticed with decline in lymphocytes and in others, the blood values were within the range. Blood samples are sent for culture for bacteria and other lab tests are being planned with the assistance of the Technical Director of Diagnostic Research Lab of RWITC.

Majority of the horses are now eating well and are working on the track. The fever episodes appear to be on the decline and few occasional cases may be expected in the new few days. No specific diagnosis of these very transient fever cases can be pronounced at this stage and laboratory reports are expected in the next few days, he states.

The Chief Stipendiary Steward has also issued a detailed advisory for improving the general standards of hygiene in the stable and course area.

The following horses were reported to with temperature in the last one week: Astonishing, Spearhead, Rebel Star, Little Boy blue, Bebo, Ace Blood, Logans Run, Lady Gaga, Sound Bet, Tuthumosis, 2yo old out of Key To Luck, 2yo out of Sugar Zone, 2yo out of Frequence, 2yo out of Irish Bride, 2yo out of Lamplight, 2yo old out of Eminent, 2yo out of That’s The Touch, Samajdaar, Yawar, Grey Matter, Camorra, Sun Kingdom, Star Presence, Muqtadar, Red Bishop, Adonis, Migrolino, Diamond Flame, Alaric, Crown Vision, Stud Muffin, Javanica, Caspian Sea, Windsor Park, Ridgeway, Everglade, 2yo out of Maltese Falcon, Spark of Zorro and Chronicle.

All the above mentioned horses had fever in the range of 102.4 to 104.6. Majority of horses had low grade fever as could be verified from the chart maintained at the veterinary hospital of the turf club.

Oban records an encore in fine style

2010-12-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

Jaggy Dhariwal trained Oban came up with stellar performance to win the 1600 metres Topmost Cup, a race for horses rated 80 and above which featured Christmas day racing on Saturday. The small made four-year old daughter of Greensmith was driven out for a fine win by jockey Silvester De Sousa who rode the horse with greater understanding. His job was made easier by the fact that the connections of Criminal Lawyer chose to gift the race on a platter by electing to declare jockey Selvaraj who as of now is not equipped to win in a competitive race which requires riding skills as well. Trainer Irfan Ghatala has lost quite a few races during the season by his decision to entrust his wards to jockeys who lack both talent and temperament.

Bottom-weighted Camelot was the favourite to win the race though the race had a very open look about it. Criminal Lawyer who had let down as a favourite last time out, showed out in the paddock parade and looked set to make amends. Oban continued to have her share of supporters. Classerville who was running after a long layoff due to a setback in training did the job of the pace setter followed by Blink, Systematic and Oban while Camelot was not well settled by apprentice Kumar who went all over the place. Criminal Lawyer was in about the fifth position. Rounding the final turn, Blink had the first run on his opponents even as De Sousa set alight Oban. The lesser fancied runner picked up speed to surge ahead with a furlong out. Criminal Lawyer too showed up prominently but Selvaraj was unable to offer sufficient assistance and Criminal Lawyer was a good thing beat as he failed to overhaul Oban. Blink ran on to finish third while Henry’s Secret who was toiling at the rear of the field for most part, covered lot of ground to take the fourth position.

The Hyderabad Silver Vase, a six furlongs race for maiden two year olds, had just five runners in the fray. Capote who had finished third in his last start was available at cramped odds with Magnitude running at nourishing odds. The odds did not reflect the relative merits of these horses because Magnitude certainly had better credentials than Capote based on their previous runs. Jockey Imran Khan took Magnitude on a start to finish mission and despite Capote closing up the leeway in the final stages of the race, the filly was able to win with a measure of comfort. Strive And Serve was a distance behind third.

Montedoro looked outstanding in the Badami Plate (Div I) but there was inspired support for One For The Money which resulted in the odds expanding significantly on the ante post favourite. Jaldi and One For The Money disputed the lead in front followed by Supremacy, Citrali, Montedoro and Gift of Love. One For The Money led briefly inside the final 350 metres but he failed to sustain his foray in front as Montedoro swooped in on the front runners with a flourish from behind. In doing so, jockey Paswan was unable to control the inward drift of the horse which resulted in him bumping Citrali who passed on the interference to Supremacy who was completely thrown out of her stride. Montedoro went on to win the race easily from late rallying Gift of Love who edged out Citrali from the runner up berth. Jockey Srinath who rode Citrali raised an objection against Paswan who rode the winner for bumping him and throwing his horse off balance which cost him a certain place. Srinath even suggested to the Stewards that the interference from the winner was so severe as to warrant disqualification of the winner! The Stewards did not buy the argument and quickly overthrew the objection though Paswan is bound to face the wrath of the Stewards for his lack of control of his horse.

The withdrawal of Crown Vision due to fever in the lower division of the Badami Plate resulted in Swift Star being backed to the exclusion of his rivals. Swift Star bled during the race and failed to justify the immense faith the punters had on his abilities. Swift Star led the field till overhauled by Recharged inside the final furlong. Swift Star rapidly fell back to finish a poor fourth. Recharged was not hard pressed to win from Moves Goodenough and Day Trader.

While two cramped on money favourites failed to oblige during the day, Valahak had no such problems while winning the Amathos Plate (Div I). Valahak led all the way and checked in well clear of Amiable Lady and Trillion Win to win as he pleased. This was the first win of the season for trainer Prasanna Kumar who had lost all the Sparks after the summer season. Sirajuddin trained Better Than Best justified the strong support she received in the betting ring by making the entire running and finishing well clear of Natural Force and Hurricane Royal.

What A Friend obliged after two failures in the 1400 metres Kollegal Plate. Favourite Modern Art led the field into the straight but packed up under pressure. What A Friend angled out from the rails and came up with a powerful burst to win the race quite easily from Mr Ambassador who finished on purposefully from behind taking the second spot.

Jack O Lantern received one sided support in the 1400 metres Kakanakote Plate, a race for horses rated 0 to 25. Jack O Lantern lost a favorable position soon after the jump out and had to be driven out hard to win from Kunigal Star And Fire Star. Sukanti who was running for the first time, was shaping to pose a big question to the field but had her path blocked completely and lost all her chances. Sukanti who finished fifth is one for the notebook.