B R Sharan Kumar

  Comic Plot Twists on Indian Derby Day   By Sharan Kumar   Punters once again sat down with what they thought was a race card and discovered it was actually one of Pesi’s patented cryptic crosswords, printed without clues and solved only after the race is over. The Gr 2 Thackers Eclipse Stakes turned into another brain teaser where confidence went in bold and results came in invisible ink. Psychic Star was the people’s banker, but King Ke, attending his first graded party, walked away with the silverware. Thalassa sneaked up the rails late to grab second from the multi-classic hero Psychic Star. Several with respectable resumes, including Regina Memorabilis and Guineas placegetter Namiri, chose Derby day to conduct a disappearing act. When top yards throw curveballs instead of winners, punters start reading philosophy.   Karthik Ganapathy’s Buckingham at least behaved like a well-briefed favourite in the Rattonsey Million. He justified the buzz and held ...

Time And Tide Scores Impressive Sprint Victory on Return   By Sharan Kumar   Adhirajsingh Jodha-trained Time And Tide is undoubtedly one of the sprinters seen in the last decade and that is not faint praise. The progeny of Dali reappeared after a Pune win in September and behaved like a star who skipped rehearsals but still stole the show on opening night. Ring rust tried to cling on, but class gave it a polite shove aside. Taking his time to warm up like a vintage engine, he unleashed his trademark late burst to collar the front-running Dream Seller, who fought bravely before being demoted to honourable mention. Miss American Pie rallied late for third, Credence completed the frame, and Jade politely declined to participate in pre-race expectations.   Time And Tide was offered at odds generous enough to make believers feel clever and doubters feel nervous. Credence zipped to the front, Dream Seller tracked, and Time And Tide sat poised in second, clearly in no mood for ...

 Baychimo Appears to Hold the Key to the Derby Puzzle By Sharan Kumar This year’s Indian Derby presents a rare four-way puzzle, with Baychimo, Fynbos, Zacharias and Sovereign King all arriving with form and pedigree to command serious respect. Among them, Baychimo holds a narrow but logical edge. While the final 2400-metre test still awaits, his ability to overcome adversity and his effortless, record-breaking Ruia Cup performance strongly suggest he is ready for the ultimate examination. Baychimo, by French Navy, carries the stamp of the Shamardal line, speed with substance and efficiency. His Guineas victory from an impossible position and his Ruia Cup demolition over 2000 metres in course-record time suggest a colt whose cruising speed is his oxygen. With champion jockey Suraj Narredu now in the saddle, Baychimo looks the sort who can stretch his pedigree rather than be trapped by it. The extra 400 metres is an examination, but not an ambush. Fynbos, the Oaks-winning filly by Ki...

      Shifting Is Settled, Only the Exit Terms Remain   By Sharan Kumar   The proceedings before the Supreme Court on Wednesday have effectively let the cat out of the bag. Read plainly, the court record stands in sharp contrast to the impression sought to be created by the Bangalore Turf Club that the apex court is taking a favourable view of its case. On the contrary, the trajectory of the litigation suggests that the Club is not negotiating from a position of strength , and the endgame is already visible.   The foundational facts are no longer in dispute. The Club’s lease expired long ago. Its claim to the land was decisively rejected by the High Court, which ordered the Club to vacate the premises within six months. The Club continues to function only because the Supreme Court admitted its Special Leave Petition and ordered status quo pending final adjudication. That status quo, however, is merely a temporary procedural shield; it does n...

      Indian Derby: Built on Hope, Ruled by Uncertainty     By Sharan Kumar   Every year, more than a thousand two-year-olds are sold with spotless pedigrees, glossy catalogues and expectations far heavier than any saddle they will ever carry. They do not yet know it, but most of them are already being marched, at least in imagination, towards a single destination by trainers, jockeys and owners who have mentally won the race several times over. The destination, inevitably, is the Indian Derby.   Only a select few are branded with that most intoxicating label, “classic potential”, a phrase capable of loosening purse strings with remarkable efficiency. Some purchases are driven by absolute conviction, others by the optimistic belief that the gods of racing can be negotiated with if the cheque is large enough. A handful are bought simply for the pleasure of ownership, a noble intention that usually survives until the first serious setba...

  When Logic Pulls Up Lame in Racing   By Sharan Kumar   Horse racing continues to assure us that decisions are rooted in logic, process and all available evidence. The emphasis, of course, is on available . What is not sought, not checked or not asked for has a remarkable habit of never becoming relevant.   Which brings us, once again, to Bezalel and Fynbos, twin case studies in how what is not examined , when institutionalised, becomes policy.   Let us correct the record first. In both cases, the horses were not examined for any veterinary issue at the relevant time. There is no veterinary report on record for Fynbos. None. Zero. The assumption that the horse might have been checked is itself an act of misplaced faith. What we are dealing with is not selective veterinary interpretation but a complete absence of veterinary curiosity.   And that is where the real illogic begins.   When a favourite fails and an enquiry is ordere...