Atilla pulls it off in Sprinters Cup
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.
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.
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