In The Spotlight proves as the very best

Capt. Jamshed Jimmy Appoo owned In The Spotlight confirmed her status as the best ever horse to have raced in India when she stamped her authority in no uncertain manner in the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup, the event to decide the champion of champions on Sunday.

 

The Padmanabhan trainee, bred at the Poonawalla Stud Farm, has run over the trip of 2400 metres four times in the last three months and travelled over seven thousand kilometres by road before this race. Despite the entire ordeal and looking visibly tired, the champion filly won the race on her own terms. Jockey Martin Dwyer riding with great confidence planned every move in such a manner that the others were left chasing the shadow of the most overwhelming favourite in the history of this race. The filly had none of the complacency of a champion and emphatically stated that she is a champion who gets up and runs under any circumstance. 

 No horse in the history of Indian racing has won group races at five different centres in the span of seven months and won three Derbys, the Guineas, the Oaks and the Indian Turf Invitation Cup. The reason is that those associated with champions often tend to treat them with kid gloves thereby coming in the way of them achieving greatness. To the credit of the owner, he let the trainer call the shots and the result is a succession of six classics and the Invitation Cup on the trot. 

The margin of victory may have come down in the Invitation Cup but what has to be borne in mind was the fact that there was no strong pace in the race, Dwyer having to do all the running with the intention of gradually getting out of the reach of his pursuers. The filly was travelling well at the finish and had the distance been stretched a little more, the margin of victory would have expanded further. 

In The Spotlight went into the race as the shortest-priced horse as the bookmakers were not prepared to take any risk while the punters were ready to back her at any price. In such a scenario, the price of half money was all that the backers of In The Spotlight could get. There was a slight delay in the start of the race due to entertainment in front of the Grand Stands which went off well both for its crispness and brevity. Suryalakshmi played up to the gates and took a slow jump. In the Spotlight who was in the next stall was affected as the filly hit her mouth against the gates and suffered a bleeding injury on the lip. Pronto Pronto was inclined to run out but Srinath brought him back to grace the rear of the field. Chris Hayes decided to set the pace which would suit his filly’s sprinting abilities. After letting Southern Bay call the shots in front, Dwyer hastened In The Spotlight to take over the running after crossing the first four furlongs. 

In The Spotlight settled down to do the entire running, gradually picking up speed and broke into a big lead at the top of the straight. Southern Bay tired out giving way to Smashing to essay her chance. Like in the Indian Derby, there was a brief flourish from the filly but she found the going tough and was reconciled to the second spot. Southern Bay just about held on to claim the third spot ahead of Toroloco. Pronto Pronto who had won the summer Derby on the very same track, collapsed at the end of the race after finishing fifth and died of a heart attack. It was indeed a tragic sight. 

  Jockey Martin Dwyer who is returning to England after this triumph spent the most rewarding winter of his life. ``In The Spotlight is an exceptional filly. I knew I will win the race though I must admit that the filly was visibly tired. Since the pace was not going to be furious and I was aware that I will not be able to get that burst of speed that she showed in the Indian Derby, I had to plan in a different way. Since Hayes set a slow pace, I did not want the race to turn into a sprint at the finish. So I decided to take over and do the bidding myself. The plan was to gradually leave the rest stranded knowing full well the strong stamina that the filly has. The plan worked and I am happy that everything has come to a successful conclusion. I have to thank Capt. Appoo and trainer Padmanabhan for the opportunity to ride the champion in all her success in winter,’’ said Dwyer who among the foreign jockeys riding in India, is the only one with success in the Epsom Derby to his credit. 

Capt. Jamshed Appoo was on top of the world. ``To win every big race in the country with one single filly gives a great feeling. Add to this the fact that In The Spotlight has become the greatest horse to have raced in India is an additional thrill. She has nothing left to conquer in India and I leave it to Paddy to decide her future programme and explore the possibility of racing her in America. I also thank the entire team of Paddy and his wife Sharmila for getting In The Spotlight to perform at this level’’

 Breeder Zavaray Poonawalla announced that though Mystical had won twice at Dubai, in his opinion, In The Spotlight was the greatest filly to have raced in India and rated her better than Mystical. Trainer Padmanabhan said that In The Spotlight was the best horse he has ever trained. ``In the Spotlight is such a wonderful horse that she trained herself to be a champion. She was every ready to respond to the jockey’s urgings and possesses a strong will to win. She refuses to let anybody pass her when she hits the front. Like all champions, she has had her share of adversities but she has converted each of them as an opportunity to excel;’’ In The Spotlight is the highest stake money earnest in the history of Indian racing, having grossed over Rs 4.5 crores.