Making a mockery of Invitation Cup

 

By Sharan Kumar

When one peruses the list of competitors for the fray in the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup race to be held on Sunday, there is one intriguing entry in Blazing Bay who is a winner of a 4 to 30 handicap race. The horses which run in the fray are all nominees of different turf clubs and one presumes that these horses meet certain standards.

In races like Kentucky Derby, there is an eligibility criterion. Horses would qualify only if they have accumulated certain specified points from the races prior to the Derby. However, there is no such restriction in India though after the last running of the Indian Derby which had 18 runners resulting in the best horses having their chances diluted by the wide outside and the crowding of the field in the straight of the horses falling back, there is a demand that minimum qualifications have to be imposed in order to qualify to run the Derby.

Be that as it may, the Invitation Cup is strictly for horses who earn their nomination. The procedure followed is that the trainers have to apply for nominations and based on their performance, the respective clubs nominate the horses. In the event of there being less than the maximum number of horses, the local handicapper can nominate horses which are on the reserve list. One doesn’t know whether a horse in the lowest category can be nominated!

Blazing Bay had been a reserve entry from RWITC. When asked about the nomination of Blazing Bay which is a winner of one race and that the Invitation Cup is supposed to be a race for the champions of champions, RWITC Secretary Niranjan Bhati said that there are no minimum qualifications. We have nominated the best horses. And if they don’t accept it, their place goes to the reserves and they can be anyone for which the entry has been sought.’’

The highest-rated horse in the fray is Juliette at 124 and the lowest-rated horse is Blazing Bay, both being stablemates. The latter is obviously in the fray to set a fast pace and run himself to the ground. Such horses can act as spoilers and disruptors and can be a nuisance to the top-rated horses as the horses improving fast would have to be careful about the pacemaker falling back. Barring Bangalore Derby winner La Reina who is rated at 78, the rest are all 80 and above. Logically, a horse with a rating of 30 should not have been allowed.

Is the Turf Authorities of India ok with the concept of having pacemakers in a race which is to determine the best horse among different age groups? Such races should run organically with no designated pacemakers.

Diluting the race by having the lowest category horse who is a seven-year-old devalues  the Invitation Cup. Invitation should be earned and not bestowed. Nomination to the race should only be performance-based and not for any other reasons.  

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