There has been such a dominance of foreign jockeys that one was delighted to see the Indians take up the fight this Sunday. With the champions Rajendra and Malesh winning 3 out of nine, the outlook was auspicious.
There were three races worth noting and they produced winners of 3 yrs, 4yrs and 5yrs. While Versaki looked elegantly prepared; even the books suggested so; and gave a display that fashions out more wins for him this season; Set alight and Diego Rivera showed complete command.
Dr. Ramaswamy has a penchant for the Poonawalla races, and that may be because of their close connections. Anyway, Forest flair was running in a mediocre group, with only Sans Pareil looking a picture of confidence. The manner in which Flair went down in its last outing, the result was a foregone conclusion. The timing was cute.
The Dr., in the final analysis, would be very agonized with the day’s proceedings. His best apparent roads to fame in the biggies – have been destroyed in the scope of last two big days. Earlier, it was Flaming Ace who came in the blazed path of Set Alight, and now, Angel’s Glory came a cropper. Yes, the start was not very encouraging but to lose to a horse 2 years your senior is not classic stuff. River dancer has been Mr. Consistent and was yet again helped in his conquest, this time by N G McCullagh.
Arjun Mangalorkar has made his intentions clear this season by bagging horses from the main stables. He started his count at the count of Count This, the favorite that was pipped in the post by his money mint-Hawaiian Sunrise. The mare has been keeping the bank accounts happy for the master over the last three years with two wins each season.
Then came the time for a nice coup! His retained jockey S John on One looked all cornered for glory with a systematic victory, but was given a run by Raptor Force. It was then that Sarmaidar came with brute force to knock a punch and make a heady trainer’s quinella. It was a surprise why the horse was in no one’s charts even after winning 1 month ago against a hard tried Prakash horse. It is reflective knowledge that Arjun rarely repeats.
The Poonawalla Derby was somewhere between a sensation and a damp squib. The Mumbai horses were not allowed to be in the fray and Fleeting Arrow, previously unbeaten in the local turf, never seemed interested. Somehow, the feeling of overlapping interests for different connections is pretty strong and overflowing.
How else does one elaborate on the spineless Fargeat on Fleeting Arrow in the major race and coming up with a workmanlike effort on Equidae in the next! The catch was that the winners in both races were trained by the smart schooler Padmanabhan. Anyway, Icebreaker was always in the wings and showed sustained turn of foot in the final 300 meters to keep the surprisingly refreshed Abs Fabs and the strongly urged Fantastic Quest at bay.
In 1833, with a pack of 4 foals, when an adventurous field colonel came out in full glory, little did he realize that he was writing the sheets of history! Horseracing as an enterprising game was born and the four-legged animals had a bunch of genuine followers.
In those days of neo-modernism and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, things were looking up and numerous cantonments took pleasure in ramming their own horse-ridden games like polo and equestrian. There was an earnest desire of seeing the horses in full flight and contending for relative supremacy and so the same cantonments came up with unanimous theories of starting horse races in India too.
Time went on and Calcutta, then the British capital, became a beacon of racing and for 70 years till the 1930’s ruled the roost.
The Lagad family is at it again. The regularity with which he (now joined in the profession by his son Vinay) turns out upset winners have been a sidekick of many a Mumbai season inception. Incredible Beauty on record took over the express charger Polar Glow and the father held his own. Either is he a master handicapper or else there has to be an ulterior connection with the internal handicappers. That the son started the day and his career with a win in the curtain raiser was already a bitter pill to swallow.
All in all, though the racing came by as expected to the delight of the punters. The Mumbai season generally starts with the fancy winners confirming their strength to contend for the classics, but as this season has been marred by diseases, the punters feared some ghosts might crop up. That was not to be.
No individual is bigger than the institution he is working for and no sportsman can be bigger than the sport itself. However, in the same vein, it may be added that it is only because of the legends that the particular game gets a mythical overtone. Too much of mediocrity spoils the effects to no mean degree.
Horse racing has been pegged at intervals by such legends that the die-hard racing enthusiast often wishes for a time machine to be able to personally make a reconnaissance of the masters at their game; jockeyship or training or even the horses.That Rashid Byramji would tower them all if a single scale were calibrated is a unanimous call. The astute trainer whose life has been a study in Equus nature has won the Invitation 12 times, with three times three in a row. The cleverness with which he would choose the diamonds from the (foal) stock is a lesson in training. His is distinctive passion.
