Miracle within reach of the final frontier
By Sharan Kumar
Pesi Shroff trained Miracle has not put a false step right from the day she stepped on the track. She is eight for eight. The daughter of Multidimensional has been an exceptional performer possibly defying her pedigree with her spectacular run of wins including over the mile and a half trip so much so that she goes into the Gr 1 Kingfisher Ultra Derby lineup on Sunday as the firm favourite to maintain her unbeaten status. Any way you look at the Derby field, you can draw a comparison with Miracle with her opponents and she stands tall with a score of a perfect ten.
The Usha Stud Farm which is the leading nursery in the country already owns the record for breeding the highest number of winners of the Indian Derby. The stud farm recently achieved the unique distinction of producing the 350th classic winner through Theon who slammed the Gr 1 Indian St Leger field last fortnight. Barring the unforeseen, Miracle is expected to swell her tally and add the Indian Derby to the list of accomplishments.
Dr Vijay Mallya who brought glamour, glitz and a new dimension to the Derby through the sponsorship of the race had excitedly told me once that to have a runner in the Indian Derby itself was a matter of pride when I entered the racing field. ``I had the privilege of having my horses finishing among the first three in my first attempt itself.’’ Such is the delight of winning the Indian Derby which is considered the pinnacle of glory in Indian racing. Mallya’s Cordon Bleu gave him the first taste of success in the mega event in his maiden attempt. The companies owned by Mallya have the record for being the sponsors of a single event for the longest period of time in the world. Though Mallya might have slipped into bad times, the companies he had a say in continue to sponsor the race and have helped the Derby to maintain its status as the number one race of the country.
It is a pity that the Pandemic has thrown the world upside down resulting in the Derby being restricted to about 25 per cent of the normal capacity that the premises can accommodate. The Indian Derby had undoubtedly become the social event of the Mumbai racing calendar so much so that the crowd it attracted was not necessarily hard-core race goers but others as well who made it a point to be present there, making the event an unofficial fashion parade for the elite. Despite all the disadvantages imposed by the force of circumstances, the romance of the Indian Derby has not diminished one bit and as such, the regulars and a few other privileged will make it a point to spend their resources to soak in the atmosphere.
Coming back to the race, Miracle has proved to be a wonderful horse gifted with amazing versatility. There are no boundaries on her abilities and achievements. She has tackled every assignment of her with the ease of a champion. Miracle has all the attributes of what her name suggests. Owned by the highly successful owners Mehernosh Deboo and his wife, Miracle has everything going for her in the Derby though for the first time in her career, she will face stiff opposition in the form of her stablemate Zuccarelli, spectacular winner of the Bangalore Derby and the fast-improving A Star Is Born who conquered the former in the Indian 2000 Guineas.
The big races always carry an element of uncertainty which is what could make Miracle vulnerable because in racing the best-laid plans come a cropper. The long-distance races have won or lost not because of the ability of a horse but due to other factors like the way the race is run and how the jockey handles the pressure of expectations, without suffering any brain fade. The pressure on a favourite is much more than those who are simply aiming to do the best. The pressure does get to the horse, the jockey and the trainer which is the reason why upsets are par for this race. Jockey Pradeep Chouhan who will be guiding the fortunes of Miracle has a good chance of winning the biggest race which had eluded him on a couple of occasions.
For the others in the fray, they can comfort in the fact that you can’t hit a target unless you are aiming for it and for this, you need to have a go at the goal. Rajesh Narredu trained A Star Is Born who in the words of his jockey Suraj Narredu has improved a great deal and has the substance to be a worthy challenger to Miracle, the Indian Derby is tantamount to challenging his boundaries and take the risks needed to move forward to achieve the pinnacle of glory. ``My horse has matured a lot and is improving with every run. I am confident that my horse has the ability to challenge Miracle who I believe is the horse who currently holds the edge.’’ ``I worked the horse a couple of days ago and I am happy with the way A Star Is Born showed his attitude,’’ said Suraj. ``My brother has been stationed in Mumbai for the last two weeks and he is already used to handling to big race pressures having won this race through Star Superior. A Star Is Born will be in a comfort zone even over the extended trip of a mile and half believes Suraj Narredu.
Miracle has another worthy challenger in stablemate Zuccarelli who defied expectations when winning the Gr 1 Bangalore Derby by about 15 lengths. Though Zuccarelli’s victory was taken for granted, the ease with which he smashed the field came as a big surprise even for his most ardent supporters. The victory has catapulted Zuccarelli to the status of a star and he has the ability to topple the applecart of the favourite Miracle. Jockey Trevor Patel who is riding with great confidence after his return from Qatar will be guiding the fortunes of Zuccarelli. The Bangalore Derby performance of Zuccarelli has added an element of uncertainty to the Indian Derby which was for the asking of Miracle. The only thing that could work against Zuccarelli is that he is racing within a fortnight of running in the Bangalore Derby where he was asked to extend himself to produce his best performance thus far.
Aravind Ganapathy trained Faith of Success who won the Golconda Derby last week is in the fray as a final entry. The progeny of the Hazara Stud Farm has made amazing strides this season, reeling off three wins in a row. However, she is attempting a herculean task of taking on fresh and formidable horses in a span of a week. But in racing, unless you try, you can never succeed.
The others in the fray simply make up the number though history has reminded us often enough that in horse racing you cannot take any horse for granted.
