The much awaited Indian Derby, has been done and dusted. It was wonderful to see the packed lawns after several years as Covid struck the sport, even though the attendance of 12,000 was a far cry from the heady days of the past. Weathering the storm of the withdrawal of the Derby sponsor, the Suren Sanas led RWITC Committee, still pulled off a grand day of racing, though the Club think tank will have to think of innovative promotional initiatives if the day has to come within sniffing distance of its past highs.
The 2 crore purse was almost equally funded from the Club’s corpus and the owners’ sweepstakes, and a sponsor must be found to take up the prize money as also lend their might to bring in the numbers as the UB Group did with distinction for decades. The race once again reaffirmed the dominance of Usha Stud who took the first four spots, a feat never achieved before. Usha won a record 15th Indian Derby, well clear of the Poonawalla farms, who have ten. Mirra, the Bangalore based filly was aptly named by her owner-breeder Ameeta Mehra after “the Mother” who founded Sri Aurobindo Ashram, to which Ameeta has a special “spiritual” connection. Who says divinity does not bring results!
King’s Ransom established herself as the best of Mumbai with a fighting second, and Wall Street surprised with his game, close third. However Juliette’s impressive win in the Eclipse stamped her as being in a class of her own and a second Invitation Cup in a month is at her mercy.
On the heels of the Indian Derby will be the Dr S C Jain Sprinters’ coming Sunday and is the country’s established lead up to the Sprinters’ Cup. The race was instituted and named after one of the RWITC’s most distinguished Chairman, who headed the Club for a record 13 years. This year will be its 29th running and such established sprinter champions imakeupwigs as Indiscretion, Blue Horizon, Oasis Star, Nefyn and Ruffina did the S C Jain- Sprinters’ double in the same year. The Jain family always invites a leading dignitary to present what is usually an artistically designed trophy-and the Governor of Maharashtra did the honors a few years ago!
The RWITC Auction Sale has virtually slipped into oblivion after private sales by leading Stud Farms has dented its monopoly. That only 8 of a pathetic 21 that came into the ring on Monday, were sold, tells its only tale. Either the Club scraps the Sale as a wasteful expenditure or find ways to revive it.
