Santissimo claims the HPSL Indian 2000 Guineas
- By Vinayak Zodge | The Hindu
Trainer Pesi Shroff’s star colt Santissimo, piloted by Oisin Murphy, won the HPSL Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr.1), the stellar attraction of Sunday’s (Dec. 22) races here. The winner is owned by Mr. Gautam Lala rep. Gainsville Stud & Agl. Farm Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Kishore P. Rungta, Mr. Joydeep Datta Gupta, Mr. Saleem Fazelbhoy & Mr. Achuthan Siddharth.
The British champion jockey Murphy, who guided the colt sired by Gusto out of Beldon Hill, strategically positioned him in second place till the home stretch. As the field approached the 400m mark, Santissimo was trailing the frontrunner Shambala by almost six lengths. He unleashed a phenomenal burst of speed, covered the ground with devouring strides, and secured a dominant victory by three lengths.
Santissimo’s impressive win was a remarkable comeback for trainer Shroff in this prestigious event, as he had won the Indian 2000 Guineas in 2009 with his legendary filly, Jacqueline. Jockey P. Trevor rode three winners on the day.
