Back
Share On


Kolkata heralds new era : Invitation Cup now open to four year-olds and up - By Tom Krish

Posted on - 20 Feb 2013

 

Kolkata heralds new era
Invitation Cup now open to four year-olds and up.
 
By Tom Krish
 
The unstoppable Prince Pradeep was expected to rule the roost in the 1964 Indian Turf Invitation Cup held in Kolkata. The Migoli-Driving got abroad, owned by T G Gaonkar, had been bolting in his races and a victory for him was thought of as a formality. Jockey Raghunath’s foot got out of the stirrup and the head-strong Prince Pradeep was out of control and went into a long lead. Actions have consequences and the ‘Prince’ got leg weary and meekly submitted when Hovercraft, a Devi Rana-owned filly, came calling. Is there such a thing as a certainty in racing?
 
Several Invitation Cups and 49 years later, we are back at Hastings, Kolkata for another edition of India’s most prestigious horse race. The last time Kolkata hosted the crown jewel of the Indian racing calendar, it was a procession of Dr M A M-owned horses emerging victorious in 2007. The most notable was the success of Southern Empire who avenged his Indian Derby loss to Diabolical. The savvy ColmO’Donoghue took Diabolical to the helm and made it all in Mumbai. In the Invitation Cup, jockey O’Donoghue, on Southern Empire, let Diabolical lead into the straight and shot into the lead soon after to win going away. I remember O’Donoghue opening a champagne bottle during the presentation.
 
The many Classics at our racing centres have been won by different horses. There is no reliable yardstick to judge their relative merits. You can pick and make a good case for your selection. Above all, there is a complicating factor this year. Until 2012, the Indian Turf Invitation Cup was confined to Indian four year-olds, boys and girls. Beginning 2013, the race has been thrown open to four year-olds and up. The four year-olds will carry 55 kgs and the older horses will shoulder 59 kgs. Fillies and mares  get an allowance of one and one half kgs. The 2400-metre grass race on the right handed Kolkata course will be worth Rupees 1,00,00,000 to the winner. The successful owner will receive a trophy valued at Rupees 3,00,000.
 
The decision to include five year-olds and up was taken after a long debate. The Grade I Invitation is patterned after some of the biggest grass contests in the world. What comes readily to mind is the Arc De Triomphe. The Arc, run on the first Sunday in October at Longchamp in Paris, is for three year-olds and up. No gelding is permitted to run in the Arc. Sophomores are given 56 kgs. Four year-olds and up carry 59 and one half kgs. Girls get a kilo and a half allowance. The Arc is over 2400 metres on the right-handed Longchamp. The 2012 Arc, won by Solemia with Olivier Peslier, carried a winner’s prize of 2,285,600 euros. The Arc is a race I attend every year and October is a magnificent time to be in Paris.
 
Some of the jockeys who have plied their trade in Kolkata have been aboard Arc winners. Geoff Lewis, a regular at Kolkata, won with Mill Reef in 1971. Lester Piggott, a prominent name in Hastings’ books, rode Rheingold to victory in 1973 and won again in 1997 with the incomparable Alleged. Pat Eddery, Walter Swinburn, Mick Kinane and Kieren Fallon are other names in the ‘Arc winners’ list.
 
Let us take a look at Ireland’s top grass race for three years-old and up. It is the 2012-metre Irish Champion Stakes run in September on the left-handed Leopardstown, outside of Dublin. Three year-olds are given nine stones. Four and up are given nine stones and seven pounds. Girls get a three-pound allowance. A stone is 14 pounds. Two point two (2.2) pounds equal one kg. Recent winners of this race are Sea The Stars, So You Think and Snow Fairy, a filly.
 
The English Champion Stakes, also over 2012 metres, was run in Newmarket in October since its inception. In 2011, when Champions’ Day was inaugurated at Ascot, the Champion Stakes is run at the Berkshire venue. The Champions’ Day has four races. They are the Stayers’ Cup, the Sprint, the Mile and the Champion Stakes. I was at Ascot in 2011 when Cirrus des Aigles upset So You Think and again in 2012 when Frankel won the race on soft going. The Sir Henry Cecil-trained Galileo colt went 14 for 14. Tom Queally partnered the colt. It was an emotional afternoon.
 
In England, three year-olds carry 124 pounds in the Champion Stakes.Four and up carry 129 pounds. Fillies and Mares get a three-pound allowance.
 
The winners of the Arc, the Irish Champion Stakes and the English Champion Stakes get automatic berths in the Breeders’ Cup Turf over 2400 metres. The 2012 edition was won by Little Mike. The 2013 Breeders’ Cup races will again be held at Santa Anita in early November. Santa Anita is in Arcadia, outside of Los Angeles. Will we see a day when our Invitation Cup winner gets a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf?
 
Let us take a look at the Melbourne Cup. It is a 3200-metre race run at the left-handed Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. The race is run on the first Tuesday in November. The Melbourne Cup has been called the race ‘that stops a nation.’
 
Run since 1861, the Melbourne Cup is a handicap. Weights are given on the basis of the quality of past performances. Because of the distance of the race, better horses are not penalized the way they would be in conventional handicaps. For the past several years, I have had the opportunity to watch the Melbourne Cup live on TV while sitting in my living room in suburban Chicago. Melbourne is one major stop missing in my passport. More often than not, the Melbourne Cup is run within 72 hours of the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup races in America. I have seen jockeys fly out of America late Saturday and be in Melbourne early Tuesday to ride in the Cup the same afternoon. Australia is 16-17 hours ahead of the United States.
 
Now a word or two about the Japan Cup. There is a grass version over 2400 metres at Tokyo Racecourse on the last Sunday in November. Tokyo is left-handed and Japan gets some of the biggest attendances in the world. There is also a dirt Japan Cup. I was in Japan in 2005 when both the grass and dirt races were held in Tokyo. Frankie Dettori and Alkaased beat Chris Lemaire and Heart's Cry in the closest of finishes. It was that visit that helped me cement great friendships with jockeys Lemaire and Olivier Peslier.
 
The Japan Cup, it should be noted, is an invitational event. It is a weight for age race. Three year-olds carry 55 kgs. Four and up have 57 kgs. There is a two-kg allowance for fillies and mares. Southern hemisphere sophomores get a two-kg allowance.
 
Opening up our Invitation Cup to older horses is an experiment worth making. The move makes the race more competitive. More importantly, owners of talented older horses will be more willing to keep them in training longer. In March, a four year-old should be able to match wits with older horses. In England, Ireland and the Arc, three year-olds have had enormous success in the recent past. In the Breeders’ Cup turf, there has been a similar trend.
 
The day may not be far away when three year-olds and up will be the norm for the Indian Turf Invitation Cup.

Please Comment Below

 
Captcha:


Can't read the image? click here to refresh.
 

SPONSORS

BK RATTONSEYBTCFIVESTARSSHIPPINGCOMPANYFORBESHOMI MEHTA breeders produce stakesHRCICNAGREEMGOCULDASMRCpoonawalla grouppoonawalla-groupRCTCRUSI PATEL TROPHYSHAPPOORJIvilloo poonawalla indian oaksZAVARAY S POONAWALLATRILEGALkoreaHPSL-Logo-NewMAURITIUS