A determined Desert God gets the better of the gallant Quasar - By Tom Krish
Posted on - 09 Mar 2016
A determined Desert God gets the better of the gallant Quasar
By Tom Krish
You may not be a God-believing person but if you are a racing aficionado, there is one God you need to pay obeisance to. It is Desert God.
He may be the God of the desert but he has become the God of ‘grass.’ In a run of victories punctuated by one Derby after another, Desert God, a son of Burden Of Proof out of Running Flame, has put the icing on the cake by winning the Indian Turf Invitation Cup on Sunday at Guindy, India’s oldest racecourse.
Let us take a look at the lesson brought home on Sunday. Since 2013 when India’s premier race was thrown open to older horses, four year-olds have won without exception. It was only this year that Quasar, a five year-old and the hero of the 2015 running and seeking a history-making encore, was given more than an ordinary chance. With Quasar’s narrow loss, the argument that at this time of year, older horses cannot give weight to and manage four year-olds holds good although tenuously.
The verdict was a long neck. A neck is one quarter length and a long neck is one half length. In a 2400-metre race, a length is the equivalent of two pounds. Desert God was getting four kilograms from Quasar. A kilo is 2.2 pounds. Four kilos will amount to 8.8 pounds. That translates to a little over four lengths. Desert God ‘s winning margin was a long neck. I am mixing the English and the metric systems here. I ask to be pardoned.
Yash Narredu and Quasar got the trip of their lives. With 600 metres left, the 18 year-old Yash, a tad anxious, popped the question. Quasar was asked to quicken and go three-wide coming into the final turn. Yes, the Malesh Narredu pupil responded to his master’s call with alacrity. Quasar hit the front in a trice but there was work ahead.
Jockey David Allan, riding Desert God, found an inside path soon after the jump. Hugging the fence and tracking Quasar, Allan waited until he was in the lane to push the button. Trained to the minute by the cerebral Padmanabhan, Desert God, in a matter of strides, ranged alongside Quasar. The gallant Quasar, the champion that he is, had fight left in him. At one point, it looked like Mr. Jaydev Mody’s pride would beat back his younger adversary’s bid.
The duo went hammer and tongs but with 100 metres to run, it was becoming clear that Quasar was failing to match Desert God’s resolve. The ground-saving strategy so competently employed by jockey Allan and the weight advantage tilted the race ever so slightly in Desert God’s favour. ‘Racing is a game of inches’ is a refrain I have heard over the years. How true is it? Driving in Chennai is also a game of inches and that is why I gave up driving several years ago.
Winning three Derby contests in a row is no mean task. When you add the arduous travel to the mix, the accomplishment takes on tremendous significance. On top of everything, the fact that Desert God was able to hold that sparkling form through a hard campaign is what makes him a champion in every sense of the word.
The second lesson is an affirmation of Desert God’s position atop the pecking order in the Classic division. Time after time, Desert God, David Allan and Padmanabhan have met the challenges.
Now the question is if Desert God will return to the fray in the 2017 Invitation Cup and take on four year-olds? If Desert God’s connections choose to take that route, we have a blockbuster awaiting us next year.
Finally, a word about what has happened at Guindy over the past three months. I have seen miracles described in text books. What I saw at Guindy, if not a miracle, comes close to a miracle. The Hindu needs to be complimented on devoting valuable space to cover the Invitation Cup and to sponsor the Sprinters’ Cup. Mr Ramesh Rangarajan’s hands-on involvement went a long way in ensuring the success of the two-day festival. Guindy’s revival is indeed a heartening development and it augurs well for the future of racing in India.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are the author's personal views.)
