UNRAVELLING THE CLASSIC CONUNDRUM - A Preview of the Indian St. Leger (Grade 1) - By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 23 Sep 2017
UNRAVELLING THE CLASSIC CONUNDRUM – A Preview of the Indian St. Leger (Grade 1)
-By Cyrus Naterwalla
The Indian St. Leger is the final Classic of the season and is the 3rd and final leg of the Indian Triple Crown. The race is a strong test of the stamina of Classic contenders and has thrown up some extremely worthy champions in the past. Because it is the final classic, the field’s usually tend to be quite small and this year is no exception with just 6 runners lining up to face the starter. The Leger was shifted to Pune in 1970 and was traditionally run there until the year 1990 where it was moved back to Mumbai where it was run towards the end of March. It shifted back to Pune again in 2011 and has remained here since. Last year, the mighty Desert God turned this race into a procession to stamp his authority over that crop of 3 year olds while in 2015, the race went to another champion – the all conquering Quasar for JaydevMody and MaleshNarredu. Amazing Charm downed the great Alaindair in the 2014 edition of the Leger while in 2013, An Acquired Taste galloped into the record books for young trainer Altamash Ahmed. 2012 belonged to the Queen filly In The Spotlight who provided S. Padmanabhan with his 2nd Leger winner in the last 6 years while in 2011 it was the stamina laden Macchupicchu who earned Group I glory for Trainer Pesi Shroff.
In spite of the small field, this year’s renewal appears to be quite competitive and a summary of the main runners and their chances is given below.
TEMERITY (Intense Focus x Narmina)
TRAINER :-Pesi Shroff
WEIGHT:- 55.5 kgs.
JOCKEY :-Neeraj Rawal
DRAW :- 4
RATING :-118
She has already proven herself to be a gutsy and hugely talented filly and has an incredible strike rate of 70% having been victorious in 7 of her 10 starts. She came along quietly in the early part of her career and was quite inconspicuous for her first few runs but people began to take notice of her after she stylishly won the F.D. Wadia Trophy in Pune, giving 3 kilos and a beating to Poonawalla Million runner up In My Dream. She went on to stylishly win 2 handicap races and was sent off favourite for the Indian 1000 Guineas. However, she played up badly in the gates before the start and after being allowed to race, was never allowed to raise a fluent gallop and had to be eased up in the straight. She was rested well since then and came back in style to beat her stable companion Mrs. Patmore decisively in the Indian Oaks. She ran a gallant 3rd in the Indian Derby behind Hall of Famer and Sergeant At Arms but reversed the form decisively in the Indian Turf Invitation Cup, clearly establishing herself as one of the best fillies of the generation. She returned last time out from a long absence to comfortably win the Idar Gold Trophy from Columbiana and she should strip fitter and sharper for that run. She is the highest rated in this field and also looks the best horse over 2400M but she is yet to tackle the gruelling 2800M trip although her pedigree and style of racing both suggest that she will get it. A lot will depend on tactics and how the race is run but in any event, she looks a leading contender and must be seriously respected.
MATHAIYUS (Multidimensional x Yana)
TRAINER :-Pesi Shroff
WEIGHT:- 57 kgs.
JOCKEY :- Y.S. Srinath
DRAW :- 6
RATING :-115
This giant striding colt is a late bloomer, having begun his racing career very late in his 3 year old career and making his debut only in September last year. After a quiet couple of runs in Pune, he won 2 races over staying trips in Mumbai and was quietly fancied by many as a dark horse for the Indian Derby but he played up at the start and was withdrawn under some controversy as his connections felt there was no sever injury and he should have been allowed to take part. After 2 more facile wins in handicaps in Mumbai, he travelled to Bangalore for the summer and gave first notice of his potential by claiming the Chief Justice’s Cup in a fighting finish from Aster Rose and Tororosso with Whomakestherules back in 4th that day. He then ran a below par race in the Maharaja’s Cup over 2200M where he was taken on for the lead and he finished a poor 4th with Captain Morgan the winner and Whomakestherules a good close 2nd. He again was reeled in late on by Captain Morgan in the Governors Cup over 2400M when Ice Glacier made the running for the first half of the race. Allowed to dominate in the Bangalore St. Leger, he looked a different horse and easily beat Captain Morgan and Tororosso at level weights and again when allowed his own way, easily beat Captain Morgan in the President of India Gold Cup last time out. He has travelled here from Hyderabad after that win which should be taken into consideration. He has the advantage of having already negotiated this testing trip but tactics seem to play a very vital role in his performance. If he is allowed to boss the field from the front and set his own pace, then he will be very tough to catch but if he is taken on for the lead, then he could prove to be vulnerable.
CAPTAIN MORGAN (Admiralofthefleet x Caprese)
TRAINER :-S.S. Attaollahi
WEIGHT:- 57kgs.
JOCKEY :-SurajNarredu
DRAW :- 2
RATING :-110
Outstation challenger and solid stayer from the yard of S.S. Attaollahi who has an excellent record with his runners when he travels to Western India. Captain Morgan has won 6 of his 16 races and finished 2nd on 5 occasions and is the current holder of the Stayers Cup which he won decisively in March so it is clear that stamina holds no issues for him. He and Mathaiyus have been swapping wins between them in their last few starts with the record standing 3-2 in favour of Mathaiyus and on the last run in The President of India Gold Cup he was soundly beaten by 5 ½ lengths which looks tough to reverse in such a short span of time. He likes to finish on late from off a strong pace so he too would like them to go a good gallop but again his result will be hugely reliant on the tactics and pace of the race. SurajNarredu is likely to settle him in behind and use his finishing kick in the closing stages where stamina matters most. It looks tough for him to beat the 2 Shroff wards but he is clearly the best stayer of the lot and cannot be ignored.
WHOMAKESTHERULES (Multidimensional x Pricewise)
TRAINER :-MaleshNarredu
WEIGHT:- 57kgs.
JOCKEY :-YashNarredu
DRAW :- 1
RATING :-106
He is an honest and tough 4 year old who also has an excellent 50% strike rate of 5 wins from 10 starts and has run with credit in most of his races. Unbeaten in his first 3 starts, he was strongly fancied for the Bangalore Summer Colts Trial Stakes but found Sergeant At Arms vastly superior and was run out of 2nd by Supreme General close home. He went on to finish 4th in the Summer Derby and then chase home Accolade in the Hyderabad Colts Trial. He travelled to Kolkotta next where he was an easy winner of the Monsoon Derby and then turned the tables on Accolade in the Kolkotta 2000 Guineas but unfortunately suffered a setback after that which was him miss the rest of the Classics. He returned in Bangalore to finish 4th to Mathaiyus in the Chief Justice’s Cup and then improved to run a good 2nd to Captain Morgan over 2200M in the Maharaja’s Cup. He has travelled to Pune after that and underwent a cracking Mock Race so he looks to be returning to his best form. He is another who is yet to tackle this longer distance although again on pedigree, he should stay as his dam Pricewise is a full sister to Allied Forces and Perceived Value, both of whom are St. Leger winners so stamina should not be an issue. He needs to unlock some further improvement over this trip but clearly can spring a surprise and looks a good outsider
Of the remaining pair, Vulcan looks out of his depth and is hard to fancy while Winter Renaissance could be considered on her run in the Indian Derby where she finished just ¾ length behind Temerity but she flopped in the Invitation Cup and has run poorly in 3 starts this season so is again difficult to fancy
CONCLUSION :-A thrilling race appears to be in store with tactics probably playing an integral part. If Mathaiyus is allowed to dictate terms from the front and set up his own pace, then he may be hard to pass with proven stamina already for the trip. If however, he is taken on for the lead, then the race just might fall into the hands of Temerity. Either way Pesi Shroff appears to have a very strong hand for this classic. It looks tough for Captain Morgan to defeat the Shroff pair but Whomakestherules could prove to be an interesting outsider as he is bred to stay the trip and appears to be coming back to his best
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same)
