From the Horses Mouth - Race form Analysis Guide for Saturday, 21st April 2018 - By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 20 Apr 2018
From the Horses Mouth - Race form Analysis Guide for Saturday, 21st April 2018
- By Cyrus Naterwalla
Race No. 1 :- The Chatterbox Plate – Class IV and V – Distance:- 1400M
ARASHI :- Progressive 4 year old filly trained by Vishal Gaikwad, she has run 5 times till date, showing steady progress in her first few starts and finally coming good on her last run which back in January over a mile where she trounced Class V opposition to win as she pleased beating Royal Éclair and Highland Wind by 5 ½ lengths. She is returning from a 3 month break and her recent trackwork has all been easy work suggesting that she is coming back from a small setback. She has a 6 ½ kilo penalty to contend with but has the services of in form A. Sandesh who takes over from H. Zeeshan in the saddle. She looked to be progressive after her last win but may just need this run back from the break so although she is greatly respected and is quite capable of winning, she may be found wanting for a bit of fitness today.
FLOWER DUST :- 5 year old mare who comes from the red hot stable of Mansoor Shah which has been firing in the winners on a regular basis and she showed marked improvement on her previous 9 runs last time out when scoring an impressive pillar to post 8 length victory over 1400M with the runner up Spontaneous Eddie a subsequent winner which gives substance to the form. That was the first time that she was seriously tried so she could have plenty of improvement left in her yet but she has to shoulder a massive 9 kilo penalty which could prove to be a stopper. H. Zeeshan claims 2 ½ kilos in the saddle and she seems to have maintained herself well since the run and in spite of he hefty penalty she looks to have a strong chance to repeat in this company.
QUEENS BEST :-Half sister to Dandified, this 4 year old filly trained by Karthik G has been knocking on the door for a while now and has been sparingly raced but is still searching for that elusive first success. She has run 5 times till date and has performed with merit on 4 occasions, the only poor run coming on her reappearance this season where she was returning from a long break and needed the lung opener. Her last 2 runs have both been over 1200M, finishing a promising close 2nd to Tenerife on her penultimate run back from another short break but then a shade disappointing last time out with Trevor in the saddle where she was hot favourite but could only end up 3rd to Gold Field. It might be worth trying the step up to 7 furlongs and S. Zervan takes over in the saddle today. She is expected to improve again and stands an excellent chance to gain her maiden success over this more galloping trip.
ANGELS HARMONY :-4 year old filly from the Altaf Hussain yard, this daughter of Varenar is a maiden still after 10 starts and has been a shade disappointing this season. She has run 5 times already this season and after using the first 2 runs to regain her fitness she has been consistent in her last 3 starts placing on each occasion and going very close on her penultimate run over a mile when going down by ½ a length to Huzzah’s Grace. Upped to Class IV last time out, she ended a faraway 3rd to Star Bright and again looks set to battle it out for minor honours today with Vishal Bunde taking over in the saddle from K. Nazil.
CARIBOU :-Stable companion and owner mate of Arashi, this got abroad 4 year old filly by Nayef looks an interesting sort on paper but the booking of Kishore Kadam suggests that connections feel Arashi has a better chance today. She has been given enough prep work to be fit enough first time out and her last couple of gallops have been quite encouraging. She may just need this debut run to gain some experience but should not be written off and looks a dark horse who could spring a surprise.
CONCLUSION :-With Arashi returning from a long absence and Flower Dust saddled with a 9 kilo penalty for her win, today may be the day for the well bred Queens Best to gain her maiden victory. She is expected to appreciate the step up to 7 furlongs and is selected to get the better of Flower Dust who still shapes as the main danger. Arashi too is respected but may just need this run and for those who fancy an outsider at value, could take a chance on the got abroad Caribou if she looks well in the paddock.
Race No. 2 :- The Topspin Plate – Terms – 3 Years Old Only – Distance :- 1400M
MOUNT OLYMPUS :-Trained by Narendra Lagad, this 3 year old son of Win Legend appears to be the more fancied of the yard’s 2 runners in this event and will be partnered by the stable’s first jockey Dashrath Singh. He also seems to have the better credentials, having won from pillar to post on debut albeit in a weak 6 furlong maiden but last time out, he was no match for Perpetual Winning over this trip and ended up a well beaten runner up. He has been working very well from before his first run and seems to have maintained his condition judging from his work after the run. He has a winner’s penalty to contend with and looks vulnerable to a couple of others in this race who may have a bit more quality.
TRULY EPIC:- Improving 3 year old from the stable of ImtiazSait, he has run thrice till date and was thought good enough to contest the Breeders Produce Stakes on just his 2nd start and did not run badly against much tougher company. Eased into maiden company last time out, he was most impressive win easily accounting for Non Plus Ultra and Bushtops to win stylishly showing a smart turn of foot in the closing stages to bound clear. He is turned out again quickly in less than 2 weeks but clearly seems to be going the right way and looks to have an excellent chance to repeat. J. Chinoy takes over in the saddle in the absence of C.S. Jodha and he looks a leading fancy to go in again provided the race does not come too soon.
BARACK :-Has an eye catching pedigree being by Multidimensional out of Fond Fantasy and comes from the all conquering yard of Pesi Shroff so warrants respect on that score alone. He looked green and inexperienced on his racing debut over 6 furlongs but after being in the rear in the early stages, he finished on nicely to end up 3rd behind Iron Age and Pablo. The additional furlong will be to his advantage and he is sure to improve appreciably for the run. His recent track work has been good, A. Sandesh retains the ride and with a 4 kilo advantage at the weights, he looks the one likely to give Truly Epic the most to do and shapes as a live danger.
STRONG STORM :- Highly regarded 3 year old filly out of first season sire Strong Suit, she began her career with C.D. Katrak before shifting to the yard of Dallas Todywalla with whom she made her racing debut in the same race as Barack. She too looked like she needed the run that day and will no doubt improve for the experience but she finished 4 ½ lengths behind Barack that day and there is no obvious reason why she should reverse that form. S. Zervan takes over in the saddle from Neeraj Rawal and the additional furlong looks likely to suit her as well so although she is expected to improve and progress again, she looks unlikely to finish ahead of Barack.
CONCLUSION :- Truly Epic created a very good impression when winning impressively over this trip 12 days ago and provided that the race does not come too soon for him, he is selected to repeat. Barack appears the main danger and could test him with a 4 kilo difference, while Strong Suit is highly rated and should run better today as well.
Race No. 3 :- The Hyderabad Race Club Trophy – Class I & II – Distance :- 1600M
YANNA RASCALA :- Lightly raced and well performed 5 year old trained by Pesi Shroff, he has yet to finish outside the frame in his 8 runs till date, winning on 4 occasions for an excellent 50% strike rate. He was no match for Gazino on his reappearance over 6 furlongs but duly built on that run when stepping up to 7 furlongs next time out and beating Star Councillor and Bateleur impressively. He then travelled to Kolkotta to contest the Suresh Mahindra Multi Million over 1400M on the Invitation Cup weekend where he finished a decent 4th to Tutankhamun. He looked ready to get back to winning ways last time in the Goculdas Million when after struggling to keep pace in the early part he finished on powerfully to be just 1 length adrift of New England. The additional furlong looks likely to suit him, he has been working well since the run and with A. Sandesh replacing S. Zervan in the saddle, he looks set to return to the winner’s circle inspite of conceding plenty of weight.
EXODUS :- Tough and consistent 6 year old gelding who used to be in the care of C.D. Katrak, he too seldom runs a bad race and has an enviable record of 5 wins from 10 starts. He has been sparingly raced and nursed through his career so far but showed he was capable at this level in Pune back in September where he finished a good 2nd to Lucas over this trip before finding the opposition too tough in the RWITC Ltd. Invitational Cup where the 2000M trip might have stretched him as well. He has not run since then so is making a belated reappearance after another long break but he does go well fresh and P.S. Chouhan takes the ride. He likes to dominate proceedings and may not be able to do so in the presence of Caprisca but is worth considering although he may just need this run.
CAPRISCA :- Highly rated 4 year old gelding from the in form stable of ImtiazSait, he has won 3 of his 10 starts till date and was gelded back in January after finishing down the field in the Kolkotta Derby but returned in most impressive fashion from his gelding operation when scoring a wide margin success over 1800M 3 weeks ago. He dominated right from the start that day against Class II opposition and has a stiff 8 kilo penalty to tackle for that success. However, he looks to have progressed again judging from his track work since the run and S. Zervan takes the ride today in the absence of the injured P. Trevor. He is in receipt of 9 ½ kilos from YannaRascala and at that weight difference, has a strong chance to upset the Pesi Shroff ward, who clearly has the better form at present.
FRIVOLOUS :- Owner mate of Exodus but comes from the stable of MaleshNarredu, this colt has been the subject of controversy in most of his starts and does not seem to be entirely straightforward although he clearly possesses plenty of ability when on his game. Winner of 3of his 9 starts over distances ranging from a mile to a mile and a half, he has been below par in his 3 runs this season although all of them have been over longer trips. He finished a close 4th of 5 to Eternal Sunshine over 2000M last time out but should have won that day and now drops back down to a mile after some time. He always seems to work well and has been doing so of late as well and Dashrath Singh gets a leg up for the first time today. He could prove to be a danger if running upto his best but place seems a safer option until he can show some improvement on the track.
CONCLUSION :-This looks to be a straight fight between the Shroff trained Yanna Rascala and the Imtiaz Sait trained Caprisca who looked back to his best after having been gelded in January. The Shroff ward has the better form and is marginally preferred but it were to be no surprise if Caprisca gets the better of him at the weights.
Race No. 4 :- The Donna Bella Plate – Class V - horses who have run during the current Mumbai season and not won – Distance :- 1000M
MANDRAKE :-4 year old who was recently acquired by Narendra Lagad from the Pesi Shroff yard and looks to be better than his current handicap mark. He has run 4 times in total so far and after having his first 3 starts over middle distances in the care of Pesi Shroff and showing no spark at all, he was transferred to Narendra Lagad and made a little headway over this trip last time out, finishing on from the rear to be 7th. He is now eased in grade into the lower class and appears to be taking on a relatively weak and out of form field so has the potential to topple them. He is one of 4 runners from the yard, Hanumant Singh takes the ride and he looks a better quality animal who should be able to strike in this low grade.
ABRAXAS :- 4 year old filly trained also by Narendra Lagad after beginning her career with Dallas Todywalla, she has been showing early speed in her racing but does not quite seem to see out the trip and is still a maiden after 11 runs and is beginning to look exposed. She has raced exclusively over 1000M in all her runs and has consistently been making the frame, finishing runner up to Blitzkrieg back in December and also ending a close 3rd to Speedo and Malavika in January in a No Whip race. She finished 4th behind Blazing Steps last time out right alongside stable mate Sparkling Thea who reopposes today but gets a stronger rider in the form of D.S. Daman. She is expected to run well again and be on the premises but is more likely to place and looks vulnerable to the unexposed improvers.
BEWITCHED :-Well bred 4 year old who is another acquisition from the C.D. Katrak yard, she is in the care of M.K. Jadhav and will be ridden by 3 ½ kilo claimer Vishal Bunde. She has run 7 times till date with her best performance so far coming over 1400M in Pune where she finished a distant runner up to Kramer. She has run 4 times this season, the last three of those runs over sprints and ran suggestively in her penultimate run over this trip when finishing a close 5th to Fine Tune in what looked a decent race. She was not so good over 1200M last time out but now drops back down to the minimum and has been working well of late. She too may find this trip on the sharp side but looks better than her current mark and has a great chance to get off the mark today.
SPAKLING THEA :- Exposed 5 year old mare trained by Narendra Lagad, she has managed to win 1 of her 21 starts and has been relatively consistent over this trip this season but has not looked like she would add to her tally. She has consistently been making the frame in similar contests and last time out ended up 3rd just nosing out Abraxas over course and distance. Raghuveer Singh who is a good sprint rider has been booked today and she does merit each way consideration but is more likely to fight it out for minor honours.
OUTSTANDING :- Speedily bred 4 year old filly trained by S.K. Sunderji, she does not quite seem to have come to hand in her 9 starts till date and although she has been working well for quite some time now, she has not managed to do better than 4th, running a close 4th to Mine That Bird back in December over this trip with the same rider up. She was made favourite next time out over 1200M but ran poorly to end up 5th behind Ame and has disappointed in 3 subsequent runs since. Perhaps being reunited with R. Ajinkya will spark some improvement but she needs to show a little more on the race track before she can be seriously considered.
ROYAL BLOOD:-Another inconsistent and enigmatic 5 year old gelding trained by Rehanullah Khan, he too is still a maiden and has mainly disappointed in his 14 starts so far, but did hint that he has ability very early this season when making late progress to end up a close 2nd to Make It Shine over this trip which was a notable effort. However, he has failed to run anywhere close to that level in 5 subsequent starts which tempers the enthusiasm to support him. The only point of interest which makes him worthy of consideration is that in form apprentice H. Zeeshan has been booked to ride which is the first time he has had a decent rider on board. He comes in at the bottom of the scale and looks an interesting outsider if he has his galloping shoes on.
CONCLUSION :-Not a race worthy of a wager with questions marks surrounding all the runners but a tentative selection is Mandrake who looks to be better than his current mark and has the scope to improve for his new yard. Royal Blood who has a good rider up for the first time and Bewitched also deserve consideration.
Race No. 5 :- The Africaan Plate – Class III & IV – Distance :- 1200M
GOD’S OWN :- 5 furlong specialist from the Narendra Lagad yard, this 4 year old filly was in rousing form during the Pune season rattling off a hattrick of wins over the minimum trip but reached a mark of 72 and seems to have been struggling with the handicap ever since. She has run 6 times so far this season and looked to be coming back to form on her penultimate run when she finished on strongly to be runner up to Double Nine over 1000M but then disappointed last time out in a similar contest when ending up 6th to Clymene. With age perhaps she needs an additional furlong so she is stepped up to 1200M today and will be ridden by 3 ½ kilo claimer Raghuveer Singh. She does not inspire confidence going by her form this season but if her rider is able to harness her energy over this longer trip, then she could spring a surprise.
COLLEGIUM :- Attractive looking and in form 4 year old colt from the S.K. Sunderji yard, he is usually at his best when allowed to race prominently from the outset and comes into this race off a confident success in the lower class where he defied top weight to beat She’s A Tiger and Jigar quite convincingly. Overall a winner of 2 of his 14 starts, he seems to appreciate this trip at present and has not been penalized too harshly. He seems to have maintained his condition since the win and R. Ajinkya who rode him last time keeps the ride and claims a useful 2 ½ kilos. He is one of the in form runners in this small field and has a very strong chance to repeat his earlier success.
BUNTING :- Well bred and lightly raced 4 year old filly from the stable of M.K. Jadhav, she looked progressive when scoring back to back wins in Pune and then ran an excellent close 3rd over 7 furlongs to Cambridge and Bottega Louie on her reappearance and that form looks good enough to win this. However, she ran down the field in her next 2 starts and was given a break to rest and improve. She seemed to have benefitted from the break when reappearing 2 weeks ago when finishing on smoothly to be runner up to Glyndebourne and if she can build on that last effort then she looks hard to beat. A. Sandesh gets back in the saddle replacing N.S. Parmar and she looks a very strong contender to resume her progress now.
FRINGE BENEFIT :-Capable but fully exposed 6 year old gelding from the stables of Mansoor Shah, he has won twice and placed 8 times in his 23 starts for a decent overall record. He seemed to be slowly finding form in the latter half of the season and last time out finished up 3rd behind Bunting about 3 ¼ lengths adrift. He has less scope to improve than the younger horse and even though H. Zeeshan replaces S.S. Baria in the saddle and claims 2 ½ kilos, he does not look capable of putting it across the younger horses and should battle it out for minor honours.
CONCLUSION :-Bunting is the selection if she can build on her promising last run and with the in form Sandesh to guide her, she should put it across last outing winner Collegium who shapes as the main danger
Race No. 6 :- The Multi Flora Plate – Class IV & V, 5 Years Old & Over – Distance :- 1200M
GREY FLANNEL :- Consistent 5 year old mare from the Dallas Todywalla yard who has been working her way back into form and looked like she was coming back to her best last time out when finishing a good close 3rd to Beneficial and Bidstone Hill over 1000M beaten only ¾ length. She has been working well since that run and will appreciate the extra furlong of today’s contest. P.S. Chouhan takes over in the saddle from P. Trevor and she is greatly respected in spite of top weight and stands a very good chance to add to her previous victories.
DEMOCRAT :-Another 5 year old gelding who has struggled in the higher class but has enjoyed good success in this grade and all his 3 wins have come in similar contests off this sort of mark. He was a winner over course and distance on his reappearance beating Gold Field and Man Of Word and he has since also finished a good 3rd to Arc Shine and Tenerife. He returns to this grade after a couple of indifferent efforts in the higher class and with R. Ajinkya claiming 2 ½ kilos off, he looks a strong contender to return to the winner’s circle.
ISINIT :-6 year old mare who finally managed to gain a maiden success after 27 attempts when scoring wide margin success over course and distance last time out and should garner some confidence from finally gaining a victory. 6 ½ kilo penalty has been greatly reduced by her rider’s claim so although she is taking on tougher opposition today, she is dangerous to ignore. M. Ayyar has already had a couple of good pillar to post successes this season and although drawn wide at 10, she looks to have a good chance to repeat.
MAKE IT SHINE :- Aged 7 year old gelding who still retains his zest for racing and has run well in 3 of his 5 starts this term, winning over 1000M earlier in the season and last time out running a good close 3rd against Class III opposition behind Tenerife and Queens Best. Looks to be in fine form at the moment and although out handicapped on his earlier form with Democrat, is dangerous to ignore in this older company. S.G. Prasad who has been riding him all season keeps the ride and he looks an each way player and must be considered.
ROYAL CLASSIC :-Another 7 year old gelding, this one from the M.P. Jodha yard who has been in good form this season and is effective over this trip. Winner in the lower class very early on in the season, he looked like he was ready to progress last time out in this grade when making up plenty of ground late from the rear to come and end up a flying 3rd to Polyneices and Firewings. He is turned out again quickly with S.A. Amit booked to ride and looks another strong each way contender in a competitive finale.
ROYAL MEWS :- Sparingly raced and comparatively unexposed 5 year old mare from the stable of Faisal Abbas who has been in good form of late, she showed good improvement to score an impressive maiden win over this trip on her penultimate run, coming with a strong late burst down the middle to beat Fribourg and Bounty Queen with Good Thing ending a close 4th that day. She was not so good over 1000M last time out but the return to this trip should help and with in form stable apprentice G. Amit taking the ride today, she looks to have a good chance to resume her progress.
GOOD THING :-5 year old mare who was very highly regarded in her youth but seemed to suffer a setback from which she never fully recovered. She was recently bought over by C. Rajendra and ran promisingly last time out over this trip when finishing a close 4th behind Royal Mews with a feeble rider up. That run suggested she was on a lenient mark at present and if her diligent trainer can eke some more improvement out of her, she looks a danger to all from the bottom of the scale. Deep Shankar is an interesting booking and she could be an end of season surprise.
CONCLUSION :-A competitive finale and the ones to be short listed are Grey Flannel, Democrat, Royal Classic and Good Thing and the winner should emerge from this quartet.
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same)
