From the Horses Mouth - Race form Analysis Guide for Friday, 28th September 2018 - By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 27 Sep 2018
From the Horses Mouth - Race form Analysis Guide for Friday, 28th September 2018
- By Cyrus Naterwalla
Race No. 1 :- The Air Strike Plate – Class IV & V – Distance :- 2000M
ALOHA :-4 year old filly trained by S.K. Sunderji who had been fancied on a couple of occasions in the past but failed to deliver but finally seems to have come into her own this season and is bidding for a hattrick after having scored 2 impressive wins already this term. She began the season by scoring a runaway victory over a mile off a mark of 17, beating Star Ace by a comfortable margin and then followed it up with another impressive performance over this trip, again putting in a strong run in the straight and romping home to beat Romantic Eyes by 6 lengths. Her mark has now risen to 42, up a further 6 kilos but she appears to be at the top of her game at present and a hattrick looks very much on the cards. C.S. Jodha who knows her well now keeps the ride, she is again conceding weight all around but looks hard to oppose in her current mood and is strongly fancied to make it 3 in a row.
GNOSTIC EYES :- 4 year old gelding trained by Rehanullah Khan who again has an impeccable pedigree but seems to have taken his time to come to hand, although he appears to be on the upgrade at present, having been successful in 2 of his last 3 starts. He had to wait till his 9th start to gain his maiden success, a convincing win in a weak Class V contest over 1400M towards the end of the Mumbai season where he beat Forever Free by 2 ¼ lengths off a mark of 19. He was given a lung opener on his seasonal reappearance but quickly returned to form last time out upped to 1800M when convincingly beating Sylvester and Double Down by 3 ½ lengths. He too appears to be fine condition at present and a 5 kilo penalty seems fair. A. Sandesh, who has partnered him in both his starts is up again today and he looks another who has a strong chance to continue to progress and provide an encore over this slightly longer trip.
CAVAROZZI :-Got abroad 3 year old colt trained by Pesi Shroff he has been crying out for a step up in trip and rewarded his connections when gaining a battling maiden success upped to 1800M last time out. Having run 4 times so far, he finished mid division in his first 3 runs which were over 1200-1400M but showed improvement when stepping up in trip last time out, needing every yard of the 1800M trip to get up right on the post and pip stable companion Savage Kingdom to score. The extra furlong is sure to be in his favour as he seems the type to do better the further they go and he should gain some confidence from the win. The form of that race however does not appear to be the strongest and he is up against some 4 year olds in cracking form. He is entitled to improve for the win and the switch to S. Zervan from Kishore Kadam is a positive but he may find today’s opposition too strong and might have to settle for a minor berth today.
PRICELESS ART :-Well bred 4 year old filly who has run 6 times till date and after making a promising start to her career, her form seems to have tapered off completely and she recently switched yards from Malesh Narredu to Dallas Todywalla for whom she is having her first run. Winner in a competitive 7 furlong handicap on just her 2nd start when pipping Collegium by ¾ length, she ran poorly on her next 2 starts over 1400M, unable to get into the fight on either occasion and has also had 2 runs this season, tried over this trip last time out in the Independence Million where she ended up a modest 7th. This is her first run for her new yard with Neeraj Rawal taking over in the saddle so although she can be considered as an outsider, she is most likely best watched today.
PATHAN :- Another unexposed looking 4 year old who began his career with Faisal Abbas before moving to S.A. Waheed, he has run 11 times so far but seemed to come to hand towards the latter half of the last Mumbai season, sent off a hot favourite on his penultimate run over 1400M but no match for Flower Dust and ending up a distant 3rd but more than made amends when upped to 9 furlongs last time out and entrusted to P.S. Chouhan, decimating his rivals on his seasonal reappearance here to win practically unopposed and being value for more than the official margin. He has been given a solid preparation since the last run and has been working superbly of late so seems to have improved again. P.S. Chouhan keeps the ride and in spite of the 6 ½ kilo penalty he looks to have a strong chance to repeat.
CONCLUSION :-Hard to pick between the three in form 4 year olds, Aloha, Gnostic Eyes and Pathan, all three of whom are coming off impressive victories and have been working extremely well. Gnostic Eyes may just get the nod on his pedigree but it is hard to choose between them and perhaps a paddock check will help make the final say.
Race No.2 :- The Star of Gibraltar Plate – Div. II – Class V – Distance:- 1200M
OPTIMUM :- Maiden 4 year old gelding trained by Shazaan Shah, he has run 14 times so far without success and has been tried over distances ranging from 1000 – 1400M. However, he too has tumbled down in the weights as a result and appears to be just coming to hand. He was sent off an odds on favourite on his last run in Mumbai over 1200M but was collared late on by Star Anise going down by a long neck. He showed that he had kept his form over the summer when finishing on strongly from the rear over 1000M on his reappearance to be a flying late 2nd to Abraxas with the feeble B. Nikhil on board. He should strip fitter for that first run and P.S. Chouhan now takes over in the saddle so connections should be fancying their chances today. It is a point of concern though that no trackwork has been reported since his last run so that should be taken into consideration. However, he seems to be progressing with his racing and looks like one of the main contenders in this field.
FLAMMEUS :- Unexposed 3 year old filly trained by Hosidar Daji who has been working well right from the beginning of the season but has failed to impress in her 2 runs this term and now drops down to a sprint trip. She ran a decent race over 1400M on her debut in Mumbai, finishing 5th behind the likes of Spitfire, Shae and Iron Age but her 2 runs this season in Class IV over 1400 and 1600M have both been disappointing and she is now eased in grade into the lowest class and also dropped to a sprint trip for the first time. Her trackwork over 6 furlongs has been exemplary and in form apprentice K. Nazil gets a leg up replacing A. Sandesh who rode her last time out. This is just her 4th start so she is open to plenty of improvement and if taking to the shorter trip and reproducing her excellent track work, she looks to have a very good chance to shed her maiden tag.
RED FIRE :-3 year old filly from the stables of Dallas Todywalla who has a similar profile to Flammeus, having run thrice so far without making any impression and is now making her handicap debut. She was tried over a mile last time out but her earlier 2 runs were over sprint trips and she has been working well over this sort of trip so returns to it now. J. Chinoy has been booked to ride replacing S. Zervan who was up last time out. She provides less encouragement than Flammeus having been well beaten in all her 3 starts but may find some improvement on the drop to handicap company and could be a lively outsider for in form stable.
BOURBON PRINCESS :- 3 year old filly from the S.K. Sunderji yard who has run 4 times till date, all over middle distances and has managed to make the frame on a couple of occasions. Making her debut over 7 furlongs back in January, she finished 4th of 5 runners to Hope and Glory and repeated the feat upped to a mile next time out when a distant 4th to Van Dyke. Her last run of the Mumbai season was a shade disappointing when only managing to finish 6th to Kanchenjunga back down to 7 furlongs and she finished last on her reappearance run here which came almost 2 months ago. She has been given time to improve and kept fresh since that run with very little track work and attempts a sprint for the first time with C.S. Jodha taking over in the saddle. She looks to need a little more time to come to hand and could run into a place if making some progress.
ROYSTON ROCK :- Untried 5 year old mare owned and trained by Mansoor Shah, she is winless in her 10 starts so far but has been skilfully brought down to an attractive mark and last time out, showed signs of some ability with the same rider up when fancied in the betting for the first time and finishing a fair 3rd to Diwali Lights and Bay of Love who reopposes today. She looks likely to progress and build on that run, Amyn Merchant keeps the ride and her recent trackwork has been satisfactory. She is an unknown quantity who could still improve and looks to have an each way chance again so is worth keeping an eye on.
BAY OF LOVE :- Veteran 8 year old gelding trained by H.J. Antia, he has run 40 times so far so looks fully exposed but has finished runner up on his last 2 starts so appears to be well within himself at present. He first finished runner up to Yutaka over this trip in a 4 year old and over contest and last time out when better fancied than stable companion Diwali Lights, again ended up runner up, 2 ¼ lengths clear of Royston Rock. He appears to be holding his form at the moment and G. Amit who rode last time out gets a leg up again today. He is likely to give it a good go and should be involved in the frame but may find one of the younger horses improving past him. In form though and worth considering.
CONCLUSION :-A tricky affair with not much to go on and plenty of unexposed types in the fray. It may be worth siding with Flammeus who has been working well and may be suited by the drop to sprinting. Optimum showed he was in good heart last time out and looks a big danger with the positive jockey switch and Bay of Love is also considered.
Race No. 3 :- The Acrobat Plate – Class II & III – Distance :- 1600M
CARBONARA :- Well bred 5 year old gelding trained by Imtiaz Sait, he clearly has ability as his record of 5 wins from his 23 starts will show, but he does not appear to be consistent and has been more or less out of form over the past year, his last win coming a little over a year ago when beating Charging Tigress by 2 lengths. He did give a little encouragement though on his reappearance run when finishing 5th just ¾ length behind Turning Point and with a little more improvement, he could be a factor. The booking of A. Sandesh replacing A. Imran Khan is also significant as he has been on board on several of his previous victories and if he can work his way back into form then he could very well be a factor.
TURNING POINT :- Progressive and in form 4 year old trained by S.K. Sunderji who seldom runs a bad race and always does just enough to win so her victories and her defeats are usually by narrow margins. She has been outside the frame just once in her 11 starts till date, winning on 4 occasions and runner up thrice for a very enviable record. She won back to back races on her last 2 starts in Mumbai beating Pugnacious by a head over a mile and then Moonshine by a nose dropped to 7 furlongs. She looked rusty on her reappearance run here when making late headway to finish 4th behind Auburn over this trip and her trackwork since has been exceptional suggesting that she has regained her previous form. She looks to be in great heart at present and with C.S. Jodha in the saddle, looks a leading fancy to get back to winning ways.
ODESSA :- Enigmatic but competent 5 year old trained by Malesh Narredu, he has had some setbacks in his career which have led to inconsistency but is very good when at the top of his game having won 4 of his 10 starts so far. However, he seems to have gone off the boil since his last win over this trip way back in December and finished well behind Turning Point and Carbonara on his seasonal reappearance. He has been working quite well and P.S. Chouhan keeps the ride but he seems unlikely to reverse the form with those who finished ahead of him last time and could run into a place.
ANGELS TOUCH :-4 year old filly trained by Karthik G who appears to be a late maturing sort and has been in cracking form this season, rattling off 3 wins in a row and may not be done with yet. Considered a Classic hope from the stable, she failed to impress in her earlier starts and came up short in the Classics which she did contest. However, she seems to have made terrific improvement over the summer and is unbeaten this term. She began the season in Class IV, scoring a convincing victory over Sandalphon by 3 ¼ lengths before showing the drop to 6 furlongs was not a problem when scoring an equally authoritative victory over Orion’s Belt next time out. She was stepped up to this trip last time out and took a further 7 kilo penalty in her stride when conceding weight all around and getting the better of Goshawk by ¾ length. She appears to be in tremendous form at present, A. Imran Khan keeps the ride and although up another 4 kilos and taking on tougher company, she must be respected and cannot be ignored.
TEXAS GOLD :- 4 year old colt trained by Hosidar Daji, who has a smart turn of foot and should strip fitter and has been well prepared since his lung opener earlier in the season. Overall he has managed to win 4 of his 13 starts so far, proving most effective over a mile trip although his last win was over 1800M when he convincingly beat Goshawk conceding 6 ½ kilos which puts him better placed with Angel’s Touch on the handicap. He has been working extremely well and also went a good Mock Race since his last run so he looks fit and ready to go and he could very well prove to be a danger to the best of them with K. Nazil booked to ride.
FOREST FAIRY :- Another Semi Classic type with a good overall record, this well bred 4 year old filly from the Bezan Chenoy yard has finished in the first two in 6 of her 8 starts till date, winning on 3 occasions. Missing the Indian 1000 Guineas because of a setback, she returned in mid March to score over 1400M in Class III beating Star of Thea. She ran well on her seasonal debut over 1400M although no match for Costa Brava, ending up 2nd but has to bounce back from a poor effort last time out 11 days ago when she finished well down the field, again behind Costa Brava. However, an interesting point in her favour is that both runs this season, she has carried a heavy weight of 61 kilos so it is interesting that she now takes a significant drop in weight although running in the higher grade and P. Trevor has been booked to ride. She might be benefitted by carrying a much lighter weight and looks primed for a big run.
CONCLUSION :- Very competitive in spite of the small field but Turning Point has been blazing the track since her warm up run and looks a leading fancy to return to the winner’s circle. Forest Fairy, who takes a 9 kilo drop in weight and has P. Trevor up looks a big danger as does Texas Gold who has also been well prepared.
Race No. 4 :- The D.N. Zodge Plate – Class IV & V – Distance :- 1000M
MALAVIKA :- Speedy 4 year old filly trained by Altaf Hussain, she has been quite consistent over this minimum trip for most of her 13 race career but only managed to score her maiden victory on her opening run this season, getting the better of Abraxas by 1 ¾ length. She must be considered unlucky on her bid to repeat next time out when getting hampered in the straight at a crucial stage and finishing on strongly to be a good 3rd to Fine Tune and Glorious Land. She showed that she is holding her form when 3rd in the higher grade last time out, pipped by Ustad Pedro and Speedo and is now eased in grade and has 3 ½ kilo claimer Vishal Bunde booked to ride. She has caught a bad draw in Stall 12 but appears to have maintained her condition well and in this lesser grade, has a good chance to earn herself another bracket.
BETWEEN THE WATERS :- Highly rated 3 year old gelding trained by S.K. Sunderji who made an impressive winning debut in Mumbai way back in March, showing a nice turn of foot to easily beat Red Carnation by 2 ¾ lengths and is likely to have benefitted from that debut run. He is running after a 6 ½ month break so is likely to be a shade rusty but has been diligently prepared by his painstaking trainer and should be fit and ready to go. He has been working extremely impressively for some time now and makes his handicap debut off what looks a fair mark and appears to be primed to make a winning return. He has bagged the plum Rail draw, has C.S. Jodha in the saddle and is strongly fancied to maintain his unbeaten record and win this.
GODSWORD :- 3 year old filly from the Narendra Lagad stable who has run modestly till date, winning 1 of her 6 starts. Making an eye catching debut over this trip back in Mumbai when finishing on strongly to be 3rd to Columbianaprincess and duly went on to win his maiden beating Clark Kent and Buddy Holly. He was out of his depth on his final run of the season The Bahrain Trophy finishing a well held 6th. Reappearing over 1200M in Pune, she finished a fair 3rd to Eden Rock but disappointed next time out when finishing 4th behind Malavika who appears to hold him on the handicap. Upped to 6 furlongs again last time out she ended a close 3rd to WabiSabi and now returns back to the minimum trip. The encouraging point in her favour is that A. Sandesh has been booked to ride today and he has an excellent strike rate for the yard. He looks to have a bit to do on form but can upset.
ADELE:- Well bred and late maturing 5 year old mare trained by Nazak Chenoy, she has run 11 times so far and gained an overdue maiden success last time out on her seasonal reappearance, looking vastly improved when trouncing the opposition over this trip and is likely to progress again. She appears to have maintained her form and fitness and may have just come right so with P.Trevor taking over in the saddle from A. Imran Khan, she may be able to take a 4 ½ kilo penalty in her stride and could have the scope to impress further. She looks a danger.
TRANSFORM :- 4 year old grey filly trained by Mansoor Shah who is relatively unexposed as well and was impressive when winning her maiden over this trip back in Mumbai. She has run 10 times so far and was largely untried in her first several starts before gaining her maiden success. She has been given 2 run this term to get her fit and hinted that she was coming to hand last time out when finishing on to be a close 5th behind Iron Age with the same rider up. She is likely to progress from that run again, does not appear to be handicapped too harshly and could be a good each way contender
CONCLUSION :-In spite of the long lay off, Between The Waters appears to have been well prepared for his return and should prove to be too strong for this opposition. Adele won impressively last time out and looks a danger along with the consistent Malavika.
Race No. 5 :- The Fourth Estate Trophy – Terms, Maiden 3 Year Olds – Distance :- 1200M
ARROWFIELD :-Well bred Phoenix Tower gelding who is respected as coming from the powerful Pesi Shroff yard and should strip fitter after his lung opener earlier in the season which came over this trip. He has run twice previously, getting an educative run over 5 furlongs in Mumbai and showing a little improvement last time out over this trip when finishing 6th behind Eyes For You. He is likely to improve for that effort and has been working fairly well. With Trevor apparently preferring Lethal Steps from the owner’s 2 runners, he may yet need some more time and S. Zervan takes the ride. He looks an each way contender and could be involved for the minor places.
ARTICULATE :-Nicely bred and interesting looking Excellent Art debutant trained by AdhirajsinghJodha, he is a half brother to Gallant Knight and has been showing out well in the morning trials. He has been given a fair amount of work and gate practice so he should be fit and ready to go. The field that he is taking on does not appear to be a particularly strong one, he has been given a decent draw in Stall 5 and C.S. Jodha has been booked to ride. He looks a good prospect and although a paddock check is advised to ascertain his fitness, he could be good enough to win first time out and should be fancied if looking fit.
BAYMAX :-Comes from the small stable of trainer Vinesh and appears to be the form pick in this field having run promisingly on each of his 3 starts until date. He has placed in all his 3 runs so far, finishing 3rd to Between The Waters over 1000M back in Mumbai and showed improvement when finishing runner up to Frieze next time out again over 1000M. He made his reappearance early in the season and again ran well, finishing 3rd to Enchanted and Improvisso, both of whom have gone on to frank the form. He has been well prepared since that run and the step up to 6 furlongs should not be an issue. The booking of A. Sandesh catches the eye and although he has been drawn wide in Stall 10, he still appears to have leading form claims.
LETHAL STEPS :- Thrice raced and another who has recently changed yards, moving from Altaf Hussain to Dallas Todywalla for whom she will be having her first start. After getting an educative run in Mumbai towards the end of the season she has run twice in Pune and has performed decently on both occasions. She made a promising start to the season when finishing runner up to Awesome One over 1400M, running a forward race and was well fancied dropped to 1200M last time out but did not show the expected improvement and could only finish 3rd to Pablo with the runner up Outrageous running poorly next time out. She has had 5 weeks since her last run and has worked fairly well in the interim so could have found some improvement for the change in scenery. The draw has also not been kind to her being drawn the widest in Stall 13 but P. Trevor retains the ride and she looks to have each way claims.
MYRCELLA :-Comes from the stable of Shazaan Shah and has a similar profile to Lethal Steps, getting an educative introductory run in Mumbai and then running twice this term without success. She too ran promisingly first time out on this track when finishing 3rd albeit a faraway one behind Kilkarry Bridge and Highland Lass but did not appear to build on that next time out when only 6th to Improvisso. She is entitled to improve for just her 4th career start but does have a bit to answer now. H. Zeeshan who rode her last time out keeps the ride but she looks more of a contender for minor honours and should struggle to trouble the principals.
SANTAMARIJA FESTA :-Got abroad 3 year old filly trained by Pesi Shroff, she does not appear to have quite come to hand just yet and after making her racing debut a month and a half ago has had 2 runs without making much of an impression. She did improve a little on her debut run when finishing 7th last time out, just behind Myrcella but is a nicely bred type and could progress again. On the face of it, she looks to still need more time but is respected as being from a powerful yard and could prove to be the dark horse here.
CONCLUSION :-Baymax who has run promisingly all 3 times looks set to shed his maiden tag with Sandesh an encouraging booking. Lethal Steps appears to be the main danger on form while the newcomer Articulate looks a promising sort and can also strike on debut if looking fit
Race No. 6 :- The Star of Gibraltar Plate – Div. I – Class V – Distance:- 1200M
TRUE GRIT :-Half brother to Ice Glacier who is still a maiden but has looked to have found some improvement and been running forward races this term. He has run 8 times in total and surprisingly has been mainly confined to sprint trips in spite of his pedigree suggesting he would prefer more galloping ground. He has run thrice this season, getting a good lung opener over 6 furlongs on the opening day when finishing 4th to Sassy Lass. Stepped up to 1400M for the first time on his penultimate start, he again ran suggestively, prominent throughout and ending up a close 3rd to Golden Weaver and Timeless Deeds. He looked a winner into the straight last time out but weakened close home and was overcome by the hard ridden favourite Lorraine close home. The drop to 1200M seems logical although on his pedigree, one would still like to see him tried over a trip and good stable apprentice Parbat Singh has been booked, claiming a useful 5 kilos. He has been working well and in this field, merits strong consideration.
BUDDYHOLLY :-Comes from the yard of Malesh Narredu and was well fancied on both his starts in Mumbai but failed to live upto expectations and now has something to prove. Sent off a warm favourite on his racing debut back in January, he could only manage to finish 6th behind Divine Power over 1000M and although showing a little improvement a month later, ended up 3rd to Godsword again over 1000M and was retired for the season. He was given a lung opener here to blow away the cobwebs and is stepped up to 6 furlongs for the first time. His last couple of workouts have suggested that he has made some improvement, he is running in the lowest grade and with 3 ½ kilo claimer Vishal Bunde in the saddle, can run into the frame if he has managed to make some progress.
HIGHLAND LASS :- Made her debut in the care of Malesh Narredu and ran quite pleasingly, not being able to match strides with Kilkarry Bridge over course and distance but finishing well clear of the rest and she is bound to improve for that run. She has since moved to the yard of Dallas Todywalla and looks set to make a bold first appearance for him. NeerajRawal takes over in the saddle for YashNarredu, she is expected to be fitter and sharper today and in this company, she looks hard to beat if she is able to make normal progression. Leading contender.
ROMANTIC WARRIOR :- Well bred 5 year old gelding who is still a maiden after 7 starts but made a promising return to racing after a year off the track when competing over 1000M last month and ending runner up to Adele with the same rider on board. That was his first run for his new yard and he should improve and come on for that run provided that he has come back sound. He is still quite unexposed and if his new Trainer has been able to find the key to him, then he is likely to be well placed on the scales. N. Nadeem keeps the ride and this run of his should be watched with interest and he could prove to be a dark horse who is worth keeping an eye on.
SHER KHAN :-3 year old gelding trained by Narendra Lagad who made his debut this season and has already had 3 runs so is eligible for a handicap mark. He has finished 5th on all his 3 starts so far, making his debut over 1400M but running his last 2 races over this trip, last time out finishing 5th of 6 behind Excellent Sorrento. He should be fit enough after 3 runs this season and takes on open company for the first time with K. Nazil booked to ride. He could find some improvement in this weak grade, has been working well and looks to have an each way shout.
CONCLUSION :-Highland Lass made a satisfactory debut when beaten by a good horse in the shape of Kilkarry Bridge and with nothing of that quality appearing to be in this field, she is likely to make a winning start to her stint with Dallas Todywalla. True Grit looks to be the main danger on form with Romantic Warrior the dark horse.
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same)
