UNRAVELLING THE CLASSIC CONUNDRUM - A Preview of the Spartan Poker Indian 1000 Guineas (Grade 1) - By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 07 Dec 2018
UNRAVELLING THE CLASSIC CONUNDRUM – A Preview of the Spartan Poker Indian 1000 Guineas (Grade 1)
By Cyrus Naterwalla
The first Classic of the Mumbai racing season – The Indian 1000 Guineas is slated to be run on Sunday December 9th 2018 and will establish the best 3 year old filly over a mile from the current crop. While the Colts section seems to be overflowing with talent, the Fillies have looked a very ordinary lot this season and this year’s field too looks well short of that required of Classic standard. Although there are 2 Regional Classic winners in the fray, the field looks well below the quality expected for a race of this stature and although there are some potentially classy types competing, only a handful of the declared runners look worthy of their place in the line up. A stark contrast to last year where the brilliant Lady In Lace, at her peak at that time, just about held off a strong challenge from her owner mate Windsor Forest with the brilliant Ruffina, gallant in defeat ending up a close 3rd. All of those 3 fillies were clearly top drawer whereas the average rating of this year’s field appears to be in the low forties – akin to a Class III and IV contest. There are 2 out station challengers in the fray from Bangalore one of them appears to be leading contender.
A brief assessment of the principal contenders is given below
ISN’T SHE LOVELY (Excellent Art x In The Spotlight)
TRAINER :- S. PADMANABHAN
JOCKEY :- DAVID ALLAN
RATING :- 74
DRAW :- 5
STARTS :- 6
WINS :- 4
Out station challenger from Bangalore who is by far the highest rated in this field and appears to have the best chance to score in this sub standard renewal, also looking to be the best performed on paper. She is arguably trained by one of the best current Trainers for an Indian Classic and will be ridden by the best jockey on display – the pint sized powerhouse David Allan who already has a wealth of knowledge and experience on how to win and Indian Classic. 3rd in the Bangalore Summer Fillies Trial Stakes on just her 2nd career start beaten ¾ length and ¾ length by Punjabi Girl and Realms of Fantasy who recently gave that form a boost by beating Merlot in the Hyderabad 1000 Guineas, she has gone on to make steady if unspectacular improvement since then, winning a Class II handicap over a mile beating Athena by 2 lengths, she then travelled to Mysore where she went down by a neck to Peluche as the odds on favourite before going on to claim the Mysore 1000 Guineas (Grade 3) by a length from Sakura and Shesmyscript. She returned from a 2 month break to score a stylish 2 ¾ length victory in her warm up in a 7 furlong handicap in Class I and arrived in Western India early to get acclimatized. She appears to be very much on the upgrade at present and looks likely to be sent off favourite on Sunday. She had both Oomph and Tic Tac Ipsy Tipsy well behind in the Summer Classic and while both may have improved for that effort she will no doubt have as well. She looks the most likely winner, has ticks in almost all the right boxes and is very hard to oppose. Her mother In The Spotlight went on to develop into a fabulous race mare, scoring a facile win in the Indian Derby and this first foal looks likely to go a long way in preserving the family name
OOMPH (Midnight Interlude x Jahanara)
TRAINER :-VISHAL GAIKWAD
JOCKEY :- SURAJ NARREDU
RATING :- 57
DRAW :-6
STARTS :-8
WINS :-1
One of the leading fillies of last season in Western India and perhaps the leading contender from the home contingent, she is also the 2nd highest rated in this field and the only other filly to have already tasted classic success having taken the Bangalore 1000 Guineas just 8 days ago from New Creation and Blue Moon. Shockingly, that was her maiden victory although she has run with credit in most of her other starts. Runner up to 2 smart types in the form of Mozart and Pioneer in her first 2 career starts, she made tremendous late headway from the rear to finish a very impressive 3rd behind Corfe Castle and Star Superior in the Poonawalla Multi Million but looked totally off colour when an odds on favourite for the Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders Juvenile Fillies Championship but ending last of the 5 runners. She could only manage 6th in the Bangalore Fillies Trial Stakes in the summer where she was well beaten by Isn’t She Lovely and was well beaten by Sakura a month later in The Lady Doctors Fillies Trial Stakes in Mysore. However, she appears to have improved and strengthened up over the winter and looked a different filly when coming with a strong run to claim the Bangalore Guineas. She has had to travel in a short space of time and it is interesting that Leigh Roche who rode her to victory in Bangalore has opted to ride La Rondine instead and she will be partnered by Suraj Narredu. On paper, she looks to have plenty to do to put it across Isn’t She Lovely but she is open to further improvement and rates as the main danger and the hope of the home contingent. Her half sister Mozambique won 3 of her 6 races in Hyderabad so the pedigree looks strong and she should run a big race
LA RONDINE (Kingda Ka x Rahy’s Serenade )
TRAINER :- VISHAL GAIKWAD
JOCKEY :- LEIGH ROCHE
RATING :- 38
DRAW :-2
STARTS :-1
WINS :- 1
2nd runner from the Vishal Gaikwad yard and must have given a terrific feel to Leigh Roche as he presumably had the choice between the yard’s 2 runners and seems to have opted for La Rondine. She is the only unbeaten filly in the field having run just once prior to this, her lead up race which was a 6 furlong Class IV handicap on the opening day of the season where she scored by 2 lengths from Flaming Martini. That was her first start ever so she seems open to plenty of improvement but it is a huge ask to contest an Indian Classic on just your 2nd career start and she may set some kind of record were she to emerge triumphant although Mrs. Patmore did win this race on just her 3rd start. There is nothing to fault her on the pedigree side with her half brother Serjeant At Arms possibly one of the finest milers to ever grace the Indian Turf and a facile winner of the 2000 Guineas in his year. She looks a potentially exciting sort on paper and in a year where the field lacks strength in depth, she must be given a chance and could prove to be good value at a price
ARABIA (Multidimensional x Adamile)
TRAINER :-PESI SHROFF
JOCKEY :- AKSHAY KUMAR
RATING :- 41
DRAW :-4
STARTS :-2
WINS :- 1
One of 2 runners for the all conquering Pesi Shroff yard and presumably the more fancied of the pair with Anatevka looking likely to play the role of a pacemaker and ensure a true gallop. A full sister to Amelia and the brilliant Myrtlewood, she too looks a potential Classic type on paper and has run only twice so looks to have plenty of scope to improve further. She made her racing debut on the final day of the Pune season where she was sent off favourite in a 6 furlong maiden but looked all at sea and could only finish up 5th behind Hyannis. However, she showed just how much that run had benefitted her when reappearing on the opening day of the season on this track, just needing to be shaken up to score an impressive 4 length victory over Between The Waters clocking a time of 1.11.16 compared to the 1.11.03 of La Rondine on the same day. She looked vastly improved that day and is expected to make substantial improvement between now and then, and top out station rider Akshay Kumar has been flown down especially to ride after returning from a brief stint in Mauritius. Pesi has an excellent record in this classic and runners saddled by him must be duly respected. It hard to recommend Arabia on what she has done so far and she too is clearly being thrown into the deep end but does have the potential to be very classy and could very well make her mark and be involved at the end
MERLOT (Saamidd x Tourmalet)
TRAINER :-FAISAL ABBAS
JOCKEY :- A. SANDESH
RATING :- 53
DRAW :-1
STARTS :-4
WINS :- 1
3rd highest rated in this field and has performed creditably in her limited career so far winning 1 of her 4 starts. Trained by Faisal Abbas who very rarely has a Classic runner, this half sister to the mighty Tintinnabulation looks quite good in her own right and created a very good impression when coming to casually win her maiden over 1400M on debut not looking particularly interested in the early part but probably outclassing her rivals to win with plenty in hand. She was given a tough task on her next assignment when taking on more experienced and proven horses in The Rajendrasinhji Million over a mile and ran creditably in the circumstances to finish 3rd to Truly Epic and Intense Stylist. She was again convincingly beaten by Intense Stylist in the Morvi on her first appearance here but then showed good improvement last week to go down fighting by half a length to Realms of Fantasy in the Golconda 1000 Guineas, beating Sakura into 3rd by 2 lengths. She has had to travel back quickly and race again in just 6 days and her young trainer is yet to have a Classic winner but in a year which lacks strength in depth in the Fillies Department, she is entitled to take her chance. Her form with Realmsofantasy and Sakura does give her a chance to be involved on paper and she could finish in the frame
TIC TAC IPSY TIPSY (Western Aristocrat x Mutually Mine)
TRAINER :-PRASANNA KUMAR
JOCKEY :- ROBBIE DOWNEY
RATING :- 42
DRAW :-11
STARTS :-2
WINS :- 1
The 2nd outstation challenger in the field, this one comes from Bangalore and looks a very interesting contender returning from an extended absence having last run in the Bangalore Summer Fillies Trial which was 6 months ago. She has raced just twice previously, winning her maiden on debut over 1400M beating Excellent Memories and Saint Petersburg after which she travelled to Bangalore to contest the Fillies Trial where she finished 9th, well behind both Isn’t She Lovely and Oomph. She has not raced since then so has been given time to improve and strengthen but she is held in high regard by her connections and has been working extremely well for some time now. Irish youngster Robbie Downey has been booked to ride and should gain confidence from having gained his first winner on the track last Sunday and she looks to be the potential dark horse being an unknown quantity.
In the overall scheme of things, this looks a slightly sub standard field compared to previous years and it is hard to look beyond Isn’t She Lovely who looks to have the best form in the field and should be good enough to take this. Oomph appears to be the main danger on paper while the lightly raced duo of Tic Tac Ipsy Tipsy and La Rondine could make the finish interesting. Merlot appears to be closely matched on her Hyderabad form and if this race does not come too soon and she has travelled okay she could be a factor as well.
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same)
