From the Horses Mouth - Race form Analysis Guide for Saturday, 28th September, 2019 - By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 27 Sep 2019
From the Horses Mouth - Race form Analysis Guide for Saturday, 28th September, 2019
- By Cyrus Naterwalla
Race No. 1 :- The In The Spotlight Trophy – Div.II – Maiden 3 Year Olds – Distance :- 1200M
ARMAITY :- Daughter of Hills and Stars from the mighty Pesi Shroff stable, this debutant with an interesting pedigree could be potentially classier than this lot of maidens and commands respect in this company. She has only had a couple of easy workouts and a gate practice so she is clearly not fully wound up and is worth a paddock check in the preliminaries. However, she has moved nicely in her limited workouts and looks a smart sort. She has also bagged the No. 1 rail draw and N.S. Parmar has been booked to ride. Her full brother Cosmos has won 3 of his 4 starts in Bangalore till date finishing runner up in the other one while Daffodil, a half sister by China Visit was also trained by Pesi Shroff and had 4 wins to her name from 12 starts. She is likely to come into her own over further in due course but could be good enough to win this in spite of not being fully prepared.
GOD’S DECREE :- Probably the more fancied of the stable’s 2 runners and the mount of A. Sandesh, this full brother to the yard’s Julio Cesaro has run 6 times till date without a win but after finishing well down the field in 4 sprint maidens in Mumbai, has looked to have improved this season, finishing runner up the last twice and looking ready to win one of these before too long. He was beaten quite soundly on both occasions, finishing an 8 ¼ length runner up to Properly Posh over this trip on reappearance and last time out dropped to 1000M, was beaten 3 ¼ lengths by Sandman when he had stable companion Dancing Jade well back in 5th. He is the only one in this field with current form and hence looks a very strong contender and has a good chance to break the jinx and make it 3rd time lucky today.
STARRINGO :- 3 year old filly from the Dallas Todywalla yard who has run 7 times so far without success and after finishing runner up in her first 2 starts, seems to have lost her way and needs some sort of a revival. She has run twice so far this season, finishing a distant 4th to Sasakwa on her seasonal debut and last time out dropped to this trip, ended just outside the frame when 5th to Elusive Star. The only point to make a note of is after that last run, she has produced some excellent pieces of work which suggest that she may have unlocked some improvement. K. Nazil who rode last time out keeps the ride and if she is able to reproduce her excellent trackwork then she is capable of having a say here and could be involved in the finish. Possibilities.
VICTORIOUS SPIRIT :- Once raced Gusto filly trained by Vishal Gaikwad, who has the potential to be better than what she showed in her only run so far. She made her debut over 1000M last month, given an easy educative run when finishing mid division behind Sachertorte and she is expected to improve on that run and strip fitter today. The additional furlong is likely to suit her and the switch from Kishore Kadam to Akshay Kumar is a positive. Of her siblings, one half brother Fortune Express was well performed winning 4 races from 24 starts and placing 3rd in the Group 3 Indian Champagne Stakes in Kolkotta while the other two while the other two Dream Express and Strides Ahead were winless in 11 starts apiece. She should run better than she did on debut and is worthy of each way consideration, especially if looking well in the paddock.
CONCLUSION :- God’s Decree is the only one in the field with current form having finished runner up the last twice but she could be vulnerable to something with a little quality and it may pay to take a chance on the well bred Armaity. The daughter of Hills and Stars looks the part on paper and could have the class to win this besides being under prepared. Starringo looks to have improved judging from recent workouts and is also considered along with another potential improver Victorious Spirit
Race No. 2:- The Fair Haven Trophy – Class I & II – Distance :- 1200M
CLYMENE :- 5 year old mare trained by Faisal Abbas who has run 16 times till date with 5 wins and 6 placed efforts to her name for a good overall record. She has run twice already this season, catching the eye on her seasonal reappearance when finishing an excellent close 3rd to Iron Age over this trip, a long neck behind Excellent Gold who was receiving 11 kilos and ahead of Gazino to whom she was conceding 9 kilos. She looked very well handicapped in the Akkasaheb Maharaj Trophy and was expected to run well but disappointed in spite of the favourable Terms and finished 10th of the 11 runners so she has something to prove now. That could have been a rare off day that day and Akshay Kumar now takes over from S. Zervan in the saddle and she looks well handicapped still on her opening day run. She does have to prove that she has not gone off the boil but if that last run was an aberration then she does stand a good each way chance today and should not be overlooked.
ST. ANDREWS :- Battled hardened veteran, this 6 year old gelding from the Bezan Chenoy stable has won 4 times from his 21 starts besides placing on 7 occasions but we have to go back to August 2017 for his last win which ironically came on this track in a handicap. He seems to be just unable to find his feet at Group level and has mainly struggled to make his mark since that last win, but he finished on nicely to be runner up in the Akkasaheb Maharaj and is capable of building on that performance. He is slightly worse off with Gazino on that running but much worse off with Excellent Gold and hence will need to improve significantly if he is to have a winning chance. A. Imran Khan takes over in the saddle from Prashant Dhebe and although he does look a contender, he seems more likely to fill a minor berth today and winning looks tricky.
GAZINO :- 5 year old colt trained by Nosher Cama who has developed into quite a useful sprinter although he is not always consistent and does have some off days like on the opening day of the season when well fancied but running a poor 5th. He bounced back with an impressive win over Flaming Martini next time out before running a close 3rd in The Akkasaheb Maharaj and while he should get the better of St. Andrews on paper, he was in a photo with Excellent Gold at level weights and now has to concede 9 kilos so it looks tough on that score. Neeraj Rawal takes over in the saddle from Yash Narredu and he appears to be in good condition so while he is expected to run well and figure in the places, on paper he has a tough task against Excellent Gold.
EXCELLENT GOLD :- Inconsistent 5 year old gelding trained by Narendra Lagad who has run 22 times till date with 4 wins and also 8 placed efforts in that time. It has been a very long time since his last win as well but he has gone very close on a number of occasions and looks to be extremely well handicapped today. Finishing a flying 2nd to Iron Age on his seasonal reappearance, he did not build on that when 3rd to Gazino next time out but the manner in which he finished on late in the Akkasaheb Maharaj was eye catching as he looked to be moving best of all at the finish and ended in a 3 way photo with Gazino and Star Baron. He was at level weights with Gazino and St. Andrews that day and is now receiving plenty of weight from both those rivals so he looks impossible to oppose on that score. K. Nazil his regular saddle partner is up again today and this looks his best chance to win in a long time.
CONCLUSION :- On paper it is almost impossible to oppose Excellent Gold who was at level weights with both St. Andrews and Gazino last time and finished right alongside them and is now receiving 10.5 and 9 kilos respectively. He has tended to be unreliable in the past but is working well and should win this. Clymene is closely matched with the selection on their first run of the season and could run him close if her last run is ignored.
Race No. 3 :- The September Handicap – Class IV & V, 3 Years Old Only – Distance :- 1600M
GALLOPING GOLDMINE :- Potentially smart 3 year old gelding from the stable of S.K. Sunderji who comes from a well performed breeding line with his full brother Spirited Regent finishing 5th in the Poonawalla Breeders Million and runner up in the Grade 3 Bangalore Juvenile Million his half sister Isabella yet to finish outside the first two in 10 starts in Hyderabad, winning on 5 occasions. He has had 3 runs till date and has perhaps the strongest form in this field, finishing a promising 4th in the Usha Stud Million on debut behind more fancied stable mate Dandi March and then chasing home Classic hopeful Mystic Bay upped to 7 furlongs next time out, himself well clear of the rest. He scored a bloodless maiden win on his final start in Mumbai where as an odds on favourite he was made to work hard by Wizard of Stocks before prevailing but that one has gone on to strengthen the form. He played up in the gates and injured himself on his intended reappearance back in early August but he has had time to recover from that and moved well in a recent Mock Race with Pure Zinc. Stable jockey C.S. Jodha takes the ride today and he looks a strong contender here in spite of top weight and is very dangerous to ignore.
RHAPSODY :- One of 2 runners owned by Vijay Shirke in this race, this highly regarded filly is trained by Pesi Shroff and comes from a strong bloodline being by Analeah who herself was out of the classy Prevalence. She has run twice until now, making a winning debut in Mumbai over 1200M but being hard pressed by no hoper Monk and only just prevailing by a long neck that day. The runner up has run poorly as a got favourite next time out so that form looks questionable and she too was disappointing on her next start which took place in Bangalore in the Group 3 Bangalore Summer Million over a mile where she finished a wretched 4th to Northern Alliance, 11 lengths behind the winner. She has been brought along steadily since that run which was about 6 weeks ago and looks open to improvement on just her 3rd start. The fact that retained jockey Akshay Kumar has opted for Hokkaido suggests that she has a lesser chance than her owner mate but S. Zervan takes the ride and she is very capable of improving and running much better today.
HOKKAIDO :- Twice raced got abroad filly who is an owner mate of Rhapsody but is trained by Vishal Gaikwad and brings decent Bangalore form to the table although she too has disappointed on her last start. She made a promising debut over 1200M when going down to Ice Floe by a long neck but upped to this trip in The Mystical Million next time out, she finished a well held 4th behind Speaking of Stars. She ran very green that day though, travelling wide throughout and seems to have improved since then judging from her recent workouts. Retained rider Akshay Kumar seems to prefer her to Rhapsody, she is likely to have improved and is expected to run a much better race today.
SPLASH :- Twice raced Arazan filly who is owned by the Poonawalla family and trained by Dallas Todywalla and is another with an interesting pedigree being a half sister to Indian Oaks (Gr. 1) and Mysore 1000 Guineas (Gr. 3) winner Isn’t She Special and She Is Special who won 3 races for Altaf Hussain in Western India. She finished some way behind Rhapsody on her racing debut in Mumbai but showed improvement when reappearing on this track again over 6 furlongs when looking green and inexperienced but running on late to finish runner up to Golden Era. She should improve considerably for that run and strip fitter and will also relish more galloping ground. A. Sandesh takes over in the saddle from Neeraj Rawal today, and she is another who looks to have a strong chance in this company and is likely to be right there at the finish.
CONCLUSION :- Interesting in spite of the small field and could prove to be quite competitive. Considering that both Rhapsody and Hokkaido are coming off poor runs over this trip albeit in a much stronger field it might be worth taking a chance on the improving Splash. She possibly has a fitness advantage, having already had a run this season and is sure to relish the step up in trip. Galloping Goldmine appears to have the strongest form on his Mumbai runs and also could be interesting in spite of top weight
Race No.4 :- The In The Spotlight Trophy – Div. I – Maiden 3 Year Olds – Distance :- 1200M
CLIFFS OF CAPRI :- Elusive Quality gelding who is one of 2 runners from the Pesi Shroff stable who has been quite consistent in his 5 runs till date without really showing much improvement. He has however been quite highly campaigned and this looks to be decidedly easier than his earlier runs. He has had 2 runs this season, both over 1400M and has run a forward race on both occasions before dropping back to finish 4th so he should be suited by the drop in trip. He has put in a couple of very impressive pieces of work since his last run and taking on a relatively weak looking opposition today, he looks a leading contender to finally shed his maiden tag and looks the one to beat with S. Zervan in the saddle.
C’EST L’AMOUR :- In form 3 year old filly trained by Narendra Lagad who is still a maiden after 8 starts but looks to have improved quite considerably this season and has gone close on the last couple of occasions. After 5 runs in Mumbai without much to show for them and having a lung opener in Pune, she showed signs of ability on her penultimate start when finishing a close 3rd to Sachertorte and just last week, upped to this trip she made the odds on favourite Dreams pull out all the stops before going down fighting by three parts of a length. She is turned out again quickly within just a week’s time but seems to be relishing her racing. C.S. Jodha retains the ride and while she does look to be one of the leading contenders and is expected to be involved in the finish, she may find Cliffs of Capri too strong and might have to settle for the runner up berth again.
FASCINATING :- As her name suggests, she is a fascinating contender, this filly from the small stable of Zadmal Singh has had an educative run in Mumbai from which she should have improved and learnt a lot and is having her first start this term. She has an interesting pedigree with most of the siblings have performed fairly well in their careers such as Prince Caspian ( 4 wins in Hyderabad), Elegant Beauty (3 wins), Alisha’s Pet (5 wins) and Iridescence (5 wins). She has been showing out quite well in her preparatory work and N.S. Parmar who has been in good form this season has been booked to ride. She is entitled to need this first run after the long absence but could be involved in the frame and looks like an interesting outsider.
NOTORIETY :- Interesting looking debutant from the Pesi Shroff yard, this filly is a half sister to Cataleya – winner of the Forbes Breeders Juvenile Fillies Championship ( Gr. 3) and 3rd in the Golconda 1000 Guineas (Gr. 2) and also Way Out who won 6 of her 10 starts in Western India. She was scheduled to run in The Southern Command Gold Trophy but contracted a fever and was withdrawn and now makes her debut over this slightly shorter trip. She appears to have been relatively well prepared and Neeraj Rawal takes the ride so she is definitely worth a look at in the paddock and is another who looks capable of surprising.
CONCLUSION :- Cliffs of Capri looks to have found a good opportunity to get off the mark and should score from the improving C’est L’a mour. Notoriety has the potential to cause an upset and may be worth chancing at a long price as well.
Race No. 5 :- The Macchupicchu Plate – Class IV & V, 5 Years Old & Over – Distance :- 1200M
AURODEN :- 6 year old gelding from the stable of Shazaan Shah who is quite lightly raced for his age and is a winner of 2 of his 18 starts so far. He looks to have come down to a mark which is close to his last winning one and he made a promising start to the season when running well after a long break to finish 3rd over 1400M to Sassy Lass. He should strip fitter for that run and although both his previous wins have come over 1400M, he should not be troubled by the slight drop in trip. He has managed to bag the No. 1 rail draw and Akshay who is a good front running rider has been booked replacing P. Trevor which would have to be a slight negative. He is likely to be prominently ridden and looks a strong contender to earn another bracket.
XOXO :- Consistent 5 year old gelding from the yard of S.S. Shah whose string seems to have dwindled in recent times. He has 3 wins and 3 seconds to his name from 22 starts and has generally been in good form in his 3 runs this season. He had Royston Rock back in 4th when finishing runner up to Adele on his reappearance in a race which has worked out well and upped to this trip next time out got up late to pip Super Mario. He went on to finish a fair 5th to Cezanne again dropping to 1000M last time out and should be more at home over this 6 furlong trip. He looks to be well within himself at present, N.S. Parmar who has been riding him all season is up again today and over this trip, he looks to have a good each way chance and should be involved in the frame.
COLLEGIUM :- Well handicapped 5 year old gelding trained by S.K. Sunderji, he usually does very well when dropping into this lower grade and most of his recent runs have been in the higher class. He has a similar profile to Xoxo with 2 wins and 3 seconds from 25 starts and he has come down to a mark which is below his last winning one. He was withdrawn on his intended reappearance earlier in the season in the race which was won by Xoxo but showed his well being in a recent Mock Race and looks all set to go. C.S. Jodha takes the ride and while he has to prove that he retains his old ability, he looks to have an excellent chance on the pick of his old form and cannot be left out of consideration.
EBONY :- Well bred 5 year old mare trained by Altamash Ahmed and ridden by retained rider Neeraj Rawal who used to be a perennial bridesmaid, finishing runner up on as many as 6 occasions in the past but finally got off the mark on her seasonal reappearance with an impressive performance, scoring with aplomb over this trip when beating Macgyver convincingly by 3 ¼ lengths. She has been given a 5 kilo penalty for that win but should gain confidence from the win and is likely to make a bold bid to repeat now upped in grade and against tougher opposition.
ROYSTON ROCK :- 6 year old mare who is owned and trained by Mansoor Shah and has won 2 of her 19 starts, scoring back to back wins one apiece in Pune and Mumbai at the end of last year and has been quite consistent since then. Making the frame in all but one of her 4 starts in the recent Mumbai season, she finished runner up to Namaqua on her seasonal reappearance here over 1000M and last time out finished 4th behind Adele just a length behind Xoxo who was 2nd that day. She is returning after a short break which is a slight concern but the booking of A. Imran Khan suggests that connections fancy their chances today and she is another who is definitely worth consideration in this competitive event and should be right there at the finish.
USTAD PEDRO :- Sparingly raced 5 year old gelding from the in form stable of Narendra Lagad, who has won once from his 11 starts so far and is another who has been running quite consistently without winning in his recent starts. He has had 2 runs this season, finishing a distant 3rd to Findlerhof over 1400M on his reappearance and finishing on late to be 4th to Pleiades down at this trip last time out. He should have gained enough fitness from those 2 runs and A. Sandesh has been booked today which looks to be a big positive. He may still have some improvement left in him and is another who is worthy of each way consideration and is capable of adding to his tally.
CONCLUSION :- This looks extremely competitive with several chances and is probably best left alone from a betting standpoint. The chief ones to consider appear to be Collegium, Auroden, Royston Rock and Ustad Pedro
Race No. 6 :- The Richelieu Plate – Class V, 4 Years Old & Over – Distance :- 1600M
FENCING :- 6 year old middle distance handicapper who is trained by Adhirajsingh Jodha and has won 3 of her 23 starts till date and has been eased in grade back into this class. She likes to come with a strong run from off the pace as she showed a few starts ago in Mumbai when a convincing 5 length winner over Honourable Eyes. She has had 4 runs since then, all in the higher class and while she has not run badly in any of them, the handicapper has given her a chance and dropped her back into this class. She has already had 3 runs this season so fitness is unlikely to be an issue and returning to this grade and with Santosh G taking over from Malam Singh in the saddle, she looks to have an each way chance if she is in a galloping mood.
SUAREZ :- Originally named Ponderosa, this sparingly raced 4 year old gelding from the stable of Vinesh he is still a maiden after 9 starts but looked to have made some improvement over the summer as he ran a cracker on his reappearance over 1200M when finishing on strongly to be a half length 2nd to the well fancied Stick To The Plan and he looks sure to improve for that effort. The step up in trip is also likely to be in his favour and A. Sandesh takes the ride today replacing the unavailable P. Trevor. He has the scope for unlocking more improvement having just his 10th start and with more galloping ground expected to be in his favour, he looks a very strong contender to succeed.
GOLD MAGIC :- Maiden 4 year old gelding who began his career with Imtiaz Sait before being sold recently into Nirad Karanjawala’s yard and showed good improvement on his first run for new connections when running an excellent race over 9 furlongs and finishing a close 2nd to Power of Thor beaten just half a length. That run was a step in the right direction and A. Imran Khan who rode him last time out retains the ride. He looks capable of making some more improvement and if he is able to build on that last effort, then he too looks to have an excellent chance of getting off the mark and looks a serious player.
HI HO SILVER :- 13 race maiden who comes from the stable of Dallas Todywalla and is another who has been running quite consistently of late without really looking like she is ready to win. She has been tried over a variety of trips ranging from 1200M – 2000M and has run 3 different distances on all her 3 runs this season, placing on every occasion. She appeared not to stay the 9 furlong trip on her penultimate start and last time out finished 3rd to She’s a Tiger over 1400M with today’s rider up. The mile trip seems to the farthest that she wants for the time being and with P. Vinod enjoying good success for the yard this season, she is expected to be run a forward race and can figure in the frame again although she is yet to convince from a win standpoint.
DREAM TRAIL :- Interesting looking 5 year old mare from the stable of Nosher Cama who has a positive Jockey switch today with Neeraj Rawal taking over in the saddle from Yash Narredu and ran a forward race last time out on her first start of the season and kicked on to finish a fair 4th behind Eternal Dancer. She is likely to improve for that run and strip fitter today and the winner has gone on to finish a close 2nd next time out so the form looks strong. She had been tried only once previously in her other 8 starts, ending up a close 3rd to Saffron Flower over 1400M with Hi Ho Silver runner up that day. She still looks relatively unexposed so is capable of improving and is another worth keeping an eye on and is likely to be involved.
SHAPATH :- Maiden4 year old gelding trained by Subhag Singh who has run 13 times till date without success but has shown some promise this term and looks to be making gradual improvement. He finished on over 1200M on his reappearance to finish a close 6th behind Red Fire and after finishing just outside the frame when upped to this trip on his penultimate run, ran his best race yet last time out again dropped to 1200M when hard ridden throughout but finishing a close 3rd to Westeros. He once again steps back up to this mile trip which is hoped will suit him better and T.S. Jodha who rode him last time out keeps the ride. He too looks to be an interesting outsider and is capable of springing a surprise if he has his galloping shoes on.
CONCLUSION :- A messy finale but this looks a good chance for Suarez to get off the mark after finishing a very close 2nd to a well backed favourite last time out. Gold Magic has a similar profile and shapes as a danger as does the lightly raced Dream Trail.
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same).
