UNRAVELLING THE CLASSIC CONUNDRUM - A Preview of the Stylecracker Indian 1000 Guineas - Grade 1 - By Cyrus Naterwalla
Posted on - 20 Dec 2019
UNRAVELLING THE CLASSIC CONUNDRUM – A Preview of the Stylecracker Indian 1000 Guineas – Grade 1
- By Cyrus Naterwalla
The Indian 1000 Guineas is the first Classic of the Indian Racing season and this year, will be run on the same weekend as the 2000 Guineas, mirroring the UK. A field of 11 will go to post this year, which is more than the last two years but about the average size for the decade. There are three out station challengers this year with Thailand having begun her racing career in Western India before globe trotting all over the country. The three out station challengers are also the 3 highest rated runners in the field with Gift of Grace at 76 rated just marginally higher than Well Connected at 75. Cosmic Ray and Well Connected are the two fillies who have tasted classic success already, the former an easy winner of the Mysore 1000 Guineas while Well Connected’s victories include the Bangalore and Deccan Fillies Championship and the Bangalore Summer Derby.
INTERESTING TRIVIA POINTERS
► Outstation runners have won thrice in the last 10 years – Siachen (2010), Vijay’s Pride (2012) and Lady in Lace (2017)
► Pesi Shroff has trained 5 of the past 10 winners but has not won the race in the last 2 years
► S. Padmanabhan has won the 1000 Guineas 21 years ago with his own filly Running Flame while this is the only Indian Classic which David Allan has not won
► All the last 10 winners of this race won their lead up races. This year only Juliette, Questina and Mirabilis have won their previous starts
► The last filly to win the Morvi and go on to win the 1000 Guineas was Jacqueline in 2009. This year, in 2019, the Morvi was won by Juliette. Both begin with the letter J. 10 years on will history repeat itself ?
► Greys have a poor record in this race though. The last grey winner of this race was Thumbelina way back in 1992
► Indian riders had won this race for 7 straight years before Leigh Roche broke that trend last year
► Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy’s previous success in this race was Sweeping Success way back in 2007. She too was ridden by Colm O’ Donoghue who rides Juliette
The leading contenders for this year’s Indian 1000 Guineas are :-
JULIETTE (Musketier x Gimmesumsugar)
TRAINER :-KARTHIK G
JOCKEY :- COLM O’ DONOGHUE
RATING :- 63
DRAW :-5
STARTS :- 4
WINS :-2
Tiny grey filly sporting the legendary gold and brown silks of Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy, she has a 50% strike rate from her 4 runs so far and although small in stature, clearly possesses an engine. Making her debut over 6 furlongs on the 16th of December last year, she beat only one home finishing 8th of 9 in a race won by Kariega. However, she showed significant improvement on that run when upped to 7 furlongs in her next start – The N.M. Irani Trophy where she came with a powerful late run to pip Victorious Sermon by 1 ¾ lengths. Her 3rd race came barely 2 weeks later where she showed that her win was no flash in the pan when making considerable headway in the straight after being one of the last to turn for home and ending up a notable 4th to Missing You, just ¾ length behind Hunt for Gold who ended 3rd on that occasion. Unraced throughout the Pune season, she reappeared in the Morvi Trophy after a break of 279 days and showed that she had improved again where she beat two of the leading contenders for the 2000 Guineas – Alexei and Sultan Suleiman quite convincingly in spite of her rider over carrying 3 ½ kilos in the saddle and clocking a smart time of 1.22.89 with Mirabilis clocking 1.24.15 in the previous race carrying 4 kilos less. She has been kept fresh since that last run and with the additional furlong likely to suit her, she looks in great form and on current form, appears to be the strongest local contender and also the one to beat
MISSING YOU (Arazan x Change of Luck )
TRAINER :-DALLAS TODYWALLA
JOCKEY :- NEERAJ RAWAL
RATING :- 67
DRAW :-4
STARTS :-7
WINS :-2
Winner of the Poonawalla Breeders Million as a juvenile beating Hunt for Gold and Juliette on that occasion, she travelled to Bangalore for the summer season but did not appear to be suited by the conditions, running twice and finishing well beaten on both occasions, far behind Well Connected and Thailand in the Fillies Championship Stakes. She was put away and rested after that and brought along steadily in Pune, making her reappearance at the end of the season in the Rajendrasinhji Million over a mile where she won stylishly by 3 ½ lengths from Majestic Warrior with Kariega back in 3rd conceding 2 kilos. She ran a 7 furlong Class II prep race before this leading throughout but collared very late on by Pure Zinc and going down by half a length. She may not have been suited by the drop to 7 furlongs that day and was also beaten by a horse with plenty of potential so she cannot be written off and is expected to run a big race
WELL CONNECTED (Arazan x Guest Connections)
TRAINER :- S. PADMANABHAN
JOCKEY :- DAVID ALLAN
RATING :- 75
DRAW :- 7
STARTS :-6
WINS :-4
Looked to be the best 3 year old filly in the early stages of her career, winning her first 4 starts impressively, 2 of them Group 1 affairs, and showing a trademark late turn of foot to beat Thailand in the Fillies Championship Stakes and then Impavid in the Bangalore Summer Derby. However, after that race, her form seemed to take a downturn as she only just managed to pip Gift of Grace in the Deccan Fillies Championship before coming a cropper in the Deccan Derby where she ended a poor 4th behind Consigliori and Impavid. She finished a tame 3rd behind Anjeze and Gift of Grace in the Bangalore 1000 Guineas 3 weeks ago and now appears to have a bit to prove. Her trainer feels that she may have needed that run and she should improve but her graph clearly seems to be taking a downward trend and she will need to improve significantly to win this
GIFT OF GRACE (Speaking of Which x Appeasing )
TRAINER :-PARVATI BYRAMJI
JOCKEY :- DAVID EGAN
RATING :- 76
DRAW :-10
STARTS :-5
WINS :- 1
The highest rated in this field and also appearing to be the strongest of the out station challengers but it is a bit disconcerting that she has finished 2nd on each of her last 4 starts, two of which have been Classic races. Well beaten by Victorious Sermon after scoring a wide margin maiden success on debut, she went on to run a cracker in the Deccan Fillies Championship Stakes, going down to Well Connected by a short head with Thailand just ¾ lengths away. She then travelled to Chennai to contest a rich Million race finishing runner up to My Journey with Armaity well behind her in 8th place. She just lost out to Anjeze in the Bangalore 1000 Guineas and should be able to confirm that form with Well Connected. She looks to have an excellent chance if improving on that last run and looks a very strong contender
Summarizing, Juliette looks likely to claim the first Classic of the season with Gift of Grace likely to finish runner up yet again and Missing You and Well Connected fighting it out for 3rd.
(Disclaimer : Views are entirely that of the correspondent only and RWITC takes no responsibility for the same).
