Kolkata: Eight thoroughbreds will be competing in The Eveready Calcutta Derby Stakes (Gr.1) to be run here on Sunday, 9th January 2011.The race will be ferociously fought out, between the two classy fillies– Alice Springs and Xisca, with the latter having an edge.
Alice Springs is the winner of four races from seven outings. Her principal victories being - The 1400M Calcutta Fillies Trial Stakes, The 2000M Calcutta Monsoon Derby with her last win being The Calcutta 1000 Guineas on 28th November 2010. Then on 26th December 2010, with C. Alford astride she just knuckled under to-Xisca in The Calcutta Oaks, after a neck to neck encounter in the straight by an extremely narrow margin.
Her ‘dam’ Allinda was a top class filly who won four races and her highly classy ‘grand dam’ Lady Harriet was the dam of 10 superb winners viz. the multi-classic filly Forest Fantasy (9 wins), multi-classic colts Enrico and Our Minstrel (6 wins each).Now, Alice Springs will have the forceful Christopher Denis Hayes astride and will again run superbly.
However, Xisca is presently in brilliant form and has yet to peak. She is the winner of 5 races from 11 starts and earned stakes of almost a whopping Rupees One Crore and Thirty Five Lakhs.Her last four successive wins include the 2000M Golconda Deccan Derby (Gr.1), The Calcutta 2000 Guineas (Gr.2) and The Calcutta Oaks (Gr.3).
Her classy ‘dam’ Altimara is a Classic winner, who won four races inc. Kingfisher Calcutta Derby,Calcutta 1000 Guineas,and she is a half-sister to Allesca (dam of Simply Supreme, 6 wins incl. Indian Turf Invitation Cup,Aloritz, 5 wins incl. Calcutta 2000 Guineas; Immediate family of Etna 4 wins incl. Cruickshank Indian 1000 Guineas.
Hence Xisca is a bred in the purple filly who is raring to go and she is once again all set to fight it out with Alice Springs and win again - with the brilliant French jockey Stephen Pasquier astride.
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