This is the weekend that racing enthusiasts have been waiting for. The Indian Turf Invitation Cup Carnival gets underway Saturday afternoon. There is an eight-race card and post time for the first event is 1.25 PM.

I hope you have been spending time to sharpen your handicapping skills. They will be put to a serious test over the weekend. The fields have depth. The fields are balanced.

This is an exercise I am embarking upon with considerable trepidation. Coming up with a story line and writing it is what I like. A comment or two now and then is also up my alley. Trying to pick winners is the hardest part and the reason is that it is a heartbreaking endeavour. Wagering on your choices and cashing a ticket or two will depend on patience, discipline and the ability to sift the wheat from the chaff. These are elements in wagering that are easier said than done. Handicapping the horses is a learning process. It is by making mistakes that we learn and keep in mind that every mistake need not involve parting with money. Academic exercises can help you learn from mistakes.

You are not giving yourself a chance to win money if you wager on every race. Racing is a game of percentages. Pick a race or two and sometimes, three. It does not matter what your system is. Some homework will help you think better at the track when the crunch time arrives. The better bettors make better decisions more often. More often than not, wagering is based on last-moment decisions. The more selective you are, the better the chances of your going back with what you brought in. A slice of luck may make your pockets heavier.

I will confine myself to three races today. In the second race, I will jump on the Wonder Smile bandwagon. Her credentials are strong. She loves to win. Yes, she is conceding weight but her form is such that she should be equal to the task. Rhapsidion Snow has had excuses. Danny Grant takes over. You may have a good argument to support Rhapsidion Snow but I looked for a reason to oppose Wonder Smile but could not find it.

The Sprinters' Cup is widely perceived as a duel between Oasis Star and Woman On Top. Oasis Star will be a lot higher than 65/100. Woman On Top is likely to be next in demand.

What can separate the two? The two camps have compelling reasons to advance their causes. Oasis Star won her last start. It was the manner of winning and the fact that she overcame adversity stamp Oasis Star as a top contender. Her record speaks for itself.
Jockey Srinath knows Oasis Star like the back of his hand.

Woman On Top comes off a sparkling score in Bangalore. After missing the kick, Woman On Top, patiently and astutely handled by Silvestre de Sousa, was held up and pounced on the leaders when let loose. She is trained to the minute by the energetic Lokanath who is very optimistic. Colm O'Donoghue is aboard Woman On Top.

My choice is Woman On Top. If she does not win, I have picked the wrong one in the Sprinters' Cup.

I am taking Arabian Night in the Stayers' Cup. Wonder Smile beat Arabian Knight in Bangalore and by a narrow margin. What Wonder Smile does in the second race will serve as an advertisement to Arabian Knight's chances. The other thing about Arabian Knight that influences me is that he is showing discernible and considerable forward movement. He is peaking at the right moment. From what I can gather by reading his lines, the 3000-metre journey is within Arabian Knight's reach. Samuel Fargeat, based on my limited observation, is a better rider when holding horses up and making moves down the stretch. He has a commendable sense of pace. I have known trainer Dhariwal for a long time including the period when he was a jockey.