Astraea - one of the fancied runners for the Fillies Trial Stakes (Gr.1)

Astraea and Alvarita have better credentials
By Sharan Kumar

Bangalore
Jun 9, 2007

After a very long time, we will see 13 horses line up for the Gr.1 Fillies Trial Stakes, the first of the four classics of the Bangalore Summer Season, to be held on Sunday. Though the total number of those left in for this mile classic for three-year old fillies was 15, the two Hyderabad based runners, Hearts Cry and Hunting Bay, have not been declared to start. With the Bangalore Turf Club having restricted the maximum number of horses in a race in a handicap race to 12 a few years ago, race goers were used to a set pattern.

However, the restriction does not apply to classic races but these races did not attract big fields and as such, the maximum had stayed put at 12. This year has been an exception and a significant number of local and outstation horses are in the fray. This in itself suggests that the race has a very open look about it, with more than four horses running with a realistic chance of landing the spoils.

The contenders from Mumbai, Astraea and Alvarita, have impressed most on different counts. While the daughter of Alnasr Alwasheek, Astraea has impressed most for the amazing turn of foot shown by her, albeit in two mock races, Alvarita stands for the consistent performance as well as the quality of horses she has run with. Astraea won her only outing at Mumbai but she ran out at the final bend and finished the final two furlongs on the outer rail. On both the occasions that she ran in Bangalore in mock races, she has run straight as an arrow and what was impressive was the fact that she was traveling very well at the finish even without the jockey having moved a muscle to get her to stretch out.

Astraea has been blazing the track and her latest workout was outstanding. If everything goes as per the script, the erstwhile champion jockey Pesi Shroff might land his first classic in Bangalore as a trainer.

Quest For Cash (white cap) and Alvarita go stride for stride in this file photo. Both fillies are front line contenders for the Fillies Trial Stakes (Gr.1)
 

Shroff, who became the champion trainer at Mumbai within a year of switching his profession, has two other worthwhile contenders in the race. Quest For Cash who had the measure of Alvarita in a tight finish and Livorino are no mean contenders. The trainer thinks highly of them. But at the moment, Astraea stands tall over her stable-mates at least on public expectation.

Trainer Imtiaz Sait has had a poor run bothering him. The trainer who had made winning the championship back home at Mumbai a habit, hasn’t had a good year so far, with luck deserting him on most occasions. Alvarita who won a race for maidens pretty impressively, wasn’t lucky in the Gr.2 Breeders Produce Stakes where a poor quality ride saw her finish second best. And again, in the Gr.1 Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million she had her share of bad luck plus running into the highest rated three-year old in the country namely Bourbon King. Nevertheless, she was a close second. On the fourth occasion she was seen on the track, she was nosed out at the finish by Quest For Cash. To compound her problems, she also bled.

Despite a hard campaign Alvarita looks quite well after coming to Bangalore and she showed out in the mock race. She showed a remarkable turn of foot when her jockey asked her to quicken in the final furlong. May be, Alvarita is better off when she is ridden in restraint and her defeat on the last occasion at Mumbai may be due to the fact that the jockey took off too soon for comfort, causing her to tire out in the long Mumbai straight.

Among the local contenders, Ganapathy trained Classic Sky who won twice during the winter season, including over a mile in taking style, comes into strong contention. She lost her season’s opener to a good type of horse namely Perfect Tribute as she was conceding chunks of weight to her. Classic Sky has been working very well since then and she would not go down without a fight. The other runner from the gold and brown brigade, Reflected Glory came out of the maidens’ ranks earlier in the season, with an impressive win but she may be out of depth in this exalted company. Living Luxury and Sweeping Success are also talented and can extend the best.

Padmanabhan trained got-abroad filly Perfect Tribute is well bred and has shown good improvement since her last win. She has been working well and her dam is a half-sister to the successful stallion Burden of Proof. As such, Perfect Tribute can be expected to be in the thick of action and she is the one for those who prefer a long shot.

Hyderabad’s Auxiliary, who won thrice, is trained by Donald Netto. The daughter of Tejano has shown plenty of speed on each of her three impressive wins and she is a supplementary entry for this race. It remains to be seen how Auxiliary acquits herself against the might of the competition obtaining in this race. Her style of running in a mock race suggested that she is endowed with tremendous speed but the question mark is whether she can sustain it over a mile long race.

All said and done, an exciting race is on cards.