Classic hattrick by Psychic Flame
By Aalibaba

Kolkata
Sunday 4, January, 2004

The Double-classic winning filly not only foxed her six rivals in the Calcutta Derby Stakes on Sunday but she also outsmarted the morning railbirds who had written her off because of her poor track trials post her 2,000 Guineas win. The Darius Baramji-trained filly treated the Derby field with absolute disregard winning the 2,400m race by thee long lengths in the hands of jockey C. Rajendra.

The field was reduced to six hopefuls after Psychic Flame's stable-mate, Devil’s Own, was withdrawn for being fractious at the starting gates. Further, Another of Darius' ward, Acquisitive, came out of the stalls riderless, thus reducing the field to six hopefuls. Psychic Flame was ridden off the pace, her customary style, until the 600 metres from home while Far Hope set a scorching pace with Jimbo, Red Chief, and Artino running in close attendance as the 2-1 favourite Own Vision and the Flame, the 5-2 second favourite, graced the wrong-end of the field.

The 4-1 third favourite Red Chief was first to enter the straight but his hope were short-lived as the Flame joined the Daniel David ward within the next 100 metres of the race. Two hundred metres from home, the filly skated passed the leader in a trice with Rajendra just needing to push the Calcutta 2,000 and the 1,000 Guineas winner to claim the Triple Crown. Confirming the observations, Rajendra said: "Psychic Flame was never under pressure and I had very little to do for her victory." 

The fact that Psychic Flame should have been an odds-on favourite for the Derby after displaying her brilliance in the two Guineas but she was freely available at 5-2 and more, thanks to her light Derby preparations that sent wrong signals to railbirds who found her track work inadequate for a Derby favourite. The stable insiders, however, insisted that the Flame had confirmed her superior class in the two Guineas and her connections were over-confident about her stamina to tackle the mile and half trip. Moreover, in view of the demanding long winter season ahead, it was best thought to spare the filly from arduous testing gallops. 

The afternoon's eight event-card was, otherwise, ruled by trainer Vijay Singh. He reeled off four races in a hurry before the Derby, though their main hope Aretino had to remain satisfied with the third slot in the all-important classic. The No Louder-Lady Cox son did come with threatening strides when the field entered for the final two furlongs but only to deceive. He was a spent force the moment Psychic Flame walked on to the scene and finally failed to contain Red Chief by half-a-length. 

Vijay’s promising efforts included two sizzling finishes. In fact, his day started with the neck victory of Amicable in the 1,400m King’s Academy Cup. The five-year-old mare allowed Daniel David’s Direct Access a comfortable lead till the last turn but crept up to the leader as the race progressed and took his measure 30 metres from home while galloping in the middle of the track. Darius’ Small Fry, too, had her chance to beat all but the top-weight told on the Conquering Hero-Chain Reaction filly. She started third and remained so till the end but inched her way up to the fighting duo to place a good third – only a shade over a length behind. 

Shadow Dancing’s blinding speed was kept in reserve for the final onslaught and the daughter of Duja-Lightning Pace, a 5-2 second fancy after the 6-4 favourite Reaching Out, effectively utilised it in the 1,100-metre Azhar Cup. Held back in fourth, albeit close behind leaders Common Spirit, Flossy and Rebelwithacause until 300 metres from home the five-year-old mare sprinted into a two-length lead and won more comfortably than what the official verdict of a length and a quarter indicates. Reaching Out could not have done better as B. Prakash tried his utmost after waiting behind the ultimate winner and making simultaneous move with her. Rebelwithacause could be the coming winner. Inadequately prepared for the race, the Sizzling Melody-Desert Scandal was a good third. Incidentally, the first two Vijay’s winners were partnered by C. Alford. 

Jockey S. Shanker did not need to be brilliant to boot home Vijay’s third winner, Thrilling Proposal, in the Bahrain Trophy over 1,600 metres. Prepared in the company of Network, the Rebounding Thrill-Modest Proposal four-year-old four. sporting the popular Khaitan's colours, found an easy prey in Compassionate who had been humbled by Vijay’s Calescent on the New Year’s Day. 

The winner was kept right behind the even-money favourite and the owner-mate Actuary, a Darius;-trainee, until 300 metres from home before he was sent into the winning lead. Compassionate was, once again, brought with a sustained run from the fourth slot in which she remained comfortable till the home turn but the Javed Khan-trainee had no answer to the acceleration of Vijay-ward. 

Finally, Vijay won a thriller, which was worth going miles to witness. Zara Shah Cup was a race between two stable-mates – the 7-4 favourite Calorific and the 9-4 next in the betting Alashaan. Rarely one sees juveniles making their bid from the rear of a decently packed field but the two champions did so. They trailed the field of eight almost 10 lengths behind till the final turn and were asked to perform in the manner of seasoned campaigners. Although C. Alford on Alashaan tried to steal a win past the distance post, but Rajendra on Calorific, though starting off a trifle late, was a treat to watch as he brought the Steinbeck-Artistic son with telling leaps to settle the issue in the last stride. Beaten by a length and a quarter, Scent of victory was a good third, the slot that the Bee’s Prospector-Badge of Cernobbio colt had remained glued to all through the 1,400 metre race.. 

Javed, nevertheless, had his share of success in the Arabian Rose Cup in which the even-money Thanks To All vindicated the stewards’ observations that the Metal Pecieux-How Come son had gone easy in his last start. On that ocassion they had suspended jockey Phillip Alford who went on to have almost an armchair ride on Derby Day. The four-year-old virtually made every passing post of the 1,200-metre trip a winning and his victory margin was a shade under four long lengths. Prakash, the jockey of the second favourite, Measure Up, realised the potential of the winner long way from home and allowed Fortune Raja and Flinders to shine ahead of his chance. 

Trainer Tarak Nath Jaiswal must have his say on a big day. Although his wards missed out the winners’ enclosure on a couple of occasions on the New Year’s Day, his Abandoned left nothing to chance in the 1,200-metre Brave Dancer Cup. He won comfortably after establishing a handsome lead from the start, leaving Prakash again at the receiving end as his ride Magical Strike fell short by a length and a half despite the his best efforts. The even-money course-favourite Advancer was still poorer in fourth berth after making a futile chase of the leader until a furlong from home. Actualite finished full of running to place third, albeit about five lengths behind the winner. 

Destiny Dancer was another one whose rider was stood down for going easy in his last start and the Daniel David-ward could not help paying compliment to the stewards for their precise observations. The 4-1 chance, who is also known to be a late starter, covered good ground, virtually from the rear, to put pay pretensions of Sanjeev Charan’s Devasva who was comfortably ahead and was being hailed as a winner before Samuel Fargeat’s stronger handling of Destiny Dance took the measure of the leader in the last 30 metres of the race. The 5-4 favourite Loveisblind failed to impress at any stage of the race despite K. P. Appu’s efforts to get into the frame. In fact, it was the 5-2 second favourite Akebono who was a good third and now warrants support.