There
were countless people, uninitiated to the sport who relished the
pulsating finale of the McDowell Indian Derby, sponsored by the flagship
company of Dr Vijay Mallya’s UB Group, in homely comfort. The telecast
of the Indian Derby was beamed live to their homes courtesy Ten Sports.
The crowd went in raptures as the final lap of the journey started and
the ultimate finish provided them an awesome experience.
After peeping through the Derby window, all first-timers to Mahalaxmi
got a glimpse of what horse-racing actually is. They all returned to
their shelters assured with the knowledge that horse-racing is not all
about gambling.
Digressing for a moment, RWITC committee member Vivek Jain deserves a
word of mention for chasing the media for that extra bit of space in
support of the grand event and which helped attract a record crowd at
Mahalaxmi. The unprecedented coverage accorded by the print media proved
to be the source of inspiration for several television news channels and
it was amazing to see the respective crew members trying to outsmart
each other. Take a bow Vivek.
Admiral Force embarked on his regular pace-making mission but with a
difference. He went at a faster clip than ever before with the apparent
intent of unsettling Mystical’s rivals. Although this pace was to the
liking of Mystical, the blistering pace of the race made scores of
racegoers nervous by half-time.
The Indian Oaks winner Romantic Liaison became first victim of the pace
as she got burnt out chasing Admiral Force into the straight. Holding
Court was the first to enter the straight and Mystical not far off.
Niall McCullagh launched Holding Court and attempted to steal a march.
At this stage B. Prakash thought it was time for Mystical to stage his
entry. He came with an energetic effort and closed in on Holding Court.
Victory seemed to be within reach. But P. Kamlesh ridden Velvet Rope had
other ideas. The son of Turtle Island out of Truffa, foaled at Sultan
Singh’s Sohna Stud Farm, unleashed the fastest surge of his life and
gained his moment in the sun.
There was nothing exceptional in the strategy adopted by the connections
of Velvet Rope except sticking to the basics of the game. They all knew
that Mystical has a pacemaker and he will definitely bring him safely
into the home stretch. Kamlesh just had to follow Mystical for this to
happen.
It all seemed like a fairy tale when Velvet Rope found both Mystical and
Holding Court within striking distance opposite the grand stands.
Kamlesh first dealt a fatal blow to Mystical’s chances and then joined
the issue with Holding Court.
A fierce battle ensued. It was an eye-ball to eye-ball contest between
the two and none willing to blink. Velvet Rope’s flaring nostrils always
provided him the edge but Naill gave a last shot and got Holding Court
to flourish.
After doing all the hard work both Kamlesh and Velvet Rope were
unwilling to let the advantage and the Indian Derby slip away from the
grip. Kamlesh dug in for one last time into the reserves of Velvet Rope.
The bay gelding scratched the bottom and generated enough fuel for
Kamlesh to deliver the final blow to Holding Court.
Velvet Rope was visibly tiring out in the dying moments of the race and
his exhausted legs took him all over the place making Mystical suffer in
the process. Kamlesh too was losing control over his senses. In his
exuberance to raise his whip towards the stands, Kamlesh very nearly
lost his balance and almost collided with Holding Court near the winning
post. Fortunately for Shiven Surendranath and Rajan Bajaj, the proud
owners of Velvet Rope, the chequered flag came down.
The presentation ceremony over, it was party time for Team Velvet Rope.
Champagne was flowing like water all night. As admitted by Shiven
himself it was hectic night for all of them; Hectic starting with
capital H.
