Star Admiral was made to sweat by Star Gold in his last appearance and that since the mile trip is a trifle short to his liking. The lionhearted son of Placerville is now slated to meet Berlioz, who was vanquished by Full Speed in the Harvins’ 2000 Guineas run eight days back at Bangalore.
Star Admiral is expected to win but may not have a cakewalk in this group one race as his barn-mate Southern Regent is also a strong contender. The Ramaswamy camp has created a stir by seeking the services of C. Rajendra to ride Star Admiral instead of Irishman Paul Eddery, who was flown in to replace B. Prakash. Paul will be partnering Southern Regent. Proteus (Clever Trick-Gentle And Bold) lost many admirers after his pathetic show over a sprint but that run is best taken with a pinch of salt as unlike his rivals he possesses a terrific turn of foot that may floor his opponents. Y. S. Srinath will be astride Vinayak’s candidate. Having won the 1000 Guineas with Venus Arising last Sunday, Cooji Katrak will be seeking a quickfire Guineas’ double through Petronius Maximus (Placerville-Indiscretion).
According to Mr K. N. Dhunjibhoy, all his three runners run with a decent chance. He however prefers Berlioz on his latest form, which Mr Dhunjibhoy claims is better than Proteus and Petronius Maximus and it is he would asked Malesh Narredu to ride Berlioz. However, Mr Dhunjibhoy thinks that both Proteus and Petronius Maximus should run a big race. Dr Vijay Mallya-owned Celtic Chief (Burden of Proof-Divine Dreams) has moved into classic contention quite fast with two quick wins at Bangalore but this race might be coming too soon for him and his rivals are a bit more experienced than him. Colm O’Donoghue, the Irishman who impressed racegoers with a fine double on Saturday will steer this trainee from Jaggy Dhariwal’s yard.
All said and done, Star Admiral should prevail over Berlioz, Proteus and Southern Regent.
