Malesh astride Estonia finds many a slip between the cup and the lip

By Usman Rangila
u_rangila@indiarace.com

Mumbai, Dec 14, 2003

Can there be many a slip between the cup and the lip? Direct this query to Malesh Narredu and if the reply happens to be affirmative then do believe him. For, he is not relying on any hearsay; he is giving you an insight into his self-experience. Malesh’s tryst with this wretched feeling came when he deprived himself the honour of winning the London Club Worldwide-sponsored Indian 1000 Guineas run at Mahalaxmi on Sunday.

The margin of defeat may’ve been just three-parts of a length but the pain and embarrassment was monumental for him. Everyone watching this race couldn’t believe that a seasoned professional like Malesh was such a poor judge of the pace. To be fair to Malesh, he is not to blame entirely for this blunder. The owners of Estonia had reportedly given specific instructions to the prolific rider to sit ‘dead last’ till the last 400m. Nonetheless, it was nothing less than an anti-climax for Estonia, Malesh and the Khushroo Dhunjibhoy camp and more importantly for those among the betting community who believed Estonia will not lose.

There is no doubt that Estonia is blessed with an incredible turn of foot which was showcased during her S.A. Poonawalla Million victory at Pune season. Whether Malesh was overconfident or complacent is open to conjecture and something which will be debated for a long time to come. The fact remains that the Nanoli Stud-bred daughter of Alnasr Alwasheek out of Chloe’s Delight was given too much to do in the straight. Estonia came with raking strides but couldn’t deny Fair Always her place in the sun. 

Fair Always (C.Rajendra up) winner of the London Club Worldwide Indian 1000 Guineas (Grade I) being led in by owners Saleem A Jasdanwalla & 
Saleem A Jasdanwalla. ALso seen trainer Altaf Hussain (second from left)

Fair Always indeed gave a gutsy performance and C. Rajendra proved to be a perfect foil for the Altaf Hussain ward. He judged the pace to a nicety and brought Fair Always into a striking position even as the pacemakers were carrying out their mission. 

After Wave of Bliss and Glensanda had both shot their bolt and with Dancing Greens unable to make any headway, the prospects of Decent Proposal and Highness appeared rosy as they had the upper hand for a brief while. It was at this juncture that Fair Always was set alight by Rajendra. The Poonawalla Stud-bred daughter of Alnasr Alwasheek out of Si Senorita ran amok like a raging fire that consumed her opponents and reduced them into ashes. Estonia certainly lives to fight for yet another day while those who cried for attention among the beaten lot were: Decent Proposal, Highness and Rapidash. 

A blame game started after the return of the Guineas’ to the paddock. Malesh vent his ire on P. Kamlesh, who was astride Rave, accusing him of ‘blocking’ Estonia till the final turn. There were more ugly scenes to follow but for decency sake they are best left alone to be dealt with wisely by the individuals involved.

Big Blaze (C.Rajendra up) winner of the Homi Modi Trophy being led in by trainer Imtiaz Sait (right) and owner Amrit R Mathani.

Rajendra had two more winners in Big Blaze and War Zone. The former wore down the dickey-legged El Campeador, who failed to accomplish a start-to-finish mission. The Imtiaz Sait-trainee went on to score over Singita and Radical Force. Upbeat after his Guineas’ success, Rajendra had no trouble in bringing War Zone from draw 15 to lead the field. Thereafter, the got-abroad gelding from Sarosh Mody’s yard went untroubled to the wire. The performances of Positano, Truly Scrumptious and Hidden Dragon are worth ignoring as they all preferred to keep their abilities aside for this run at least. Anacita should be a force to reckon in older company.

French jockey Chris Lemaire made a disappointing season debut at Mahalaxmi when asked to guide the fortunes of Blue Horizon. Chris rode like a novice and was nowhere near his calibre. He brought Blue Horizon wide into the straight and then ‘dropped’ his whip when he required it most. This helped Cooji Katrak-saddled Lilac Queen (Steinbeck-Subsonic) escape the clutches of defeat and take home the Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy Trophy. Chris’ fellow citizen Samuel Fargeat astride Get Fresh gave a determined effort in pulling off a narrow victory over Early Bird and Inner Secret in the concluding race of the day. 

Simply Supreme made light of the heavy impost and decimated his opposition in the Maharashtra & Gujarat Area Trophy. The enthusiastic support cornered by Aguilas fetched a lucrative price for the son of Razeen from the bookies. Aguilas never seemed to be in a position to bring cheers for his followers and could only finish second after loitering in the rear for most of the journey. Later on, Money Star (Mischevious Music-Mariana) obliged but not before taking the stick from Zameer Sayyed to steer clear of Scrub and Light of Justice. Adonesque finished a close fifth after failing to intimidate Money Star but did advertise the possibility of a future conquest.

Simply Supreme (N.G.McCullagh up) winner of the Maharashtra & Gujarath Area Trophy

The two divisions of Snow Plate were annexed by rank outsiders and, incidentally, both were sired by Tirol. Irene Patel-nursed Melliflous (Tirol-Trumpets) kept Dazzling Ray at bay in the first division while Lord of the Rings (Tirol-Miss Champagne) snatched the second from Je Reviens, who was a winner at every stage of the race except at the post. Dudleys failed to give a ‘Battery’-like performance in the upper division and ended fourth. The Bezan Chenoy-trained filly Don’tspenditall was the ante-post favourite in the lower division but she ran quite disappointingly after her odds climbed during race time. It would be wise to keep away from her till she proves her worth. Last but not the least, Sugar Babe brought home the bacon ahead of Eternal Beauty in the curtain raiser thanks to Faisal Abbas’ astute sense of placing his charge.