‘Form is temporary but class is permanent,’ says Malesh after his triumph in Airtel Indian Oaks
By Usman Rangila

Mumbai
January 18, 2003

Having been at the receiving end of some vitriolic criticism for failing to deliver the goods astride Estonia and Artois in the first two classics of the current season, Malesh Narredu sprung into action this week. He managed to reverse some opinions about his ability by guiding Estonia to an emphatic victory in the Airtel Indian Oaks here on Sunday.

After the euphoric feeling of having added a ‘Classic’ feather to his cap had sunk in, Malesh sounded more circumspect than arrogant when he borrowed the quotable quote: “Form is temporary but class is permanent” to use as a tool to silence his critics. Yet, there was a big difference in the strategy deployed by the connections of Estonia on this occasion. It may be recalled that Malesh was asked to sit ‘dead last’ in the 1000 Guineas, a decision that raised the hackles of the supporters of Estonia, who went down to Fair Always by just three-parts of a length.

When Estonia raced in the mid-bunch and within six or seven lengths abreast of owner-mate Glensanda, one knew that the Khushroo Dhunjibhoy camp was taking no chances with the Cooji Katrak trained filly. Glensanda bowled along merrily with Naill McCullagh in saddle with no serious challenge coming till the last 300m. Allies Serenade was the first one to throw down the gauntlet at Glensanda in the home stretch but the Darius Byramji candidate lacked the killer-instinct and was forced to beat a hasty retreat. Meanwhile, Malesh brought Estonia five off the fence and set her alight. It took just two whacks from Malesh on her haunches to set alight the chestnut daughter of Alnasr Alwasheek out of Chloe’s Delight. Malesh’s res! olve to excel was never more evident than at this juncture. Estonia’s explosive run blinded her opponents and she cruised away to reassert her claim of being the best four-year-old specimen in the country. 

The long-stretched run of Ramjet and her flaring nostrils got the better of Glensanda at the post to deny the winning connections a ‘forecast’ in the Oaks. Saved for this outing, Sprungli warmed up late to her task to finish fourth. Fair Always, the Indian 1000 Guineas’ winner, ran hopelessly in the rear without troubling the commentator in the closing stages of the race.

Malesh sported the same colours atop Aguilas (Pennine Ridge-Rose Blanche) to achieve a back-to-back double. Malesh nudged the maiden four-year-old gelding to set sails for a pillar to post mission and lasted out to win from Storm Ahead. The runner-up, ridden by S.P. Ranjane, raced close to the inner rails till the bend but came wide into the straight. As Ranjane continued to use the whip with his right hand, the Storm Trooper progeny cut an erratic course and was unable to pip the winner despite moving the fastest of the lot. Fiddle Faddle, who was in chase of the winner throughout the journey, ended a close third ahead of Frequent Flyer, who was toiling in the rear till the bend.

B. Prakash shared the day’s honours with Malesh by booting home a brace of winners through Supreme General and Great Strides. Supreme General (Placerville-Secret Practice) essayed powerful run to snatch a half-length verdict over Gold Star in the Lt. Col. Govind Singh Trophy. The lead changed hands rapidly in the final run-in after Wolverine surrendered to Staranzano who was then engaged in a fierce battle with Gold Star. Just when Gold Star seemed to have the upper hand, Supreme General rallied along to play spoilsport.

The finish between Cats Whiskers (Razeen-Romantic Alliance) and Great Strides (Greensmith-First One Home) will go down as one of the best witnessed this season. Naill McCullagh astride Cats Whiskers had a slender lead as the mare showed the way to her five rivals with Romantic Hero and Great Strides gnawing at her heels. With Romantic Hero retiring from the fray, Great Strides joined the issue with Cats Whiskers. The ensuing battle royale in the last furlong-and-a-half saw Cats Whiskers and Great Strides go hammer and tong. Both Naill and Prakash crouched in the saddle and their flailing whips were a treat to watch as the two horses went stride to stride. In a nip and tip finish, Great Strides ran true to his name and overwhelmed Cats Whiskers at the wire. Rave, who fought for her head with P. Kamlesh for more than two furlongs in the initial stages of the race, was denied a clear run when the horses turned for home. The favourite ran a di! sappointing third.

Another finish worth a mention was witnessed between Pesi Shroff-driven Some Time (Tejano-Indian Mission) and the B. Prakash-piloted Star Decoration (Greensmith-Hall of Honour). The former was running after recovering from a setback suffered subsequent to his winning debut at Bangalore. The gap of nearly ten months and the imposing weight on his back did not deter the chestnut four-year-old colt from asserting his class. Star Decoration did overhaul Some Time before the 200m-marker and, for a fleeting second, it appeared that weight was proving to be a stopper for the latter. The grit oozing out of both Some Time and Pesi was enough to frustrate Prakash and Star Decoration.

The victories of favourite Swinging Rhythm and outsider Second Jewel delivered a message to the admirers of Imtiaz Sait that the defending champion may be down but is certainly not out. Swinging Rhythm (Tirol-All This Time) went wire to wire in the hands of C. Alford to earn her maiden success but not before being hassled by Star Destiny. Samuel Fargeat-ridden Second Jewel (Razeen-Classic Statement) came with a flourishing run that ruined the plans of Zealous Cat of registering an encore. The ward from Shiraz Sunderji’s yard took charge from Brave Victor in the home stretch and was coasting home when Second Jewel unleashed a powerful run. Orion showed no great acceleration and ended a tame third. White Whisper gathered steam in the straight but ran into a wall of horses. The grey mare ran on to finish fourth.

C. Rajendra’s solitary win of the day came in the Pratap Stud Million (Gr.3) when he steered the Sarosh Mody-trained filly Euro Star (Don’t Forget Me-New Europe) to a splendid win over Forcing Bid. Favourite Blue Horizon ran in snatches throughout to finish third. The aged gelding Silver Line won despite veering in the straight. Eaglecrest and Nice One Claire, who normally are front-runners, raced from behind on this occasion and finished second and third respectively. Rank outsider Raging Sword found himself in the lead when Silver Line drifted out but he could not sustain. The favourite duo of Star of Dubai and Thabazimbi did a disappearing act and never appeared seriously involved in the race.