The last two races on the McDowell Signature Indian Derby day served as a perfect appetiser for the big day to follow. While Picasso (Black Cash – Allies Serenade) displayed a lot of class in his victory in a competitive field, Scarface produced a miraculous stretch-run to send his followers into a jubilant tizzy.

The Kunigal Stud Breeders’ Produce Stakes (Gr3) had a small field of six including the solitary filly – Nearness Of You coming from Bangalore. She was the nearest rival to Picasso, the clear first favourite. As the gates flung open, Snow Blaze briefly led them and soon settled behind Crown Rule who chose to lead the way. Our Chieftain, Maddox, Nearness Of You and Picasso were not too far away from the leader. They galloped at a brisk pace, and were closely huddled. On turning for home, Crown Rule and Our Chieftain led them in and as the rest were about to step on it, Pesi Shroff-trained Picasso thundered past them and with a furlong and a half still to go, Picasso with sheer power ran away from them leaving them stranded. Maddox ran hard to grab the next best position in the final standing and Snow Blaze just finished ahead of Nearness Of You. The latter was stuck for room for a while and also probably needed this run. Picasso, owned by Vijay Shirke, KN Dhunjibhoy and Ms Bernadette Trayling, surely showed a lot of class and is another interesting prospect along with Amadeus.

Scarface (Gaswar – Jumeirah Park) trained by veteren Janardhan, was astounding in his victory in the last race of the day. In my 20 years of racing, I can’t recall another horse coming and winning from such a hopeless position. The one incident that comes to mind is that run of Change Of Luck, then called Gypsy Magic, who was distance behind the field near the turn and despite taking the turn wide he came close to winning. He finished half a length second to Versaki. Scarface was sluggish at the start. An understatement! He jumped out even and then refused to keep pace with his 13 rivals. They left him behind and he trailed by over ten lengths.

He was not even in a galloping mood. Jockey John was working feverishly on him, give him a crack or two and trying hard to catch up. Scarface was also the public rage, carrying a lot of betting money on him. Sexy Eyes, Catalyst and Prince Lochinva were vying for control entering the straight. Tzigane and Royal Companion were making their presence felt as well. There was absolutely no sign of Scarface as the rest went all out to make a race of it. Sexy Eyes gained on her rivals and worked a handy lead past the distance post. Tzigane, Royal Companion, Blades of Glory were keeping her on her toes.

Hundred metres to go and still there was no sign of Scarface who was making headway from the wide outside completely out of the picture. Chingari on his inside too was causing a bit of concern to Scarface. Inside the final fifty and just as jockey Rajendra could be thinking of celebrating, John produced Scarface out of nowhere to shock not only Sexy Eyes but the entire racing enthusiasts to snatch the verdict from Sexy Eyes.

The alertness that Scarface lacks at the gates, he amply makes up at the finish. This was an apt case of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Owners Shiven Surendranath, Theron Desouza and Sanjeev Jacob were more awe-struck than jubilant. Jockey John was ecstatic. “I had a lot of ground to cover and he is stubborn at the start. I had to really coax him. Then I thought I will play along with him and eased him up and let him do his own thing. The gap was stretching further, so after about a furlong of letting him do his own, I started to urge him. He seemed to have liked this brief independence I allowed him and started to respond past the 800. From then on, the way he was moving, I started to believe that we could still be in the race. In the straight, he was galloping resolutely and past the distance post, I was pretty confident I would get there in time. However, on watching the replay, I too got the goose pimples. It looks a lot more dramatic on TV.

I am happy and relieved that I was able to thrill so many people and I thank them all for their grand gesture in showering flowers when we returned,” said John. Those who watched the two races and the contrasting styles of victory are sure to keep this memory of their Saturday afternoon on the RWITC lawns. And I am only talking about the eve of the McDowell Signature Indian Derby!