So much had been said and written about the capabilities of Set Alight in the weeks preceding The Kinfisher Derby that the result of this race seemed to be a foregone conclusion. The fact that she is truly special was revealed on the track on Sunday. A huge crowd was witness to a spectacular performance by this Pesi Shroff trained filly. Turned out in immaculate condition by her master, Set Alight was looking much better than she looked a few weeks ago, when she won the Fillies Trial Stakes at this centre. Being the only filly in a field of nine acceptors made no difference to her, as she stood out in the parade ring.

The bookmakers were extremely cautious, as they sent her out as the shortest priced favourite in the long history of this race. Her closest challengers, Archipenko and Noble View could be backed at 10/1 in the betting rings.

In spite of Set Alight being invincible on past records and current form, there was an air of anticipation amongst the supporters of her opponents. There was a huge roar as the runners faced the starter opposite the grandstands, and took off for the richest event in the history of racing in our country. Gentle Knight and Sugar Ray were there to perform a specific task.

They got down to setting a fast pace and opened up a big lead ahead of Star Presentation, Set Alight, Noble View and Archipenko, while the other three runners were outpaced from the very beginning. The order remained more or less the same as they raced down the backstretch. The field started to bunch up as they took the final turn. Set Alight was cruising on tight reins as they straightened up for home. Mallesh Narredu shook up the champion filly at this stage, and she responded gamely.

She lengthened her strides and sailed away from the rest. Mallesh rode her "hand and heels" thereafter, and she checked in more than a distance clear of her rivals in a course record time of 2 mins 2.32 secs for this effort. Incidentally, it was Mallesh Narredu who had set the earlier record while partnering Star Supreme in 1997. Archipenko came with a late run and occupied the second spot, and was well clear of Star Presentation and Noble View.

The runner-up showed that he stays the mile and a quarter trip comfortably, and that, Archipenko will be a strong contender in the Mysore Classics. The absence of Dr Vijay Mallya was felt strongly by those present at the race course. The "King of Good Times" was unavailable to lead in the winner. His presence adds a lot of style and glamour to this prestigious event. It was after many years that a horse owned by him was winning the Kingfisher Derby.

After the victory of Set Alight in the Fillies Trial Stakes, Dr Mallya had stated, "We are delighted to be back on the Classic Scene." It is certain that he would have loved to be here to see his champion filly perform in the Derby on Sunday. Pesi Shroff was a very satisfied man. His hard work had culminated in his winning the first Derby of his training career. Pesi told Indiarace after the race, "Today is a very important day in my training career.

Set Alight is a very special filly. She has a cool temperament and seems to know what is required of her. Mallesh gave her a splendid ride and I hope that she will improve and become better in the winter season. I must specially thank my friend and colleague Suleiman Attaolahi and his team for taking such good care of my horses during my absence from Bangalore. They have played an important role in the performances of Set Alight and Kiara during the Bangalore Summer Season.

This is my first Derby, and hopefully, things can only get better from here." Mallesh Narredu was equally ecstatic. He said, "I have repeatedly stated that Set Alight is blessed with speed and stamina. She will have no problem in staying the mile and a half trip in the winter Classics. I am happy to have partnered Set Alight in her moments of glory.

" The future racing plans for Set Alight are still to be finalized. Pesi will consult Dr Vijay Mallya and Zeyn Mirza before announcing the same. The filly has improved tremendously over her Mumbai form, and presently, towers over the others of her age group in terms of ratings and performances. The only horse to have beaten her in a race is Autonomy, but he was subsequently relegated to second place in the stewards’ room. A clash between Set Alight and Autonomy is awaited with baited breath.

The filly has made full use of the opportunities and progressed impressively in the current season. The colt awaits his turn during the ensuing Pune season. The rest of the card was dominated by fancied runners, who won most of the races framed for the day. The huge crowd jam-packed the grandstands and the BTC was bursting at its seams. Regular patrons and first-timers were seen thronging the tote windows.

Many were heard cursing their lucks for not being able to buy their tickets on time. There was a brief collapse of the system because of the heavy load. It is time the BTC authorities upgrade their technology, and get prepared for an increase in the betting turnover, which is expected to surpass the magical figure of "One Thousand Crores" in the current financial year. The two Christophers excelled in the saddle and were the only two professionals to score twice during the afternoon. Christopher Alford scored with Cart Wheel and Kajuraho.

He bided his time on the Arjun Mangalorkar trained Cart Wheel, before producing her in the last furlong of the race. Frontrunning Calming Influence packed up and could not even save place money. Cart Wheel went away from Just Great and Paint Me Red. His riding on Kajuraho was exemplary as he did not panic after jumping from an outside draw. Allowing stablemate Telemacchus to lead into the straight, C Alford improved the position of Kajuraho and came through the middle of a tightly packed field.

He pulled out the stick and drove the filly to an emphatic victory over a late finishing Your Destiny. Telemacchus plodded on to be a faraway third. Jockey J H Christopher rode a brace for owner Harinder Singh. Both Swift Fire and Power Punch scored runaway victories. While Swift Fire collared the front-running pair of Logan's Run and Red Mustang before running away from them, Power Punch went away from a bunch of no-hopers led by Freemason and Jersey Power.

Both these well-bred horses are in terrific form and can score encores. The day’s proceedings were flagged off with Prakash riding favourite Star Wave to a popular victory. In her previous start, Star Wave was the second favourite behind Set Alight in the Fillies Trial Stakes, but had performed below par to finish in the ruck. She seemed to have left that form behind, as she came with a smooth run to down the colours of the front-running Blink. Star Wave clocked a brilliant timing today and needs to be followed when she is relocated to Pune.

Cassandra was a late finishing third. Wayne Smith rode a popular winner for trainer Padmanabhan. Last outing winner Western Command had shown that he is back in form, and had won easier than the official verdict in that race. He was promoted to the highest class and was set to take on a full contingent of Class I horses. After taking a good jump on this favourite, Wayne tucked Western Command behind the front-running Einstein and waited for an opening as the horses straightened for home.

The opportunity arrived in the form of a huge gap on the rails, and Western Command was quick to seize it. Wayne Smith rode him strongly thereafter to hold a renewed challenge from Einstein. Lava was a faraway third. The last race of the day saw huge money being wagered on the Sharat Kumar trained Atlantus. It seemed as though the public was going for a "double-or-quits" on this horse.

Atlantus seemed to be very keyed-up for this race and refused to be stalled. He was withdrawn at the starting gates. This gave an opportunity to Zia Akhtar to ride a rare winner for Prithviraj. He drove Splendid Glory to an impressive win over the front-running True Confidence and Girl Next Door.