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Deccan Bookmakers' Fillies' Championship Stakes Gr.3

By Major Srinivas Nargolkar (Retd.) | 24 Aug 2012 | HYDERABAD


Major Srinivas Nargolkar (Retd.)

Only nine of the 95 fillies that had held their ground on 24 March 2012 from the original entries have accepted to contest the Deccan Bookmakers'Hyderabad Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.3 on Sunday at Malakpet. That includes a trio of runners sheltered in trainer L.V.R. Deshmukh's yard and three who will venture from Pune in a bid to topple to the certain favourite Vijays Pride. Western India trainers habitually forget to scratch entries made for outstation Classics so it is by no means certain that all three Pune fillies will be declared to start though the trackwork of Angel's Child and Capital Attraction suggests that they are on course to run.

Towering over her rivals is Deshmukh's Vijays Pride (Bertolini - Designer Chic), a winner of the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 with a sparkling run up the straight to nail Portia in the closing stages. She then opted to side-step the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1 and take her chance in the Nawab Arshad Ali Khan Memorial Cup over 1400 m. She ran a miserable race as a favourite, finishing 16 1/2 lengths behind the winner Equine Lover. She may not have liked the underfoot conditions and in any case every horse is entitled an off day. Back in Hyderabad, she won the Air Command Cup beating Kohinoor Wish who won the Nizam's Cup the following week-end beating her stable-mate Pedalo. At a rating 95, Vijays Pride is 38 points better than Oasis Vision. The rating and the fact that she is the only black-type winner in the race mean that she is certain to start as the favourite. The odds, however, may be too cramped.

Vijays Pride was born at Mr. Harbinder Singh Sidhu's Mebajeona Stud. That farm's only previous Classic winner was Anmol Ratan, a winner of the Golconda 1000 Guineas and Golconda Oaks almost two decades ago. Small breeders don't get the attention they deserve and Mebajeona hardly got a mention after Vijays Pride won in Bangalore. Of the trainers having runners in the race on Sunday, only Deshmukh has a previous winner to his credit. Attractress, who won the race in 2008, was a 'got-abroad' like Vijays Pride. Bertolini, the sire of Vijays Pride, also has a previous winner against his name. Padmanabhan-trained Passion To Perform, a winner here in 2007 in the then record time, was a daughter of Bertolini.

Deshmukh's other two runners are Oasis Vision (Senure - Strasbourg) and Winjoy (Refuse To Bend - Iles Piece). The trainer has a share in the first named filly who will be running in the colours of Oasis Star. A winner of two of three races, Oasis Vision is rated 57. Her dam Strasbourg did not race while her grandam Pasta won two races in U.S.A.over 1400 m. and 1700 m. Pasta's claim to fame is as a Robellino half-sister to the great sire Danzig. Pasta's four winners in India never won beyond 1200 m. nor did Oasis Vision's full-sister Debobaire Girl. Oasis Vision won her last start over 1400 m.carrying 62 kgs. and could get a mile but the opposition here is formidable.

Winjoy broke her maiden at the start of the current season on her third start over 1200 m., Then, on Independence Day, she ran sixth of nine runners over the same distance. Her first two starts were over 1100 m. Her unraced dam Iles Piece was picked up by Hazara Stud for Euros 12,000 at Goff's November 2008 sale. Iles Piece had four foals abroad, all by great stallions; one by Danehill, one by Montjeu and two by Danehill Dancer. The Montjeu foal, named Rabbit Montjeu, managed a win in the Czech Republic while the other three failed to place in Ireland and England. What is noticeable, though, is that all the foals of Iles Piece were sent over long distances. Winjoy is bred on the famed Sadler's Wells-Never Bend cross. Refuse To Bend is not a speed influence and Winjoy's pedigree suggests that she is being tried over far too short distances. Given her low rating, she may be entrusted with pace-making duties here. 

Pesi Shroff is represented by Angel Child (Razeen - Veena's Pet), a full-sister to Dheeraj Arma Indian Oaks, Gr.1 winner Romantic Liaison and a three-parts sister to Indian Triple Crown winner Indictment. Angel Child came out of the maiden ranks on her second start over a mile -- where Capital Attraction was only fifth -- as early as February at Mahalakshmi. On her next essay, she failed to hit the board in the Forbes Breeders' Juvenile Fillies' Championship, Gr.3 as Maple Star and Portia fought out the finish. Since Vijays Pride edged out Portia in the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1, the Deshmukh filly holds the clear advantage. A day before Vijays Pride won the Air Command Cup at Malakpet, Shroff sent out Angel Child in the August Handicap over 1400 m.over in Pune. Angel Child finished on only to be a short-head shy at the post to Mighty King. That finishing effort appeared a bit laboured and could be attributed to rustiness. Pesi Shroff usually gives his horses a serious piece of work a week before their race and on last Sunday he had Angel Child out in the company of Signor Sassi, a winner of two sprints. Whether it has sharpened up Dr. Mallya's filly sufficiently remains to be seen. On pedigree, Angel Child is more of an Oaks type than a Guineas kind. She was conceived when her sire Razeen was a ripe 21. Aging stallions do get an odd good 'un as they grow long in the tooth and Angel Child could be the one from his 2009 crop. However, her chances would be brighter if she journeys again to Malakpet on 2 October for the Deccan Derby. Unless the race is run at a cracking pace, Angel Child could be found wanting for speed in the closing stages.

Apart from being forgetful about Classic entries, Western India trainers are rather shy when it comes to travelling around in quest of plums at other centres. So it is good to see Sanjay Kolse coming over with Capital Attraction (Home Affairs - Luminary).  A winner once -- over 1400 m. -- from six starts, Capital Attraction was down the field in August Handicap with Angel Child well in front of her. So Shroff's filly has twice finished ahead of her and it is difficult to see her reversing the order. Capital Attraction will surely recognise Vijays Pride for the two fillies were paddock-mates at Mebajeona in their younger days. She is one of the only 11 foals that Home Affairs had in India before his untimely death. The first son of Dansili to come to India as a stallion, Home Affairs was a sprinter-miler. Though his black-type win was only a Listed Race, he did place in Prix Jean-Prat, Gr.1. A mile should not be problem for Capital Attraction though the opposition could well be.

Cooji Katrak trained Fond Memories (China Visit - Fond Fantasy) won her only start over 1400 m. at the start of the Pune season. She can thus claim to be the only unbeaten filly in the field. She won her race at the odds of 10/1 which is rather unusual for the stable suggesting that the connections were pleasantly surprised. She is a sister-in-blood to that wonderful, staying filly Moonlight Romance -- also trained by Katrak -- and has the blood to be in reckoning for Classic honours. Moonlight Romance was found vulnerable over a mile -- she was twice beaten by Siachen -- and like the other Usha Stud bred filly Angel Child, Fond Memories will be more comfortable over longer trips. Fond Memories does not appear to have tracked since her win and it is to be wondered, especially since her schooler is not an avid traveller, if she will be in the fray or have "Not Declared to Start" against her name.

Shehzad Abbas will be saddling So Super(Don Micheletto - Super Swift) who has won twice from her six starts and has never been off the board. She won over a mile at Hyderabad during the winter season and came up trumps over 1200 m. when taken to Bangalore during the summer. If Shehzad Abbas was asked to name three of the best horses he has trained, he would probably come up with Man of the Match, Sparks and Swiss Don. All three of them were bred at Nakul Stud as is So Super who needs to find to find a fair bit on form to take a hand in the finish on Sunday. That leaves just Secret Angel and Silver Cruise both whom are maidens. The former is a daughter of Placerville while the latter is sired by Razeen. Both are well-bred but it will surely cause an uproar if they were to win.

The Hyderabad Monsoon track is a dead track and not all horses act on it. So Super has won over the distance but on the winter track and that leaves Vijays Pride as the only course and distance winner in the field.  Chaitanya Rathan was already a star when she won this race in 1985 but Queen of the Hills and Forest Fantasy  gave a notice of things to come with their victories in 1983 and 1997 respectively. Classic Style, Dynamic Dancer, Secret Star, Scenic Royale, Touch of Silver, Own Vision and Attractress are other fillies that have had conspicuous success later during the winter seasons.

PAST THE POST

As always, here's some trivia:-

        LEADERS

        Owner - Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy (11)

        Trainer - R.R. Byramji (7)

        Jockey - Aslam Kader (6)

        Sire - Ilheus[USA] (4)

        Stud Farm - Poonawalla Group (14)

        Fastest Time - Attractress 1.40.22 (2008)

        Slowest Time - Blue Ice 1.59.6 (1981)

        Biggest Field - Practicallyperfect (12 runners) in 2011

        Smallest Field - Tick Tock (1982) and Queen of the Hills (1983). 4 runners

There are nine fillies in the contest of whom two are grey and seven are various shades of bay. Not a single chestnut. Statistically that's odd because nearly one third of the horses are chestnuts.