Unlike the Deccan Bookmakers Golconda 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 which will be run the following day, neither of the two Classics scheduled for Saturday have a horse like Machiavellianism in field and that should make them both keenly contested affairs. That is a bit different from what has been norm for the last ten years. At Calcutta as well as Bangalore, favourites have won a whopping nine times. As the financial pundits are apt to say, "markets are poised to enter a correction phase". Whether that 'correction' takes place this year itself is a fascinating point to contemplate. 

CALCUTTA 2000 GUINEAS, Gr.2

Being geographically remote, Calcutta had, until recently, escaped the attention of outstation raiders. The recent inflation in the stakes on offer at Calcutta, an overall lower standard of racing and, perhaps, better roadways has meant that owners and trainers are now including Calcutta in their plans. Abs Fabs, Psychic Flame, Safari, Alice Springs, Xisca, In the Spotlight and Chase The Sun have reaped the rewards for their enterprise. 

This year, the outstation contingent is strong comprising of Borsalino, Tintinnabulation and Chase The Sun, the last named  attempting to emulate Psychic Flame by bagging the Guineas double. Chase The Sun won the Calcutta 1000 Guineas, Gr.3 fluently and is being supplemented as a final entry. In the 1000, she beat the Calcutta Monsoon Derby winner Silverina rather easily. Silverina herself had beaten Malpensa by about a length in her race and while that boosts the stock of Dr. Mallya's filly, it has to be emphasised that Silverina is better suited to distances longer than a mile. Saturday's race comes a wee too early for Chase The Sun but the Mallya runners are always on their mettle in a Classic and that she is course and distance winner as are Malpensa and Snowscape.

Borsalino will be coming back in distance having won the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1 and the Vijay Textiles Golconda Deccan Derby, Gr.1. The last time he came back in distance was in the D.B.A. Hyderabad Colts' Championship Stakes, Gr.3 when he lost to Machiavellianism. Borsalino's ultimate target is no doubt the Calcutta Derby, Gr.1. A run here will bring him on. His trainer, who will also send out Chase The Sun, will be happy if he wins; he certainly won't be shattered if he doesn't.

L.V.R. Deshmukh will saddle Tintinnabulation, his first Classic runner in Calcutta. The 'got-abroad' gelding was fifth in Borsalino's Derby at Bangalore. He then won two races at Hyderabad and was sent for the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1. There, he ran a forward race, brought the field into the straight and even after Commander and Shivalik Hero had passed him, he continued to plug on and clung to the third place. On his pedigree, Tintinnabulation ought to stay a bit but his style of running shows that a mile would perhaps suit him better. He has worked well since his re-location to Calcutta.

The honour of the local brigade lies in the hands of a pair of grey colts; Malpensa (Hurricane State - Northern Frontier) and Snowscape (China Visit - Snow Tiger). Malpensa has had a winning run this term where he beat an assorted collection of average older horses, improved his rating and sharpened himself. Of greater significance is his run in the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.3 which was run in a steady drizzle on a rain-soaked ground. He led from the word go and even when Angel Child challenged him soon after entering the straight, he stuck to his task gallantly. It was only in the closing stages that Silverina went ahead to win by a length while he himself was only short-head behind Angel Child. Snowscape finished fourth there. In fact, Malpensa had beaten Snowscape by almost an identical margin earlier in the Calcutta Colts' Trial Stakes over 1400 m. His dam and grandam achieved nothing of note on the track and nor has their produce. Malpensa, who comes from an elite family, however, has been a cut above them.

Snowscape won the Calcutta Million, Gr.2 over a mile (Malpensa was way down in that race) in the winter season and won again on his re-appearance in the monsoons to complete a hat-trick. In his next two races he finished behind Malpensa as mentioned above. He hasn't raced since the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.3. He has been spotted regularly in the morning work and has had a mock race (14 horses ran)  which he won comfortably. It remains to be seen if his trainer Vijay Singh has refreshed him sufficiently to reassert his earlier superiority over Malpensa. Though a grey, he remains the dark 'un in the field. 

The low-rated Haddock brings the size of the field to same as at Bangalore. The other five runners, purely on ratings, will have haddock for breakfast while it is certain that Borsalino, Tintinnabulation and Chase The Sun haven't journeyed to Calcutta to have a look at the Victoria Memorial.

ABARAN BANGALORE 2000 GUINEAS, Gr.1

Elevated to Gr.1 status this year, it looks, at the first glance a race which either Wind Stream or Super Storm should win. Afterall, Wind Stream is a winner of the Poonawalla Mysore Derby, Gr.1 while Super Storm had earlier picked up the Mysore 2000 Guineas, Gr.3. They are the only two Classic winners in the field. It may indeed come to pass thus though there are reasons to be a bit wary.  Neither has raced this term though they both ran in the same mock race recently. Wind Stream will  be coming back in distance after having the Mysore Derby and that is always a tough ask. Super Storm was beaten only half a length by Wind Stream in that race. Both are bred for distances longer than a mile with Ghatala's ward having greater stamina elements in his pedigree and Super Storm being a son of a speedier sire.

The one most likely to upset the fancied pair is Super Storm's stablemate Shivalik Star (Shamardal - Badraan). Making his debut only in July, the gelding made up for the lost time by notching up a quick hat-trick. That made him carry the top weight in the Garden City Cup at Mysore in October. Handy early on, he assumed command soon after entering the straight and led till the last furlong when his impost began to tell. He finished sixth but was only a shade over two lengths behind the winner. That race was won by Jersey Girl from Chase The Sun who were both receiving 3.5 kgs. from Shivalik Star. It hardly needs to be mentioned that both the fillies have won their respective 1000 Guineas.

Shivalik Star is yet to tackle a mile but there is no reason to suspect his ability to get the additional 200 m. His sire has produced a Prix du Jockey Club, Gr.1 (French Derby) winner in Lope de Vega while his Halling half-sister Eastern Aria has this year won a Gr.2 and a Gr.3 race in England over a distance of ground. He comes from the same family as the Champion Sire Green Desert but is from a branch that has more stamina. After five races in four months, he has been given a breather; however, he has been working well. He has the credentials to put it across the fancied pair. 

Much more was expected of Unforgettable. His three runs in Mysore, all in graded races, yielded no wins. Overall, his Mysore campaign was a bit disappointing. He has been working well recently and one can never totally ignore a Padmanabhan runner in a Classic. Simpleton and Shivalik Pride, both way off in the scale, complete the line-up which is the smallest since Padmanabhan sent out Democraticus in 2005 to win.

A half a dozen seems to be a favoured number for this race as nine times previously that is exactly how many started. Some very good fillies (Cordon Bleu, Summer Dust, Crown Treasure and Fond Fantasy)  won four those nine renewals but there is no filly running this year. What's more, it is a Classic without two of three most well known colours, those of Dr. Vijay Mallya and Mr. Deepak Khaitan missing, Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy is the only one represented.  The stalwart trio has won the race 19 times between them and the last time when none of them had a runner was in 1982 when The King was the winner. 

 PAST THE POST

The 1975 Calcutta 2000 Guineas was won by Cupid (Darling Boy - Hunter's Girl). Cupid was was bred by Yuvraj Pratap Singh at Alwar Stud and was owned by Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy and trained by Aris David. He was the favourite at 7/4 and ridden by Vasant Shinde, he duly landed the odds. That race was run on 13 December. On the New Year's day of 1976, Cupid won the Nepal Gold Cup over 2200 m. despite the jockey carrying 6 kgs. overweight. Then, on 10 January, he won the Calcutta Derby (V. Shinde up) as a half-money favourite, beating The Tipster by a length and three-quarters. Next day, he was loaded in a horse box and driven down to Chennai where he won the South India Derby, once again ridden by Shinde. In a space of just five days he had won two Derbys and that is a feat without parallel on the Indian turf.

Cupid, however, wasn't quite done yet. On 24 January, he was third to Sarb-Kla and Noble Son in Arc de Triomphe at Bangalore and then finished fourth in Commanche's Indian Derby at Mumbai. Four Derbys in just three weeks ! A tough customer, he raced for three years and won 15 races from 36 starts. He was retired as a stallion to Ruia Stud, then located on the outskirts of Bangalore and he sired Bangalore 2000 Guineas winner The King.

Vasant Shinde, though based at Mumbai, did ride fairly regularly for Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy in those days. It is generally not known that Shinde's first Classic win came in the gold-brown belt-and-cap colours.