Thirteen fillies have been left-in for the first Indian Classic of the year. There could be a couple or more which don't make the starting line-up for the Gitanjali Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 on Sunday (Edith Piaf is a certain non-starter) so it won't be a large field. As of now, half a dozen fillies trace to Danzig along the tail-male line and they include four who are the main players. Three fillies have journeyed to Mahalakshmi to take on the local ranks.  

Of the six Guineas previewed so far, three have been won by favourites (Chase The Sun, Vijays Pride and Wind Stream) and two 'raiders' (Chase The Sun and Maximus) have been successful. Had the Calcutta 1000 Guineas been run after Jersey Girl's Bangalore 1000 Guineas triumph, there were would have sound reasons for Chase The Sun to be installed as the favourite. But since the order of running was the other way around, it was a bit of surprise to see the daughter of Burden of Proof supplanting the local fillies in the affection of punters. Wind Stream had the credentials to be installed as the favourite though it has to be noted that by the time the bugler sounded the call, he had drifted to 16/10 having been much shorter overnight. Only Vijays Pride won as a steadfast and rational favourite while all the three favourites won their races well. 

The eclipse of two 'got-abroad' favourites, Borsalino in Calcutta and Machiavellianism at Malakpet has raised the question if the summer/monsoon stars are beginning to vane. It is obviously dangerous to generalise on insufficient evidence but one thesis advanced by a good, knowledgeable friend needs to be considered. According to him, there are three advantages which a 'got-abroad' enjoys - one, he is intrinsically superior; two, he is more precocious (after all, the two year-olds start racing abroad about six months earlier); and, three, he has enjoyed a much better pre-natal environment. Once the precocity factor gets neutralised, everyone is on a level playing field. Of course, every horse is an individual who is trained in different styles and there are several reasons why a favourite loses. The connections themselves are bewildered at times so it is that much harder for others far removed to know what exactly went wrong. 

Against that back-drop, it will be interesting to see how Vijays Pride (Bertolini - Designer Chic) fares on Sunday though her performance will in no way settle the debate. A 'got-abroad', she has never been beaten in the three Classics she has raced in or over a mile which she has essayed four times. That gives her the pride of place in the ratings. She will be running for the first time on the Mahalakshmi track after having travelled from Hyderabad and how the journey has affected her will be known only when she appears in the paddock. December is perhaps the best month to go to Mumbai for the weather is not too hot. However, this year the temperatures haven't dropped significantly and humidity is around 65 % which doesn't suit dry-coated horses. Vijays Pride will have her supporters aplenty though it would not be a surprise for a local filly to be the best backed. 

That local filly could well be Neona (Ace - Victory and Gold). She opted out of the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1 which was won by her stable-mate Commander. Neona had earlier beaten Commander by three-parts of a length at level weights in the S.A. Poonawalla Million, Gr.2 so the Derby result is a tremendous boost for the filly. It was then mentioned that Neona was being kept fresh for the Indian Classics. She has had a trial run this term where she was beaten a length by Hachiko over 1400 m. One can be certain that she was not unduly pressed in that race and as she was giving 2 kgs. to the gelding, it was fine performance, illustrating her fitness. Her dam is a half-sister to Opera Prince (Chettinad Cement South India St. Leger, Gr.1) and Amazing Princess (Chettinad Cement South India Oaks, Gr.1) and three-parts sister to Protege (Indian St. Leger, Gr.1), Noble Prince (HDIL Indian St. Leger, Gr.1) and Star Angel (Calcutta Oaks, Gr.3). So there is class and stamina in the pedigree though it has to be mentioned some of Neona's siblings have been pure sprinters. 

Hachiko's victory over Neona gives Portia's connections a line to work with for both Hachiko and Portia sport the same colours though they are with different trainers. Portia (Bertolini - Pescara) was beaten just half a length by Vijays Pride in the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 and ran poorly in the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1. She was then rested and confined to just one 'outing' run in Pune. This term, she has won the Morvi beating Maple Star by a neck. However, as Dr. Ramaswamy's filly was giving 2 kgs. to Portia, she comes out the better. In fact, back in March, Maple Star had given 5 kgs. and a head beating to Portia in the Forbes Breeders' Juvenile Championship, Gr.3, though later she ran down the field, well behind Vijays Pride and Portia. If that run is discounted, Maple Star (Mull of Kintyre - Sonic Symphony) has the edge over Portia. Portia, incidentally, is bred on the Danzig-Sharpen Up cross responsible for many excellent horses. Maple Star's dam is by Tirol, a good broodmare sire; however, her dam line is rather plebian. Vijays Pride, Portia and Maple Star are grand-daughters of Danzig while Neona (and any other Ace filly that runs) are great grand-daughters of the erswhile Claiborne Stud stalwart.   

Three fillies had come over from Bangalore but Equine Lover has pulled out after running poorly in a mock race. The other two are Equine Lover's stablemate Art of Enchantment (Excellent Art - Baffling) and Showin'off (Too Much Bling - Golden Dayjur). Equine Lover disappointed as the favourite in the Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Gr.2  but Art of Enchantment salvaged something for the stable by running a good second, a length behind Jersey Girl. A line through Jersey Girl gives a clear edge to Vijays Pride and Portia but racing is not about solving simultaneous equations. How much progress a horse makes after the previous run is what is important in Classics and this were the trainer's skill comes into play. Art of Enchantment is clearly on the upgrade, having been fourth in the Mysore 1000 Guineas, Gr.3 and then finishing second to Jersey Girl. She is from a staying family but her sire was a classy miler.  

Showin'off was involved in a three-way photo in the Garden City Cup which Jersey Girl won from Chase The Sun. Jersey Girl and Chase The Sun have franked that form to the hilt. Showin'off was finishing on the fastest in that race and on the strength of that run she was sent off as a second favourite to Equine Lover in Bangalore. The market leaders finished off-the-frame. Showin'off's connection were perplexed by that run and the filly is being given a chance to redeem herself. The daughter of Too Much Bling is quirky, though; twice she has been withdrawn for refusing to be stalled. 

The rest of the runners are either too low in the scale or appear to be sprinters only. The beauty of racing is that there is no horse who is not backed on the Tote. Everybody has a friend. Sometimes such horses do win. Twilight and Gold Glamour could be pacemakers for Portia and Maple Star respectively. Divine Inspiration is a maiden. Song Dynasty hasn't won since her debut, Shararat is yet win beyond 1200 m. while Halle is well exposed as being just ordinary. Only three favourites have won the race in the last ten years; Pesi Shroff has sent out three winners including two favourites while the Poonawalla Farms (4) and Usha Stud (3) have been to the fore in their department. Colm O'Donghue and Chris Hayes, neither in India this year, have ridden two winners each and so has C. Rajendra. Razeen and Placerville have also had two winners apiece though both are without representation this time around.  

PAST THE POST 

The 1965 Indian 1000 Guineas saw Radhapyari (Grand Success - Eastern Queen) beat the favourite Change of Heart easily by five long lengths. Radhapyari later added the Indian Oaks to her bag and was certainly a talented filly. The reason for singling her out here is because she was the first ever Classic winner for trainer Rashid Byramji and set him up on the road to a career tally of 228 (give or take a couple here and there) Classic victories and make him a living legend. Radhapyari was also the first Classic winner for the Irish jockey George McGrath. 

Radhapyari is a part of even more folklore. In 1965-66, the Indian Triple Crown was won by Red Rufus (Dark William - Red Belle) who, like the filly, was bred at the Kolhapur Stud. That enabled Kolhapur to match Renala Stud's feat of 1949-50 which saw all the five Indian Classic winners of a year being born at the same stud farm. Yeravada Stud was to do so later in 1976-77. Renala Estate Ltd. bred Gamble For Love, Mansoor Beg and Summer Lightning while H.H.The Maharaja of Kolhapur was the breeder of Radhapyari and Red Rufus. Yeravada Stud's winners, however, were bred by their clients; Mr. & Mrs. N.E.D. Pandole being the breeders of Reprint whereas Gen. & Mrs. P.P. Kumaramangalam owned Squanderer's dam.  

Radhapyari's sire was Grand Success while Red Rufus was a son of Dark William. By a remarkable coincidence, Grand Success and Dark William were half-brothers. In fact, they were even more closely related because William of Valence, sire of Dark William and Atout Maitre, the grandsire of Grand Success were by Vatout out of a Teddy mare. Both were very average as race horses running in the colours of Mr. Hugo Wachsman and neither sired another runner even remotely as good as Radhapyari or Red Rufus. Dark William had only four foals in his short career for he was put down within a couple of months after Red Rufus was born.