Dr MAM Ramaswamy’s champion colt Be Safe (Holy Roman Emperor – Oriental Lady, Hazara Stud) showed out yet again while conquering the Ramniwas Ramnarain Ruia Gold Cup. Trained by Malesh Narredu, Be Safe, who took Neeraj Rawal on board due to Suraj Narredu’s absence, romped home to another emphatic victory without encountering an iota of anxiety. There is no question on his temperament and class, he does exactly what is required during the ‘settling’ phase and at the business end goes levels higher, finishing with a unique flourish. And we have not seen the best of him yet! It is truly baffling how he could fall a neck short in the PBMM last year, even from the hopeless position he was entering the straight!   

He has certainly put that incident well behind and currently is by far the top colt on the circuit, and not too distant from growing to be acclaimed as one of the greater equines of all time. His performance in the Ruia dismisses the peril that this claim may be premature. Another fact that is interesting is that the bookmakers did dare offer any odds on Be Safe. The four other runners were quoted at 30/1 and above. This is certainly overwhelming and I can’t recall another ‘no-bet’ stance in the betting ring.   

Be Safe’s Ruia Cup conquest was simply matter-of-fact and some may argue that the opposition was not stiff.  The pre-race strategy of pitching in Top Commander as pace maker came a cropper as Shivalik Showers denied Top Commander the lead. Unperturbed by the unexpected development, Be Safe settles in the third spot a few lengths away, neither up with the pace nor off it by much. He adapted quickly. He then inched closer to the front-runners at the final curve.

Once into the straight, Neeraj only had to give him the cue and Be Safe was off and away from Shivalik Showers. Neeraj allowed Be Safe a short burst of speed, loosening the rein just that little bit, moving only his wrists for a few strides before aiding him on using his shoulder power. Be Safe went clear within a furlong from the mouth of the straight and then cruised all the way to the winning post. From the look of it, Be Safe did not spend more than 80% of his resources, yet managed to create his own record for the mile-and-quarter trip, stopping the clock at an impressive 2:01:08, bettering Set Alight’s 2:01:15.

Dancing Prances (Ace – Dancing Greens, Poonawalla Stud) packed a solid punch in his finish and denied two strong finishers in Bullseye and Amelia any chance of getting past him. Dancing Phoenix and Rosie Sunshine matched strides early on with Dancing Prances settled in third along with Way Out Mariinsky and Greek God. Bullseye was in mid-bunch while Amelia, coming from the widest draw was at the tail end.

Dancing Phoenix faded out a lot earlier justified for the speed he is known for. Soon Dancing Prances bounded forward, Sandesh going all out for the early advantage. Way Out looked good too as he was in serious chase. Bullseye started to improve in the final furlong and Amelia arrived with a late but crispy challenge. Three top class sprinters were in full flight and one could not ask for more thrilling finish. In the end, Dancing Prances powered himself all the way to stay ahead, successfully keeping Bullseye and Amelia at bay in a close finish.  Dancing Prances was a star performer in his own right and is now very much in the reckoning for the Sprinters’ Cup crown. Bullseye and Amelia were gallant challengers and will also be strong contenders for the ultimate test of speed in March.

One debutante also threw in his hat for a share on the day’s big performers and that was Ageless (Arazan – Lindsay, Poonawalla Astonish Stud). The long striding filly looked the part in the paddock and seemed the only threat to the even-money favourite Christmas Eve.  

Ageless jumped out smartly to dictate terms soon on start and galloped at good clip. She was clearly ahead as the rest were jostling a couple of lengths behind her as they turned for home.

Ageless got better in the straight as jockey Yash Narredu stepped up pace. She accelerated crisply to leap forward and add yards with each stride. In the final 100, she had amassed a huge lead and looked a clear winner as the others struggled to match her tempo. Mister Majestic ended up chasing the winner, while Christmas Eve needs to be given another chance as she is bound to strip fitter for her next assignment. Intelligence also showed some spark and did well to end alongside Christmas Eve.

Rodeo (Home Affairs – Rainbow Vision, Mebajeona Stud) found his lost touch and put up a gritty fight to win the Velvet Rope Trophy with a determined run. Spirit of Mercy led them into the straight, while Rodeo travelled at the rear for most of the journey.

Falcon sprang to the front approaching the distance post but his lead was short lived. Rodeo made remarkable headway from the wide outside to force his way to the front, but had to contain a tough challenge from Caesars Star. The pair battled it out leaving Falcon behind and in the end, Rodeo produced the spark for the past to win it close home.

Favourite Fire Engine looked good coming into the straight but the moment he got past Okavango and leader Spirit of Mercy, something went amiss and he looked uncomfortable. He veered out and finally was never able to complete the race. It was later learnt that he went lame and was euthanized on humane grounds.

Senorita Evita (Burden of Proof – Si Senora, Kunigal Stud) amply justified the cramped odds offered on her as she stormed away from the field to score an emphatic victory to win the Imbrahim Rahimtoola Trophy. Trevor settled the filly in second behind Pitbull all the way until the homestretch.

Senorita Evita bounced away into the lead soon on straightening up and she was galloping gracefully ahead. Spiderman moved into second but that was all the progress he could muster. Senorita never looked in danger and looks good for an encore as well.

Staristocrat (Multidimensional – Only Royale, Usha Stud) showed glimpses of his speed during his maiden win over the scurry. That was just a start for him as he sustained his moment over a mile as well while winning the Bright Hanover Handicap Million.

Gloria made the running and led from Soul Centric until into the straight. Staristocrat moved up from third to tackle the front runners and did not encounter any trouble surging past two. Once in the lead, he galloped on resolutely to notch up his second successive victory between Pune and Mumbai garnering a first success at both centers. Ellipsis arrived from the rear and fared well to take the runner-up slot.

Double or Quits (Oath – Andaluz, Pratap Stud) showed off his staying prowess and scored a comfortable victry over two strongly fancied younger rivals. The Nirad Karanjawalla ward raced past leader Word of Honour early in the straight and showed a lot of grit to thwart the challenge coming from Ultimate Glory and His Highness, the prime fancies. Jockey Neeraj Rawal made his move early and Double or Quits responded with a sustained gallop to outlast the rest and score a comfortable win.

Another older horse, Guns N Roses (Brave Act – Striesand, Kunigal Stud) also pulled off a courageous win in the day’s opening race. Rehanullah Khan trained Guns N Roses essayed it start to finish and had a handy lead with 300 to go. Sir song moved up to challenge past the distance post. The pair was involved in a grim battle and they fought out the final furlong. Jockey Kishore Kadam went all out to sustain his lead all the way and managed to carve out a well-fought victory.  Ibis finished on to end close third and showed signs of getting into some form.

Maalik (Glory of Dancer – Phoenix Rising, Nanoli Sutd)brought the curtains down with a gripping finale in the day’s concluding race. Jockey Ashhad Asbar had to fight off a stiff challenge from Star Builder and he managed to do that with some fine effort.

For the professionals, trainers M Narredu and Sanjay Kolse saddled a double each, while jockeys Neeraj Rawal and Yash Narredu secured a brace each.