In this millennium, the Calcutta Derby laurels rest firmly with Mr. Deepak Khaitan, the local warlord. Horses carrying his gold-red belt silks have won the race eight times. This year, though, his arsenal appears a bit short on firepower and the the outstation brigade has ganged up to pull a point back.

Foremost among the 'raiders' is the Calcutta 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 winner Quasar (Seeking The Dia - Belle Jour). A winner of all his four previous starts including the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1, the chestnut colt bred at the Hazara Stud will be seeking to extend his winning streak. He will be going over the Derby distance for the first time. His sire was a winner up to 2000 m. and his family is a brilliant one with the flyer Dayjur, winner of of the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, Gr.1 over 1000 m., being a half-brother of Quasar's fourth dam. He has won over 2000 m. and ordinarily, if a horse has class, it can carry him through over the additional 400 m. provided the opposition lacks a classy stayer. His victory over Maisha at Pune was stylishly gained but his effort in the Calcutta 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 against two rivals rated more than 30 points below him was modest at best. Admittedly, he had travelled a long way, was running after almost two months and coming back in distance. On ratings, he was expected to win more emphatically. As the highest rated in the field, he will not be short of admirers.

Most of Quasar's rivals have pedigrees better suited for a mile and a half contest and none more so than Tiger Tops (Tiger Hill - Cockayne), the other 'got-broad' in the  race. Like Quasar, Tiger Tops has had seven starts so far and has a win more than the colt. If Quasar can boast of his win in the Pune Derby, the filly can retort with her triumph in the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.2 in which she almost distanced the opposition. Since then, she has scored comfortably in the Calcutta Oaks, Gr.3 and that makes her the only course and distance winner in the field. Her Oaks winning time was just 0.16 second off In The Spotlight's race record. She has a much stouter pedigree than the colt and Pesi Shroff, her trainer, will be looking for his third winner of the race, having saddled Bruckner and Xisca previously. Tiger Tops has the highly successful Danehill-Sadler's Wells cross and is from the same as family as Everyday II, a Champion Sire in India. She is happy to make her own running or just wait behind the pace as she did in the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1 and  the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.2. In this aspect she reminds one of In The Spotlight who won this race three years ago. That style of running will ensure that she will not be confronted with any traffic issues in the relatively short Calcutta straight. Her likely jockey Zervan divides opinion but the filly has not been ridden by anyone else and the two obviously get on well together.

The horse who may vie with Tiger Tops for the lead is Torch Bearer (Burden of Proof - Running Flame). His Indian-born siblings, Borsalino and Sur La Tete, won Classics setting their own pace. Torch Bearer himself led the field for much of the way in Quasar's race. He hasn't raced beyond a mile yet but all winners of the Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 heroine Running Flame, including those that raced abroad, have relished a galloping trip. His rating went up dramatically after his last run and further improvement, which his trainer is very capable of engineering, should see him in the mix-up.

Confidence (Glory of Dancer - Confluence) was upsides of Torch Bearer, a shade over a length behind Quasar. Glory of Dancer has sired two winners of the Indian Derby, Gr.1 while Confluence herself was on board in Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2, is by the staying influence Alnasr Alwasheek and has produced a winner over 2400 m. So stamina is unlikely to be an issue. The problem with Confidence is physical which needs a tender preparation. His trainer Arti Doctor, the only lady to have saddled a Classic winner in India, has done well to get her charge in a Derby field.

Dr. Vijay Mallya's Vijay Textiles Deccan Derby, Gr.1 winner Spreadeagle was in Calcutta for the race but pulled out from the line-up after disappointing the connections in his final gallop and thereby saving them the substantial late entry fee. The Hyderabad challenger Parushram (Equitable - Knight Vision) won his first race only late in September but has since won three more. His only poor effort was in the Deccan Bookmakers'Golconda 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 in which he was never sighted. He bounced back after that to win a race over 2200 m. and that has emboldened his owner-trainer D. Netto to make the long journey. It is an enterprising venture by a small owner-trainer and one can only be pleased if it is rewarded. The fact, however, is that Parushram is the lowest rated of nine runners but he obviously stays and is on the upgrade.

Triumphus (Burden of Proof - Arizza) is the second son of the Kunigal Stud stallion in the race. Burden of Proof's daughter Abs Fabs won this race in 2009. Arizza, a winner over 2000 m., was third in Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2. She is a full-sister to Fleet Indian (Poonawalla Mysore Derby, Gr.1) and half-sister to Brown Sugar (The Hindu Deccan Derby, Gr.1). Triumphus is one of the six runners with a win over 2000 m. or more.  

That just leaves the three Khaitan runners - Acrider (a Placerville half-brother to Deccan Derby winner Star Presentation), Fly Like The Wind (winner of the Calcutta 1000 Guineas, Gr.3) and Romantic Flow (a Steinbeck filly out of the Dheeraj Arma Indian Oaks, Gr.1 winner Romantic Liaison). Romantic Flow will be the probable pacemaker; Acrider was only a modest fourth in Quasar's and ran even more disappointingly subsequently while Fly Like The Wind has twice failed to get upsides of Tiger Tops in the straight in their two encounters so far. The form doesn't bode a winning turn for them especially as none of them has a win beyond a mile so far nor were winners of their last start.

Only five favourites have won the Calcutta Derby in 14 renewals this millennium. During the same period, 11 of the winners had won their previous starts. The last five Derby fields had atleast one runner rated 100+ whereas this year there is none. In spite of that, the overall rating of the field (81.66) is much higher than that of the previous five renewals (average rating 76.4). It is hence a competitive race.

PAST THE POST

Pesi Shroff and Mallesh Narredu were contemporary jockeys and their careers ran almost parallel. Shroff had his first ride in August 1981 while Narredu was first seen in silks in April 1985. Shroff hung up his boots on the concluding day of the Pune season in 2004. Like Shroff; Narredu also packed his whip during the Pune season but six years later in 2010. Both of them rode winners of over 1500 races with Shroff's tally being slightly higher. Shroff's tally of Classic wins crossed the hundred mark; Narredu was one short of 50. Shroff rode nine winners of the Indian Derby (including the disqualified Saddle Up) whereas Narredu was astride just one. But Narredu has an Indian Triple Crown to his credit aboard Indictment while Shroff has none. When Indictment won the Indian Derby, Shroff was on the second placed Arabian Rose (incidentally a winner of Calcutta Derby). Shroff won his last Indian Derby on Psychic Flame, winner of the Calcutta Derby, Gr.1 on her previous start, with Estonia (Narredu up) being the runner-up.  Narredu lodged an objection against Psychic Flame but it was overruled. Neither Shroff nor Narredu rode a Calcutta Derby winner.

Both Shroff and Narredu started training almost immediately after they retired from riding. Shroff had high-weight patrons in his yard from the start. Narredu was less fortunate but in no time he has worked his way up and this year has thrown down a strong challenge to Shroff's eminence. In October last year, Shroff won the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.2 from the Narredu-trained The General. Narredu wasted no time in restoring parity with Godspeed holding Maisha in the New Hope Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 just last month.

Shroff and Narredu seem destined to continue the rivalry for a long time and the next chapter in the saga will unfold on Sunday when Tiger Tops (trained by Shroff) takes on Quasar (trained by Narredu).