One thing that the opening of the Invitation Cup to older horses has done is to provide an early, perfect setting for the clash of generations. In the two runnings of the open era, the prize has gone to a 4YO. Not really surprising because the Classic crop gets 4 kgs. from the older runners. Then, from the moment a horse enters training as a 2YO, the entire focus is on getting him fit and well to run the race of his life on first Sunday in February when he is a four year-old. All going well, that is the pinnacle of his racing fitness. Thereafter, very few horses maintain that level of racing form or physical well-being.

The weight advantage, being at the top of form and sheer numeric superiority mean that the Classic crop will provide, more often than not, the winner of the Indian Turf Invitation Cup which comes just a month after the Indian Derby. That is the way it has been in the first two years of the open era. In the very first year at Calcutta, there were 11 runners and only three of them did not belong to the Classic generation. Those three - Ocean and Beyond, Onassis and Dandified - had not won a mile and a half Classic in their time and yet all three of them filled the places in the frame behind Tintinnabulation. Last year at Hyderabad, there were a dozen starters including four older horses and of them only Tintinnabulation managed to get his number on the board. So far, there has been only one older horse, Ocean and Beyond, to have run in two Invitation Cups.

The reasons why the ranks of the older generations are depleted are straight forward. Most fillies have been retired to stud. Besides, the two most important characteristics of the Indian-bred are lack of precocity and long term durability. Our two year-olds start racing about seven months after their counterparts in Europe have made their debuts. Then, whether it is the climate, lack of grazing pastures during formative years or an overall lower standard of horsemanship, the Indian-bred finds it hard to maintain fitness and form. The Nefyns, the Native Knights and the Ocean and Beyonds are exceptions rather than the rule. So it will take a very, very good and sturdy horse, like Squanderer or Elusive Pimpernel, to win the Invitation Cup a second time.

It might seem a bit odd to be previewing this year's Invitation Cup so much in advance but the truth is that there are unlikely to be any further inputs, bar late injuries and withdrawals, that will impact the race. Even if one sided in terms of numbers, let's consider the race as a face-off between the Classic crop and older horses.

CLASSIC CROP

Be Safe's effortless, record-breaking victory in the McDowell Signature Indian Derby, Gr.1 clearly established that he has no peer among his age group. There were enough detractors of Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy's colt on the morning of the race. By evening, most of them had been converted to being his ardent fans. On sheer racing logic, it is inconceivable that another 4YO poses even a remote threat to his eminence. One piece of fact which seems to have escaped general notice is that Be Safe's time of 2.27.71 in winning the Derby is not only a new race and track record but also the fastest mile and a half ever run in India, bettering as it does Southern Regent's time of 2.28.01 recorded at Chennai ten years ago when winning the Invitation Cup.

Contrary to some perceptions, Be Safe is a big horse. He stands well over 16 hands and on the Derby Day tipped the scale at 472 kgs. Because he is so well balanced, he doesn't appear as big as he is. What is also very important is his relaxed manner and the ability to switch off during a race.

OLDER HORSES

While it is true that most of Be Safe "crabbers" were singing his praises on the night of the Indian Derby, a few die hard detractors, unwilling to taste the humble pie, were still claiming that the crop of 2011 was a poor one (true enough) and that the son of Holy Roman Emperor would meet his Waterloo against older horses in the Invitation Cup (a matter of conjecture). In the week leading up to the Derby, for every two supporters of Be Safe there was at least one fan of Amazing Grace.

In the esteem of racing Lotharios, a new flame is always just around the corner. Having showered epithets on Set Alight, Jacqueline, Moonlight Romance and In The Spotlight in quick succession, they were smitten by Amazing Grace as she reeled off eight consecutive wins, last six of them black-type events, in the post-Indian Derby period. The four fillies mentioned won 19 Gr.1 races between them but they were displaced by Amazing Grace who has so far won just one. That was when she vanquished Alaindair, a winner of five Gr.1 races including the Grand Treble of Derby  Bangalore, Indian Derby and Invitation Cup, by seven lengths in the Indian St. Leger,  Gr.1 and did it on a tight rein. It was a stunning performance assuming that Alaindair was at his best in that race.

There are reasons to believe that that was not the case. In 2014, Alaindair ran just twice after his Invitation Cup triumph. He won the President of India Gold Cup, Gr.1 and was then beaten by Amazing Grace. It is a known fact that he had shown a predilection for bleeding in his workouts and that limited his appearances. Besides, the Indian St. Leger was run in a manner inimical to his interests. That result needed to be franked by a confirmatory test and the Eclipse Stakes of India was meant to be that confirmatory test.

People who have their ears close to the ground became aware that something was amiss when on Saturday morning before the Derby, Sheer Class finished three lengths ahead of Amazing Grace in a work-out. Then, it became known that Amazing Grace would not run in the Eclipse, an ideal lead-up for the Invitation Cup. It was also being whispered that after her Indian St. Leger, the filly had become a bit surly and skittish. Shroff did wonders to get her keen again and when she won the Jewel Royals Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia Gold Trophy, Gr.2 without a fuss towards the end December, everything appeared hunky dory. It is obvious that Amazing Grace opted out of the Eclipse because something was not right. Shroff has much less time on his hands now.

In the meantime, Alaindair had a spin in the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Eclipse Stakes of India, Gr.2 and did what was expected of him. More importantly, the Race Day report does not mention anything about his having bled so that is encouraging. He was running after more than four months and lined up for the race 10 kgs. heavier than when he won the Derby. That is understandable because a good trainer always leaves something to work on in a prep race. But, with a bleeder,you never know. The Eclipse victory was nothing more than a mock race for Alaindair and whether he is back to his top fettle remains unknown.  Alaindair's 2011 crop is one of the best in recent years and if he and Amazing Grace are fully fit (attention invited to earlier comments regarding lack of durability of the Indian-bred), either of them may cause Be Safe to pull out something more than he has so far been required to produce. Otherwise, having to give weight to a horse at the top of his game and be nursed during the race would be daunting.

Tintinnabulation - unless he takes the safer option of the Stayers' Cup - will not have to give weight to Alaindair this time but is now a six year-old while Snowdrift, who has won impressively in Calcutta this term, comes out second best against Alaindair  on a line through Circle of Bliss.

Be Safe, barring racing uncertainties, ought to bag the Grand Treble of Derby Bangalore, Indian Derby and the Invitation Cup and expecting at least two older horses to be in the frame would not amount to a flight of fancy.

PAST THE POST

This will be the first 'open' Invitation Cup to be run at Mahalakshmi. In the 12 previous runnings of the race at Mumbai, only three favourites (Mount Everest 1963, Exhilaration 1989 and Moonlight Romance 2011) have won. Locally trained horses just about edge out the outstation challengers having won seven times.

The 1979 renewal had just five starters, the smallest field in the history of the race and three of them sported the gold and brown livery of Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy. At 10 to 2 on, the local hero Royal Tern was shortest priced favourite for the race. It turned out to be an unexpectedly enthralling race. Philanderer was the designated pacemaker but he was outpaced by the favourite who led to the mile marker. There, the southern camp played its master card as Terry McKeown hustled Red Chieftan to the front. Red Chieftan, a winner of the South India Derby, Gr.1, was no slouch and he cut fast fractions with Royal Tern in chase. Red Chieftan, having done his job, retired at 800 m. and Royal Tern was again out in front. Midway up the straight Jagdish, then in his 49th year, brought Own Opinion upsides of the favourite. Own Opinion hung left for a while but Jagdish straightened him immediately and the pair went stride for stride as Own Opinion edged ahead steadily to eke out a half length win. Own Opinion equalled Manitou's track record set a year previously.

The tactical plan to get better of the front running Royal Tern was brilliantly conceived and masterfully executed to give Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy his first major success at Mahalakshmi. Success, it is said, has many fathers and there are plenty of claimants who seek credit for having hatched the stratagem. The unsung hero is the Irish jockey Christy Roche who first came up with the idea. Roche was riding that year in Chennai for trainer Aris David.