It didn’t take too long for sheer disbelief to turn a dramatic aftermath as Malesh Narredu trained Quasar (Seeking the Dia – Belle Jour, Hazara Stud) pulled off the impossible! Quasar produced a sustained gallop and capitalized on a substantial lead, after getting the first use of the homestretch, to prolong his tempo all the way through the long Mumbai straight. For the first time jockey Suraj Narredu looked panicky astride Be Safe. His worst fears came true as bitter reality hit when Quasar held on rigidly to gain a ‘neck’ verdict to clinch the Indian Turf Invitation Cup 2015.

A section of the otherwise orderly Mumbai crowd has been boisterous of late. Be Safe’s unexpected loss brought out the worst of this unruly section. They swung into action and the uproar they created was most unsavoury. They flung missiles at young Yash Narredu, a couple of these sailing perilously close to the boy. The lad got no time to savour his moment of glory, this being his first appearance for an Invitation Cup and a successful one at that. He was robbed of a memorable ovation from the appreciative spectators and his dream moment turned into his worst nightmare for no fault of his. Mr Jaydev Mody, in whose silks Quasar won, was aghast at the boorish development. “This is just not fair,” he fumed. It was chaos alright and the presentation for the biggest race was rendered lacklustre.

All looked on course as the field of eleven jumped out of the gates. Agostini set a true pace and led them all with Quasar choosing to gallop up with the pace. Snowdrift raced a couple of lengths behind with Amazing Grace and Alaindair further behind. Suraj stayed well off in the seventh or eighth spot until well past the half way mark.

Quasar was bullish as they rounded the final turn and took off at a brisk pace. That proved a master stroke for Yash. He got Quasar to accelerate and raced ahead piling up a vital lead. Agostini went out of gas too soon. Amazing Grace had just begun to gallop but could not produce her known burst of speed. Alaindair too was struggling to make any impact. All eyes looked for Be Safe and the Indian Derby champ took a while to get going. Quasar, meanwhile, was focused and galloped resolutely. Suraj had left it a tad too late. Suraj had little option but to go for the whalebone and Be Safe may have been in discomfort for a crucial stride or two, not being accustomed to any stick. He certainly reacted to being whipped, which he obviously isn’t used to and then made an all out dash towards Quasar. He covered considerable ground in split seconds, however, Quasar just about managed to crane his neck and get the verdict in the nick of time. Be Safe had fallen. Another huge upset! This had shocked the large number of supporters of Be Safe.

The post-mortem will go on. Suraj Narredu, who had earned enormous accolades just weeks ago for the Indian Derby win, had come in for severe criticism. An enquiry has been initiated into his riding of Be Safe. Suraj Narredu may have focused too much in stalking main rival Amazing Grace and also Alaindair. This may have led him to disregard the long leeway Quasar had grossed and Suraj may have failed to sense the danger Quasar’s lead could pose. He may have been a touch complacent and believed he could not lose the race once he had the measure of Amazing Grace early in the straight. When he realized the danger of the longish gap and the insufficient ground to bridge that gap, it was too late.

Quasar on his part was given a peach of ride. Yash proved that he had a square head on his shoulders and booted home the early advantage like a seasoned jockey would. This was Yash’s first tryst with the Invitation Cup and what a clever ride he provided. Any top jockey would have nodded in approval the way Yash handled the high-pressure finish.

Amazing Grace galloped on to take the third spot. She didn’t look at her best and one should not read too much into this loss. She is capable of far better and may need time to return to her best. Alaindair did well to find a spot in the frame.

Mr Kamal Gupta, Chairman, Omkar Realtors presented the trophy to Mr Jaydev Mody, who owns Quasar in partnership with M/s Tanmay Agashe & Madhav Patankar. The sponsors too felt let down by the riotous mob and its’ a shame that such behaviour is witnessed a little too frequently, more so on days as important as the Invitation Cup.

It would be sad if the authorities decide to barricade the problem-creating area with mesh or high running grills to prevent anyone from getting seriously injured by hooligans. In fact it would be a precautionary measure that seems a necessity with repeated acts of this nature. It is only a handful of hooligans that create a ruckus and they should be dealt with sternly.

As for jockey Suraj, his usually calm and composed image was somewhat shaken. He certainly misjudged the race in the final quarter and paid a very heavy price. Be Safe covered considerable ground, unfortunately for him, the winning post came a little too early. He almost got at Quasar coming from a long way back. In racing, the winner takes it all. Quasar, after some remarkable performances while claiming the Pune, Calcutta and Hyderabad Derby, enhanced his reputation adding the prestigious Omkar Indian Turf Invitation Cup (Gr1) 2015 to his illustrious list of conquests. Yash Narredu achieved the rare feat of bagging the Invitation Cup on his first attempt. Malesh Narredu too got his first Invitation Success.