The 2009 edition of The Kingfisher Bangalore Derby to be run on Sunday, 12th July had attracted a huge field of 20 acceptors. With the Bangalore race track unable to accommodate more than 18 starting gates, the authorities were compelled to ask two of these runners to be removed from this list. With a proper system in place, the task was fairly easy. The rules stipulate that whenever the need arises, the acceptors which are still maidens shall be the first to be eliminated. Leonardo and Fleet Indian were the only two that were yet to win a race. Their names were accordingly deleted, and in the process, they lost a great opportunity to test their skills amongst this elite group of horses. Furthermore, their owners lost most of the monies that they had paid as entry fees over a period of time to the Bangalore Turf Club. It costs Rs 98,000 to start in this race. This comprises of Rs 74,000 paid over the last one year and Rs 24,000 as the final forfeit. It is learnt that an owner is entitled to a refund of the final forfeit amount only. Apart from missing out on an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the owners were forced to contribute Rs 74,000 towards the total stakes. The whole thing sounds unfair on the owners, but then, it’s a part of a well established system the rules of which apply to one and all. Leonardo's connections must be hugely disappointed by this turn of events. The big made horse had run a solid race in the Colts Trial Stakes, when he had finished powerfully from the rear to run into second place. In the process, he had beaten horses that will actually be facing the starter on Sunday. Leonardo had confirmed that he is blessed with stamina, and is capable of tackling the 2,000 metres trip. The Colts Trial Stakes had seen the eclipse of many highly regarded horses. That race had finally boiled down to "staying abilities". Leonardo's supporters were highly optimistic of his chances in the Derby. In addition to having the largest number of runners, this year’s Derby shall have the highest stake money ever offered in the history this race. The winning horse shall take away Rs 79.2 lakh, out of the total stake money of Rs 1.32 crore. This includes Rs 9.60 lakh paid as a "Final Entry Fee" by the connections of Sprint Star, who comes into this race as a last minute entry. In the absence of a huge "Superstar", we are unlikely to see a hot favourite in this race. Betting is likely to be spread out amongst the top three or four runners. From a betting perspective, we can be certain about a couple of things in this year's Derby. Punters won’t be backing Aboline at 75/100 and bookmakers won’t be laying Sprint Star at 100/1. Jacqueline, Gypsy Magic and Aboline are considered to be the frontline contenders in this race. A brief synopsis about the past performances and the current form of these three runners is given below. Jacqueline: Jacqueline won the Fillies Trial Stakes with a measure of comfort. She had started her career with a surprise win in a maidens sprint at Mumbai. The filly had finished powerfully from the rear on that occasion and indicated her penchant for something longer. Pesi Shroff had little hesitation in running her in The Poonawalla Multimillion over seven furlongs. Despite encountering a troubled passage, Jacqueline had flown into third place. The small made filly arrived in Bangalore before the commencement of the Summer Season. She was subjected to steady preparation, and was given a mock race prior to making her seasonal debut in the first Classic of the season. Her stylish victory in that race was a big revelation. The fact that she was striding strongly at the end of that race was more than enough confirmation of her staying abilities. The timing of the Fillies Classic was much faster than that clocked by the Colts. Her rider Mallesh Narredu has chosen to ride Jacqueline instead of the Colts winner Sprint Star in the Derby. That by itself should be a huge pointer to what the jockey thinks about her chances. He has always said, "She is a small filly with a big heart." Jacqueline is an obvious first choice to win this year's Derby. Gypsy Magic: This Padmanabhan trainee has been a bit unfortunate in missing out in her last two starts. After winning her maiden race at Bangalore, Gypsy Magic was relocated to Mumbai. The run in the Poonawalla Multimillion was her first start at that centre. The filly lost interest in the early part of the proceedings, graced the wrong end of that big field for the first half of the race before swinging wide into the straight. For all practical purposes, Gypsy Magic raised a gallop only in the last 600 metres of that event. The fact that she stormed into second place was a great tribute to her capabilities. She had finished ahead of Jacqueline in that race. Gypsy Magic had started as an even money favourite to win The Fillies Trial Stakes. On that day, the big made filly was a bit slow to take off, and suddenly found herself at the tail end of the leading bunch. Jockey Wayne Smith seemed to have become double minded at that stage. He could have waited on the rails or made a forward move on the outside. He chose the latter. Gypsy Magic was pulled out, shown daylight in the very early stages of this mile long event and made to travel on the wide outside for most of the way. She had nothing left in the tank when the field entered the last furlong of that race. Jacqueline had come from behind and skipped past Gypsy Magic on that day. With Richard Hughes arriving to ride her, the filly is expected to run a "big" race on Sunday. The duo are likely to come storming from the back. Aboline: Arjun Mangalorkar's good looking colt was unbeatable till a couple of weeks ago. He had run away from everything that had tried to oppose him on the track. He is endowed with early speed and powerful acceleration. Aboline had won a couple of times over seven furlongs and indicated that the extra furlong in the "Colts" shall be well within his compass. He started as the 75/100 favourite in that race. He ran a peculiar race on that day. A horse that would normally lead a bunch of top class sprinters was unable to show the way to a group of milers. The fact that he flopped miserably is history. Some people felt that the connections had decided to hold him back to watch his eventual acceleration from the rear. They were perhaps testing him for the Derby. Others felt that the horse wasn't fully fit, as, in the days preceding that Classic he had not been subjected to his normal preparation on the training track. There was a strong rumour about this horse coughing a few day's prior to that race. The stable had a choice of giving him medication and withdrawing him from that race, or hoping that he would win on sheer "Class". Whatever may have been the reason for that day's performance, we must remember that all champions can have an off day!! Aboline is being seen regularly on the track, and is looking as good as ever. He has a great opportunity to reconfirm that he is the best of his age at Bangalore.