Some athletes, whether human or equine, transcend the sum total of their statistical achievements and strike a chord in the hearts of their fans. Recently, in the aftermath of Novak Djokovich's victory in the US Open at Flushing Meadows, there was an interesting article which opined that the Serbian ace will never get his due while the Swiss legend is still around. Impressive as the overall record of Djokovich - or Nadal for that matter is, the affection in which Federer is held exceeds by far anything that they can muster.

That is palpably true of horses, too. Quasar has won more races and more Classics than Be Safe and while he elicits grudging acceptance of some, to the vast majority he is a usurper. The FCA Jai Vijay Fiat Indian St. Leger, Gr.1 this coming Sunday is a no-win situation for him. If he wins, the Be Safe fans will claim that it doesn't count for much because their hallowed star is an absentee. If he loses, they will point out his failure to beat a small field that contains just single Classic winning rival. So all that is left for the son of Seeking The Dia is to do his best on the track and ignore other considerations.

A winner of 11 of his 16 starts and never off the board in his career, Quasar has Gr.1 wins at Pune, Calcutta, Hyderabad and Mumbai. He won the Bangalore St. Leger, Gr.2 by the proverbial street but, generally, his winning margins have been modest. His head to head count with Be Safe stands at 3-2 in his favour. He was, perhaps, taken to the well once too often and much too soon when he was beaten by Agostini in his final start at Bangalore, a broken blood vessel adding to his discomfiture. After a suitable rest, he came back to win the President of India Gold Cup, Gr.1 at Malakpet.

Of his rivals, only Tiger Tops has finished ahead of him in a race. That was in the Indian Derby. Since then he has, however, twice beaten the Shroff-trained filly in Bangalore. He is the only participant who has won over the distance. All this might suggest a cake walk for him but a bleeder is always a chancy prospect, especially at short odds.

It may be irrelevant but interesting to note that there is another Quasar. Quasar(CHI) is also sired by Seeking The Dia and is out of the Argentinian mare Quick. Like his Indian counterpart, Quasar (CHI) was born in 2011, a member of the first Chilean crop of his sire while he stood at Harras Matancilla. Complete details of Quasar (CHI) are not known but it is safe to say that he did not set the Mapocho on fire. Seeking The Dia was a top class horse in Japan but his record as a stallion is no patch on his racing achievements. He was said to be on his way to South Korea in 2014 but that move is not authenticated. This year he is standing again in Chile, this time at Harras don Alberto. His last stint in U.S.A. was at Bridlewood Farm in Florida for a covering fee of US $ 3,500. Apart from Quasar in India, the stallion has a Gr.1 winner in Chile. Mention of South Korea brings to mind Hawk Wing who was standing there when his son Becket won the Vandrevala Foundation Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 in India. Three weeks later, Becket started a 20/100 favourite for the Casino Royale Indian St. Leger, Gr.1 but was beaten by stablemate Change of Luck.  That shock victory rivals Own Opinion putting one across Royal Tern in the Indian St. Leger; Linden Flora scalping Manitou or, Classic Story short-heading Desert Warrior.  The race has seen some notable odds-on stars rolling in the dust.

Four winners of Idar Gold Trophy (Capricorn, Macchupicchu, An Acquired Taste and Amazing Grace)  and two of The President of India Gold Cup (Classic Story and In The Spotlight) have gone on to win the Indian St. Leger in the last ten runnings at Pune which includes five in the previous millennium. Looking at it from another angle, of the ten Idar Gold Trophy winners, three did not run in the St. Leger but four of the seven that did were successful. Only four winners of the President of India Gold Cup during the same period have participated in the St. Leger with two winning the race. Hardly anything to choose between the Idar and President's as a stepping stone to the Indian St. Leger. There is one other notable pointer. In the last five runnings at Pune, the top rated horse in the field has always won if it has started as the favourite.

This year's President of India Gold Cup, Gr.1 was won by Quasar and Malesh Narredu's ward has already been discussed. The Idar Gold Trophy was annexed by Quasar's one time paddock companion Shivalik Showers (Dancing Forever - Sun Shower), a half brother to two black-type winners abroad in Excelebration and Mull of Killough. Shivalik Showers made his debut as a 2YO  in mid-November at Mumbai but had to wait until almost the end of the Pune season for his maiden victory. He progressed steadily thereafter and his fifth in the McDowell Signature Indian Derby, Gr.1, a shade over six lengths behind Tiger Tops and Quasar, was a good effort. A hat-trick of wins in Mumbai in less than a month and his last start victory in the Idar Gold  Trophy give him hope. His sire, who has a Group win over 2400 m. to his credit, was also third in Emirates Airlines Breeders'Cup Turf, Gr.1 at Santa Anita over the same distance.

If there is an interesting  'aside' about Quasar's sire, there is a story to be told about Sun Shower, the dam of Shivalik Showers. Sun Shower raced six times in France and her best effort was in placing second over 2200 m. Irish agent Hugo Merry bought her, in foal to Strategic Prince, on behalf of Hazara Stud for 10,000 euros at Goff's November Sale in 2008. At that time, none of her first three foals had raced. First of them was Mull of Killough, later to win the Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Earl of Sefton Stakes, Gr.3 three years running at Newmarket. The filly Tashzara never won but the third, Excelebration, was outstanding, a winner of Meh Mulhens Rennen, Gr.2 (German 2000 Guineas) and three Gr.1 mile races. Excelebration, now a stallion at Coolmore commanding 17,500 euros for his service, was unfortunate to be a contemporary of Frankel.  While Coolmore negotiated with the owner Giuliano Manfredini to acquire Excelebration, Hugo Merry was alerted to bring back Sun Shower from India. The mare, in foal to Rebuttal, first went to U.S.A. where she dropped the filly she was carrying and then proceeded to Ireland with her at foot. The Rebuttal filly has been named Rainfall Radar and  has had three starts at 3 in Hugo Merry's ownership, placing in two of them. Sun Shower's War Front 2YO colt is yet to race. The mare comes from a good staying family (Sarah Siddons, Princess Pati, Leggera, Ragusa, etc) but have a look at her produce which seems to take its distance aptitude from the stallion she is mated with.

Tiger Tops has claims to be considered the best filly of her vintage with a victory in Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks, Gr.1, Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.2, Calcutta Oaks, Gr.3, the runner-up spot in the Derbies at Mumbai and Calcutta as well as in the Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 and a third in Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1. However, her last three starts have been rather disappointing and she has five and a half lengths to find to get better of Shivalik Showers while being just 1.5 kgs. better off on the weights. She is bred to stay and could reverse the placings if her Idar run was just a warm-up for the final Indian Classic of the year. The Mistrys own a share in her while Tatiana will run in their claret, gold epaulettes silks.  Tatiana may well be entrusted with pace making duties. Attraction hails from the same yard as Quasar but has different owners and hence could  be running his own race. Just a winner in Class IV, he looks out of his depth in this company. Besides, he finished dead last in his previous run and came in bleeding.

Three of the five runners are 'got-abroads' and the average field rating is 100. That is around the average of last five years.

PAST THE POST

The first ever Indian Classic was run on the New Year's Day of 1943 and it was won by H.H. Maharaja Pratapsinh Gaekwar of Baroda with his filly  Princess Beautiful ridden by Edgar Britt and trained by M.C. Patel. That combination repeated the feat in the Indian 2000 Guineas, Gr.1 and the Indian Derby, Gr.1 and as there were only three Classics framed for the inaugural year, a clean sweep was registered. Foreign jockeys continued to dominate the Indian Classics and won 27 of them in a row.

The tide was finally halted in the Indian St. Leger - called the Governor-General's Cup in those days -- of 1948 and the man who did it was none other than Pandurang Khade, perhaps the best Indian rider of his time and certainly one of the riding legends in the history of Indian Turf. The horse on which he became the first Indian jockey to win a Classic was called Doorani (Mas d'Antibes - Daring Dance) who was bred at the Bhopal Stud. Doorani had run in the Indian Derby won by the Idar filly Jeanne d'Arc who was a 4/1 favourite to win the race. It was close-run Derby with jockey Bill Rickaby just holding on by a short-head from the late finishing Kunigal Star with another filly, Maduri, also a short-head behind in third. At 7/1, Kunigal Star was the second favourite while Post Master (Amir Ahmed), Doorani (W.J. Sibritt) and Navvara (A. Roberts) were next in demand at 8/1 each. There were 22 starters and it remains the biggest Indian Derby field ever.

Jeanne d'Arc did not run in the Indian St. Leger which meant that the short-head Derby  runner-up Kunigal Star attracted the most support in the final Classic of the year. Khade had the ride on Doorani and he came home a comfortable winner by three and a half lengths from Star of Mahad with Post Master and Jane Jigar third and fourth. Doorani was owned by Mr. R.T. Wandrekar and trained by H. Hassanalli.

There is one other distinction that Doorani holds. He was born on 22 June and no winner of an Indian Classic has a later date of birth.