There is an old racing aphorism which says that "There is no Class in Classics." What it means is that Classics do not always go the horses with the best class (or, if you prefer, the highest rating). That is so because being ultra prestigious events, some of the contenders are invariably prepared with the race in mind, to peak at the right moment and thus their previous record is not necessarily a guide to their chances. Potential and preparation are perhaps more important than the known performance. The 73rd renewal of the Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 could be a case in point.

Fourteen fillies will wend their way up the mile chute on Sunday for the start of this year's first Indian Classic. The average rating of the field 71 (almost) which is a shade higher than the average rating of 70 of the previous seven years. There is one previous Classic winner in Eternal Flame but no other black-type winner; three 'got-abroads' (Avant Garde, Mount Rushmore and Solange), three outstation challengers (Amazing Charm, Eternal Flame and Star Formation) and progeny of two stallions -- Burden of Proof and Multidimensional -- who have won the race previously. Among the trainers who will saddle a runner on Sunday, Dallas Todywalla, Pesi Shroff, S. Ganapathy and Malesh Narredu have previously sent out a winner of this race while jockeys Colm O'Donoghue, P.S. Chouhan, P. Trevor and Suraj Narredu -- all likely to have a mount -- have ridden a winner. The colours which Amazing Charm, Avant Garde, Eternal Flame, Mount Rushmore and Myrtlewood will carry on Sunday have previously been first past the post.  Eternal Flame and Star Formation are two fillies without a race run during the current Winter season. last year, Godspeed won the race on her seasonal debut.

Most people are fully aware of the previous performances of the runners and can generally asses their pedigrees. The ''got-abroads" are a different matter though since their pedigree details are not easily available unless one trawls the internet. There are three ”got-abroad" fillies in the fray and here is a brief introduction to their pedigrees. The fillies are Avant Garde (Aqlaam - Silk Road), Mount Rushmore (Amadeus Wolf - So Admirable) and Solange (Teofilo - Shadow Roll). Taking their sires first, the one which catches the eye is Teofilo who stands at Kildangan Stud in Ireland for a fee of €50,000 while Amadeus Wolf is the sire of the Malakpet-based filly Alameda who  was within a length of the winner in Hyderabad and Bangalore Classics last year.  Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoun's Gr.1 winning miler Aqlaam died young. Avant Garde's dam is from a leading Juddmonte family and was herself a winner of three races; So Admirable, the dam of Mount Rushmore, did not race but has produced four winners abroad; she is a full-sister to Compton Admiral (Eclipse Stakes, Gr.1; sire) and half-sister to Summoner (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, Gr.1).  Solange is a half-sister to three winners; their dam placed in a Listed race but did not win. Solange is bred on the successful Sadler's Wells/Shirley Heights cross and an Oaks trip will be more to her liking.

Pesi Shroff, the trainer of Solange, fields three other fillies who are all daughters of Multidimensional. Nifty (out of Artwork) made her debut just two months ago and as a winner of both her starts since then, she is the only unbeaten filly in the field. A half-sister to Wind Stream, the question is whether having won impressively twice over a mile, Nifty now needs longer. Myrtlewood, out of the Super Mile winner Adamile and thus a full-sister to Amelia, is yet to be beaten on the Mahalakshmi track. She went to Bangalore for the summer where she performed disappointingly. The physical problem was diagonised  and treated while she rested in the monsoons. Her last win after the lay-off was stylishly gained. Both Nifty and Myrtlewood have the potential to be in the mix at the all important end. The third Multidimensional filly won her maiden in Pune in sensational style coming from nowhere over a sprint. She disappointed in her Mumbai run and would appear to need a bit of time and experience.

Five Guineas races have been run at Calcutta, Hyderabad and Bangalore but the first season sire Arazan, with a king-sized crop, has not had a runner on board in any of them. He has three runners on Sunday and their performance will be crucial from his point of view since the jury is still out on him. Ageless, out of the Bangalore Fillies' Trial Stakes, Gr.1 winner Lindsay, has shown herself to be smart and consistent. She has twice essayed a mile without winning and she does seem more effective at a bit shorter. In one of her mile races, Ageless was beaten by Eternal Flame (out of Golconda Oaks, Gr.2 winner Yutai). Eternal Flame went on to win the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 and at that point of time appeared to be the Queen Bee of her crop. She hasn't quite lived up to the expectations since then, hasn't raced since finishing off-the-board in Mogadishu's Mysore Derby, Gr.1 and has had just one track workout after reaching Mumbai. It is hard to know if she has regained her best form. The third Arazan filly is Sweeping Star (out of Indian Turf Invitation Cup winner Sweeping Success) who has never missed the board in her half a dozen starts. Like Eternal Flame and Nifty, she is a course and distance winner. Sometimes, not being on the radar is a blessing and Sweeping Star will go into the race without undue hype. That could be to her advantage.

Apart from Eternal Flame, there are two other southern challengers. In the five Guineas run this year, a Kunigal Stud-bred has won two and been on the board in the remaining three. There was no runner sporting Dr. Vijay Mallya's silks in Calcutta 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 but Cameron won the fillies' race there and his runners in Hyderabad and Bangalore have all finished in the money. He will be represented by Amazing Grace's Burden of Proof half-sister Amazing Charm, third to Intelligence in the Golconda 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 on her last start. Intelligence finished off-the-frame in Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 and that doesn't augur too well. Amazing Charm already has a win over 2000 m. and in time she should, like her celebrated sister, enjoy a galloping trip. The long Mahalakshmi straight will be to her liking and one can always count on a Mallya runner doing its best. Coming from further south is Star Formation (China Visit - Prevalence). This Bipin Salvi-trained filly has exceeded all expectations thus far for a Mysore-based runner. After winning her first two races on her home turf, she came for the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 where Eternal Flame proved too good but she finished ahead of 14 other fillies. A fair sixth in Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1, she was second to New Alliance in the Mysore 1000 Guineas, Gr.3 and fourth in the Mysore Derby, Gr.1, beaten less than half a length. The filly is certainly game and consistent and the connections need to be complimented for dreaming big. The Delhi-based owners of Starlet have certainly been rewarded in Bangalore for their enterprise. Star Formation has had a good mock race at Mumbai, finishing just half a length behind Ostwind.

Victoria Harbour (Phoenix Tower - Alcmene) had won her first three races but she lost her unbeaten status on her fourth start recently. The filly has yet not been sent beyond 1200 m.  Alcmene and her three siblings, including one abroad, never won beyond 1400 m. Their dam, Three For Fantasy, was a Gr.3 winner in France but also at 1200 m.  With those credentials, a mile in a competitive, big field is a tough task but one can expect Colm O'Donoghue to offer her the best assistance.

For Ageless and Victoria Harbour a mile could be just wee bit too far. On the other hand, fillies like Nifty, Solange and Amazing Charm may just be getting into top gear when the winning post arrives. That should not be construed as their having no winning chance. A slow run race will help the suspect milers while a strong pace will be to the advantage of those would prefer the trip to be a trifle longer. This is where the jockeyship assumes importance. Positioning the filly in tune with her aptitude and the pace of the race and then making the final move at the precise moment requires prior study and a split second decision. We have all the time in the world after the race to look sagacious; unfortunately, the jockey has to take decisions on the spur of the moment. 

PAST THE POST

The 1962 Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 was won by the Gwalior filly Nanda Deep -- trained by Maj. V.M. Lad and ridden by Willie Snaith -- with S.M. Shah's Remembrance second and A.L.J. Talib's Rocklie third. Nanda Deep won the Indian 2000 Guineas, Gr.1 the following weekend beating the colts. That was the last race of Nanda Deep for the filly developed a tendon and never ran again. Remembrance went on to win the Indian Oaks, Gr.1 and Rocklie triumphed in the controversial Indian Derby, Gr.1 later.

Nanda Deep was a daughter of Chhote Khan and her Classic victories enabled three half-brothers -- Khan Saheb, Chhote Khan and Star of Gwalior -- to achieve the unique distinction of being Classic sires in India. The Nearco mare Lady Emma arrived at Manjri Stud in 1946. She was in foal to Flag of Truce and her yearling colt by Atout Maitre accompanied her. The Atout Maitre colt came to be called Khan Saheb while Chhote Khan was the name bestowed on the Flag of Truce 'got-abroad'. In 1951, Lady Emma visited Hyder Ali and the resultant foal was Star of Gwalior, the winner of the Indian Derby, Gr.1 and the Indian St. Leger, Gr.1 in 1956. Khan Saheb, Chhote Khan and Star of Gwalior were barn-mates as stallions at Manjri Stud. Khan Saheb sired Meherban (1958-59 Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 and Indian Oaks, Gr.1) while Star of Gwalior came up with Loyal Manzar (1961-62 Indian Triple Crown) and Glory of Andhra (South India Derby, Gr.1) in his first crop. Chhote Khan needed a Classic win and Nanda Deep duly provided that.