Charismatic owner Mr Shapoor Mistry could not hide his delight when jockey Colm O’Donoghue successful steered his colt Phoenix Tiger (Phoenix Tiger – Tigress Noire, Manjri Stud) to a well-fought victory over another of his Manjri Farm’s produces - Costa Del Sol in a thrilling finish to claim the Deltin Casinos Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr1) on Sunday.

The line-up was strong and Phoenix Tiger was rightfully accorded the ‘first favourite’ status for his impressive run of victories coming into the big race at a good value of 18/10.

All the ten got off to a steady start and the ‘late entry’ Perfectionist shot into the lead working up a good pace. Rigoletto brushed up to be a close second, Phoenix Tiger was up with the pace too with the rest huddled in a bunch.

Perfectionist led them into the straight and the jostle for vantage position had the field spread out. Rigoletto could not capitalize and was the first casualty. Phoenix Tiger pounced on the front runners and produced a strong gallop to surge past perfectionist with ease with around 300 to go. Colm O’Donoghue timed his assault at the perfect moment and got Phoenix Tiger to quicken at the precise moment. Costa Del Sol then put in a hard gallop in his attempt to chase down the Dallas Todywalla charge. He was inching closer with each stride and had left the others far behind. This pair had pulled away from the others in the final furlong. Phoenix Tiger always held the upper hand and looked good to last the course even as Costa Del Sol was breathing down his neck. A couple of cracks were all it took for Phoenix Tiger to quell the challenger’s effort and seal the issue with conviction
although the margin was half a length.

“It is a great feeling of joy to bag the first two places in the Deltin Casinos Indian 2000 Guineas” said Mr Shapoor Mistry owner and breeder of both Phoenix Tiger and Costa Del Sol. I have had the pleasure earlier as well, but each victory in the Indian Classics has a flavor of its own. I would like to express my gratitude to Mr Sarosh Mody who looks after the Manjri Stud farm and all the staff and stable hands. Trainer Dallas Todywalla has done a great job too in keeping Phoenix Tiger in the pink of condition. Colm was at his best and I always had the confidence that he would do perfect justice when it came to a fighting finish as he is an accomplished rider with rich experience,” said Mr Shapoor Mistry.

Dallas Todywalla who is also a part owner of Phoenix Tiger along with Mr Mistry, Aban Chotia and Mr Munchi Shroff was delighted, to say the least. “It is a great feeling when all the pre-planning and preparations pay off in such a manner. I always thought highly of Phoenix Tiger and was subtly confident on his caliber, and expected him to deliver today. I feel there is still room for improvement and I shall sit down with the owners on his future plans.

Colm O’Donoghue was the man on the moment. He was cheered all the way as he arrived through the aisle. “I thank the crowd for the encouraging reception; that always feels good. Phoenix Tiger was at his best. I was confident right through and we didn’t encounter any niggling issues anytime during the race. He settled well and when I asked him to go for it, he responded as expected and even when Costa Del Sol came close, I was not too concerned as Phoenix tiger was galloping on nicely. I feel that he should stay the longer trips too and has the pedigree to stay the distance. He certainly has a brighter future,” said jockey Colm O’Donoghue.

Mr Zavaray Poonawalla, Chairman, RWITC thanked Mr Jaydev Mody, Chairman, Deltin Casinos for the sponsorship and honored Mr Hardik, CFO Deltin, who presented the trophies to the winning connections, with a memento on behalf of the Club.

The Manjri Stud Farm has been highly successful more so currently and their produce have performed brilliantly not only in Mumbai but at all other racing centers as well. The Sarosh Mody led Manjri Stud team already found mention in farm owner Shapoor Mistry’s post-victory talk on the presentation podium. Phoenix Tower has proved to be a very successful stallion in a short span of time.

Phoenix Tiger powered his way to the front readily past the 400m mark and then kicked on strongly to finish full of steam. Phoenix Tiger clocked better timing (1:34:28) than Myrtlewood (1:35:13), but then the filly was in cruise mode and never extended. Both have the potential to stay and room for improvement.

Costa Del Sol returned a worthy runner up and would come out of the race with a few pluses. Perfectionist justified his connections’ belief in him although he finished a faraway third. Beating a more experienced lot to end in the money would be an encouraging sign as he braved to essay such a big race start to finish and held on to the third spot.

Admiralty felt his legs and it was announced that he returned sore. On hindsight, Pesi Shroff could rue the decision of running him as it now is obvious that he needed more rest and nurturing. It is certainly hoped by all in the racing fraternity that Admiralty is not too stressed after this outing and returns to the track completely fit.

Bold Command and to an extent Magnificence need not be disappointed. Bold Command in particular would relish the longer trips and there is a whole season ahead. Both were seen improving towards the end, although it was all over by then. The longer grueling trips as we all know throw surprises every now and then and the season ahead gets even more intriguing. So brace up for keener battles ahead, this Mumbai season is unfolding beautifully and is certain to throw suspense and thrill all the way!