When Hyderabad started its winter season in 1979-80, it held its first winter Derby and the late Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy's grey filly Nicolette beat her five rivals. Nicolette's record of being the filly with most number of Classics -- nine -- has been equalled by Birthday Girl and In The Spotlight but not yet bettered. The Golconda Derby thus has a distinguished name heading its Roll of Honour. In the first eleven years, the locally trained horses held their own against outstation challengers, winning seven of the runnings. The tide has changed radically since then and the home team has been successful just four times in the twenty five years with three of the successes coming in the last five years.

There are 13 acceptors but you can be certain that a lesser number will report to the Starter on Sunday. The malaise of trainers forgetting to scratch horses cannot be stopped by token fines. Assuming that Satvik and Scarborough Fair are not declared to start, the average field rating is 80 which is much higher than the average of last six years. In spite of the high average,  it is a rather motley collection and there are doubts about many of them being suited to run a mile and a half.  If a dozen sprinters are entered in a mile and a half race, one of them is bound to win. Would such a horse be entitled to be called a stayer ? On the other hand, even if a horse does not stay, he doesn't stop running. There is a subtle difference between being bred-to-stay and winning over 2400 m. which needs to be appreciated. At this stage of their careers, many horses will be competing in a 2400m. for the first time while some may have had one or two starts over the distance. It is this uncertainty which adds to the Derby mystique. Once the race is run, everyone is wiser.

Horses bred at Nanoli Stud have won first three Classics of the year at Malakpet and that farm has three prime contenders here, all of them sired by Kingda Ka. Kingda Ka himself won his two races over 1300m. and 1400m. This is his second crop and on the available evidence, a mile is the ideal distance for his progeny. He is represented here by two colts and a filly. The colts, King Charles and Rigoletto, are actually brothers-in-blood because their respective dams, Lasere and Highland Ghillie, are full sisters. Both of them will carry the colours of  Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy. King Charles, who is trained by Laxman Singh, counts the Golconda 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 among his six wins. He has ventured beyond a mile just once when he was beaten by two stable-mates receiving weight over 2000m.

Rigoletto, trained by Pesi Shroff, has won once over 2000 m. and was second to Bullrun in Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1. There is plenty of stamina in the dam line. Rigoletto is a half-brother to Cabriolet, twice a Gr.2 winner over 2000m., and Reynolds whose five wins were  all over 2400m. Their dam Highland Ghillie was unplaced. Lasere, whose first foal is King Charles, won once over a mile and she is a full-sister to Artois (Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1) and a half-sister to Zurbaran (McDowell Indian St. Leger, Gr.1, Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1). Mill Reef, that great race horse and chef-de-race sire -- classified as classic/stout -- is from the immediate family.

The one-eyed filly Woman O War (out of a Linamix mare Silver Clasp) reeled off six consecutive wins at the start of her career till finishing third in Deccan Derby, Gr.1 to Desert God and Cameron. The 'got-abroad' filly Intelligence beat her in the Golconda 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 and then she was only fourth in Golconda Oaks, Gr.2. Bred by Mr. K.N. Dhunjibhoy's Five Stars Shpping Co. Pvt. Ltd., Woman O War was conceived at Nanoli Stud but foaled at Jai-Govind Stud. The Two Thousand Guineas, Gr.1 winner and useful sire Refuse To Bend is from the immediate family. She was seen finishing on in her two essays beyond a mile but seems to have misplaced her winning shoes.

The Manjri Stud stallion Phoenix Tower has two representatives in the fray. Phoenix Tower was a high class, consistent race horse who was raced just eight times over three years, winning his first four races -- longest winning distance was 1800m. -- and placed second in his next four, all over 2000m. and all Gr.1 races. His astute trainer, the late Sir Henry Cecil, never sent him beyond 2000m. This is his third crop and he is still looking for a black-type winner over 2400m. His best representative on Sunday must be Mogadishu, the winner of the Mysore Derby, Gr.1 but only an unthreatening third to Angel Dust in Garuda Bangalore Derby, Gr. last week. He faces a weaker opposition at Malakpet. The other Phoenix Tower is Mogadishu's bracket-mate Dragon (out of Dramatikos). After two initial wins, he was rushed off to Calcutta and was then just a head behind Mogadishu in the Bangalore 2000 Guineas, Gr.2. He won his last start at Mysore over 1800m. and he has a stout dam line. He may, though, be Mogadishu's pacemaker.

The only contestant with a win over 2400m. is Jigsaw (Archipenko - Silk Runner) who is trained by Malesh Narredu. The unplaced Silk Runner cost a mere 2,500 euros at the Goff's Sale in 2011 though she had been sold for a six-figure price as a foal. She is from a really classy branch of the Pretty Polly family. The Lanwades Stud stallion Archipenko was a Gr.2 winner over 2000m. and amassed over a million pounds in his racing career. Jigsaw won over 2000m. as early as the Bangalore Summer season and has been kept racing over galloping trips. He was fourth in Bullrun's Pune Derby, a shade over two lengths behind the second placed Rigoletto. Over the additional 400m. on Sunday, he may reverse that verdict.

Amazing Grace's Burden of Proof half-sister Amazing Charm failed to come on board in Myrtlewood's Indian 1000 Guineas and Heather's Golconda Oaks. She has the pedigree to make her presence felt if she is back at her peak form. The news is that she will be ridden by David Allan since the stable's retained jockey, P. Trevor has been released to ride Rigoletto. A Bangalore filly in better form at the moment is Let There Be Light (Win Legend - Integra) with a  third in the Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 and Golconda Oaks, Gr.2. In the former race, she was just a head behind Angel Dust. Integra's full-sister was a winner over 2400m. and she was on board in the Golconda Oaks as well as the Golconda Derby. Trainer Arjun Mangalorkar has won more Classics at Malakpet than anywhere else.

 Multi App (Multidimensional - Appeasing) just missed the board in the Golconda Oaks, Gr.2 but was within three lengths of the winner. She put in good work towards the end of that race but with Heather and Star Formation, 1-2 in that race, running badly in the Indian Oaks, the form line stands diluted. She is the lowest rated runner in the race and will do well to get her number put up.

 PAST THE POST

To round off, some trivia:-

Pesi Shroff rode three Golconda Derby winners but is yet to saddle one. On the other hand, Malesh Narredu never rode a winner of this race but sent out Quasar to win it last year.

Quasar's win gave Suraj Narredu his third winner of the race putting him on par with Shroff, Aslam Kader and B. Prakash. Apart from him, only P.S. Chouhan would have a chance to increase his tally on Sunday.

S. Ganapathy stands at the top having trained five winners of the race. He doesn't have a runner this year. Darius Byramji, Laxman Singh and L.V.R. Deshmukh are three trainers with runners on Sunday who have saddled a Golconda Derby winner earlier.

Nicolette and her half-sister Recommender won this race in 1980 and 1987; full-brothers Elite Zone and Retribution did so in 2005 and 2008 while half-sisters Treasure Land and Arabian Rose got the winners Own Vision (2004) and  Arabian Prince (2010).

16 favourites have won in the previous 36 renewals while ten fillies have been victorious.

 Arabian Prince has the best time (2.28.07) in this race.