A mammoth crowd turned up to witness the Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby (Gr1) partnered by Signature and the Mahalaxmi racecourse was swarming with people all over its sprawling lawns. Whoever says that the spectator appeal for the King of sports is dwindling, ought to have seen the packed Grand Stands bursting at the seams. The RWITC and the Sponsors Dr Vijay Mallya’s USL & UB Group deserve accolades for coming together and putting up such a spectacular show.

The richest race of the land panned out true to form, only Costa Del Sol failing to run to expectations while Gestapo improved well and certainly came back stronger. The gripping clash however, was restricted to the top two – multi-classic winner Desert God and the classy filly Myrtlewood at the business end.

The starting gates were right across the Grand Stands and the massive crowd did not have to wait too long for that loud roar the moment the gates flung open. Stalling operations for 20 horses is no mean task and once again the starters Jehangir Sayeed and Shobhag Singh were swift in loading the horses. The deafening roar ensued the moment the gates flung open with the twenty runners hurtling out of the gates in a hurry to grab vantage positions to settle into. After the early rush for the lead, Colombiana swung into the action to lead the field coming into the backstretch with Airco and Bullrun in pursuit while the top fancies settled well further behind down the field.

Cut to the homestretch, Colombiana could not sustain much longer and the others started crowding behind him. Approaching the distance post, the best four were abreast and that set the hearts in the stands pounding faster than the hooves on the turf!

Desert God close on the fence was astutely maneuvered through the narrowest of gaps by David Allan to give the Padmanabhan trainee a clear run. Costa Del Sol and Phoenix Tiger were right alongside and Myrtlewood soon joined the trio. The filly shifted in slightly and Costa Del Sol suffered a tight squeeze at a crucial juncture which cost him dearly. Phoenix Tiger was stable though, but could not match the brilliance of Desert god and Myrtlewood. These two pulled away and waged a ding-dong battle. With 100 to go, both looked equal to the task. However, Desert God pushed harder in the end to eventually thwart Myrtlewood’s valiant effort. Gestapo put in a gutsy performance to cover considerable ground and take the third spot, pushing Phoenix Tiger to fourth.

In the Indian Derby it’s the winner-takes-all and Desert God was given a resounding reception by the sportive crowd. Desert God started his Derby conquests with the Deccan Derby at Hyderabad, Calcutta Derby and capped this magnificent streak of wins conquering the unmatched Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby and etch his name among the greatest champions on Indian turf.

Desert God (Burden of Proof – Running Flame) is owned by his trainer, bred and owned by S Padmanabhan and wife Sharmila with Col Swapan Bhadra having a share in the ownership. David Allan dazzled in the saddle guiding Desert God through narrow pockets deftly and then urging him to unleash his strongest gallop at just the right moment. Desert God was bred at the Kunigal Stud Farm owned by the sponsor of the Indian Derby Dr Vijay Mallya.

For those who put up the grand show, it was a great delight to have the crowd thronging and the success of the Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby was a massive one.

“I am particularly overjoyed to see the number of youngsters in the crowd and this augurs well for the future of horseracing,” said Dr Mallya.

There were two new post race factors that were pleasing as it was thoughtful. One a craftily hand sculpted statuette of a jockey was decorated with the winning colors of the Padmnabhans  ‘Light Green, pink sash, sleeves and cap’ which will be on display until the next year’s edition. Second, an impromptu press-address giving scribes a face to face Q & A with the winning team accompanied by M/s Zavaray Poonawalla, Vivek Jain and Gulamhusein Vahanvaty.

“It was a tough race alright, but I was confident all through. Desert God is a tough boy and he was up for the challenge,” said David Allan. Asked about those anxious moments when we seemed stuck for room on the rails, David said, Oh that was expected in such a crowded field. We had to be patient knowing the passage will open up sooner or later. I was not too concerned as Desert god still had a lot in him. Even when Myrtlewood came alongside, I was confident Desert God would prevail,” he said.

Padmanabhan is a hard pro and if he was ecstatic, only a small smile was all he offered as tell-tale sign even after achieving such a glamorous success. Looking as composed and collected as he was before the race, Padmanabhan was quick in appreciating the efforts of Desert God and his jockey David Allan. “I seriously thought he had it in him to win such a tough race as the Indian Derby when he won the Hyderabad Derby in October last year. His progress has been steady if you discount the narrow miss at Mysore. We didn’t press him too hard in his Calcutta Derby win and he was fresh for the Indian Derby. I honestly believed he would win the Indian Derby.”

Sharmila could not hide her glee and genuine joy was writ large on her face. “I am delighted; this is one of the biggest moments of success. I got a little anxious until Desert God got a clear run and then it was sheer delight seeing him get the measure of Myrtlewood,” she said.

Answering to the concern voiced by Padmanabhan about the quality of the big field and the risk of mishaps if the list of runners are not of top quality, and the Club should limit the contenders on a certain criteria of merit only, Mr Vivek Jain said, “I differ to Padmanabhan’s line of thought as we already have the Invitation Cup where only those horses that are invited can participate. The Indian Derby is every race horse owner’s dream and restricting entries to the Indian Derby just cannot be right. The maximum runners can be up to 22 and we have jockeys from all over the world riding in this race. They have enough experience and temperament and I don’t think there is any extra risk involved. Even a smaller field can be risky at times and limiting the runners to 22 is taken after considering the safety concerns. Hence I see no need to change that,” said Mr Jain.

The Skoda Car as Grand prize was taken by the sole gentleman from the 1st enclosure. The big day was held in a manner RWITC is known for, with glitz, glamour and entertainment. “It was tough work, but we managed to pull it off magnificently,” said Mr Zavaray Poonawalla. “We will now sit to review what ways we can retain a good percentage of the new crowd that we see at the Derby. The sport has the potential and we will do everything possible to bring it closer and make it more attractive and appealing to the masses. The Indian Derby has shown time and again that if you offer the right mix of entertainment and sporting action, this sport has great potential. I will do whatever it takes to promote the sport in the right earnest,” said Mr Poonawalla.

A truly epic battle was witnessed by a strong colt and a gallant filly. The margin of victory was narrow and this adds to the suspense for the next big race to follow a month from now. The Invitation Cup is hosted by the Madras Race Club in Chennai this March and the battle will be renewed not only between the current crop, but also with the giants of last years for the crucial crown of the Turf Invitation Cup. There is enough time to rewind and watch the Desert God – Mrytlewood finish, but don’t forget to view the video of Quasar and Be Safe. Chennai will be another window that will showcase even tougher battles.