The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, a Gr.1 five furlong scurry, is run in the centre of the track on the Arc day. The 1990 Abbaye was won by the Dick Hern trained Dayjur who was ridden by Willie Carson. The field was unusually small but even if it had been a large one, it was one Abbaye where you didn't have to have binoculars or be able to follow the unintelligible French commentary to know the result.  Dayjur, in Sheikh Hamdan's distinctive colours, jumped off smartly, was a good four or five lengths clear at the halfway and won easing up. It was an exhibition of pure, blinding speed. It is hard to remember that kind of performance in the Sprinters' Cup. Indiscretion, Palazzio's Sun and Solomon have won the race from pillar to post but none of them had opened a daylight gap at the halfway stage. In the last decade, we have had a filly and two geldings -- Oasis Star, Attila and Nefyn -- who have won the race in consecutive years with all them coming from behind. Their finishing efforts were spectacular in their own way even if they lacked the Dayjur kind of exhilaration.

It is unlikely that we would a Dayjur experience this year because the principal players are all finishers.  Of the last ten winners of the Sprinters' Cup, eight had run their previous race in the Dr. S.C. Jain Sprinters' Championship, Gr.2 with Oasis Star, twice and Nefyn winning it.  (The ones who did not run that race are Haunting Memories and Palazzio's Sun). The first four -- Dancing Prances, Adam, Brahmachari and Dancing Phoenix --  in this year's running of the Dr. S.C. Jain Sprinters' Championship, Gr.2 are hence the obvious major contenders.

Dancing Prances (Ace - Dancing Greens), a 6YO gelding, has twice placed in this race previously. A two time winner of the Dr. S.C. Jain Sprinters' Championship, Gr.2, he is the highest rated of his sire's progeny. He is looking for his first Gr.1 win and is from the same family as Saddle Up, the highest rated Indian-bred internationally. Dancing Prances runs in the colours of Mr. Ashok Ranpise who also owns a share in Agostini, a live contender in the other Gr.1 on the same day. At 119, Dancing Prances is highest rated runner in the contest (disregarding the inflated Hyderabad ratings) and it is good to remember that in recent years the highest-rated runner has invariably finished within the first three. On his last start, he weighed 551 kgs. which is at least 10 kgs. more than his optimum weight. That may perhaps explain why Adam was gaining on him in the closing stages.

Adam (Multidimensional - Adesina), a contemporary of Dancing Prances age-wise, has been more sparingly raced than the son of Ace. While Dancing Prances has had 23 starts for his 13 wins, Adam has been under the colours just ten times which have yielded six wins. Adam made a winning debut just three days before he would have turned 4. That is his only victory over 1200 m. for his remaining brackets have been gained at 1400 m. and he has never been off-the-board. Originally, he was being targeted for Suresh Mahindra Million, Gr.2 over his pet distance. Lacking a suitable lead-up race, he was entered in the Dr. S.C. Jain Sprinters' Championship, Gr.2 where he ran a blinder to finish just a head shy of Dancing Prances. With his bracket-mate Solomon, a Sprinters' Cup winner last year, developing a tendon, the connections decided to switch Adam to the Sprinters' Cup. His dam is a full-sister to the dam of dual Sprinters' Cup winner Attila so there is the requisite speed in his pedigree and his jockey will be certainly more alert this time.

Brahmachari (Chevalier - Avec Plaisir), the only  member of the Classic crop in the field, has worked his way up the handicap route and the Dr. S.C. Jain Sprinters' Championship, Gr.2 was his first essay in a black-type race. Last with 300 m. to the winning post, he finished on purposefully without appearing likely to get to the front two. The experience will have done him much good. Two of his owners, Mr. Mohan Chattaram and Mr. Kishore Dhingra, were also part-owners in the dual Sprinters' Cup winner Attila.

Dancing Phoenix (Phoenix Tower - All Dancing) and Dancing Prances were both born in 2010 and since they have raced primarily in Western India, it has been inevitable that they clashed on a few occasions. They have crossed swords eight times and barring just once in Akkasaheb Maharaj Cup, Gr.3 last year in Pune, trainer Altaf Hussain's ward has always finished ahead. Indeed, Dancing Phoenix owes his solitary point to the 8 kgs. he was receiving from his rival. That effectively rules out a winning chance for Dancing Phoenix who has been nominated for the race by R.C.T.C.

Perhaps hogged by the inevitable outcome in challenging his nemesis, Dancing Phoenix travelled to east for the Calcutta Champions Sprint Trophy, Gr.3 in January. He won that race comfortably enough from Evesham and Pentagram but when you factor in the 4.5 kgs. that he was getting, it is the runner-up who comes out on top at level weights. Evesham, of course, is not in the contest. In fact, Calcutta is not represented at all in any of the graded races and one wonders why.

Despite the absence of Calcutta runners, the field has a healthy number of 18 in the fray. The average rating of the field is 105.7, much lesser than the average of recent years which is 109.4. That figure of 105.7 is boosted by the generous ratings of Hyderabad horses. Satellite raced in Bangalore on 19 December in a Class 1 race over 1400 m. and finished a shade over six lengths behind the winner. The filly was then taken to Hyderabad for the Kakatiya Million, Gr.3 and won that race by a short-head from Vijay Vidhata when in receipt of 1.5 kgs, With Vijay Vidhata being rated 119, Satellite's rating was upped to 121 from 87. A rise of 34 points for a five year-old ! The Bangalore Handicapper has kept the filly at a much more conservative -- and objective -- 105. Rationalising 'regional' ratings into a comprehensive 'national' table is the need of the hour if time can be found for it in between the wining and dining which is the greater feature of the Invitation week-end.  Ratings are one man's assessment of a horse and every person's assessment differs.

Ratings which are based on known performances can be questioned and modified according to one's own interpretations. What does one do when the performances themselves are shrouded in mystery ? One of the runners in the Sprinters' Cup is Forest Flair. The son of Placerville won the Dr. S.C. Jain Sprinters' Championship, Gr.2 twice and placed fourth once in that race when he was younger and in training with Karthik Ganapathy in Western India. He has run in three Sprinters' Cups, was twice the favourite and placed twice. He raced 27 times till finishing nowhere as a favourite in Attila's second Sprinters' Cup. What he has done in the four years since will be a mystery to most people who do not follow Chennai racing.

In the last ten years, the three Gr.1 contests other than the Invitation Cup, have been won by a Calcutta or Hyderabad based runner just four times with two of Calcutta victories coming on the home turf. Rest have been shared between Western India and Bangalore runners. It may hence be prudent to concentrate only on runners from these centres.

PAST THE POST

There are four other horses which have interesting stories and they are being mentioned solely in that context.

We have two half-brothers Shivalik Storm and Shivalik Star who are both running. Shivalik Storm (by Dancing Forever) last ran over 1200 m. as a 2YO when he finished third to Be Safe and Maisha with War Command fourth. That's elite company for the three of them are all Classic winners. The older Shivalik Star (by Shamardal) is Bangalore based and has run in three Sprinters' Cups without troubling the Judge. In fact, when he ran his first Sprinters' Cup at Calcutta in 2013, he was coming off a run in the Golconda Derby, Gr.1. Their Halling half-sister Eastern Aria won the DFS Park Hill Stakes, Gr.2 at Doncaster over 2900 m.

In 2009, the legion of Set Alight followers probably outnumbered Be Safe fans. She was beaten in the Indian Derby which was run in April that year and by the time that year's Invitation Cup week-end could be cobbled together in October, the daughter of Razeen had been retired to stud. Satellite is her first foal. She was trained initially by Pesi Shroff and moved to Bangalore after it was evident that she was no patch on her dam. She has progressed quietly and as a black-type winner she will be a welcome addition to the Kunigal broodmare band. Satellite has a 2014 full-brother but her other three years at stud haven't brought much joy.

Vijay Vidhata (Gaswar - Blue Sonata) is a full-brother to Kohinoor Wish, a winner of 20 races from 47 starts who participated thrice in the Sprinters' Cup, placing twice. Their Storm Trooper half-brother Always Bullish won 8 races from 36 starts and was once a starter in the Super Mile. Vijay Vidhata himself has won 9 of his 13 races and never been worse than runner-up in the other four. These three remarkable brothers are Hyderabad-based and have been trained by three different trainers. The Twist and Turn mare Blue Sonata graces the paddocks of Chhatari Stud in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh and the feats of Brothers Three are a credit to a new, small breeding venture.