Gitanjali, an old sponsor, returns after a break of two years and the race, with Peut Etre declining at the Declaration stage, will have sixteen fillies reporting to the Starter on Sunday. Since the start of the new winter season last month, five Guineas have been run and all of them have gone to an outstation challenger bar the Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 which was won by Proserpine on her home track. It needs to be added that there was no outstation filly in that race. Hall of Famer (Win Legend - Elusive Trust), along with La Dona (Multidimensional - Forest Treasure) and Cataleya (Multidimensional - Farfesheena), who followed her home in Golconda 1000 Guineas, Gr.2, are all three in the field and without their presence the race would probably have been at the mercy of locally trained 'got-abroad’ filly Temerity (Intense Focus - Narmina).

At 91, Temerity is the highest rated filly in the  field. The average field rating in the last ten years is 70.1. In those years, six highest rated fillies -- two of them joint highest rated -- have gone on to win the race. On the other hand, this is not a good race for the favourites with just three public darlings justifying the faith reposed in them. The average field rating this year is 59.06 and it is the lowest in last ten years despite being boosted by the 1-2-3 of the Golconda 1000 Guineas.

Temerity's dam was knocked down to Mr. Berjis Desai of Capricorn Stud at the 2012 Goff's November Sale for only €9,000. At that time, Temerity's older Dubawi half-sister Narniyn was yet to race.  Narniyn made her debut in France after Temerity had foaled in India, was on board in her first two starts and then struck a purple patch to notch up a hat-trick which included a Listed race and a Gr.3. The following year, she started off by winning the La Coupe, Gr.3 at Longchamp. Her next four starts were all Gr.1 contests and she was on board in three of them. Well before Narniyn's exploits, Mr. Shyam Ruia of Equus Stud struck a deal with Mr. Berjis Desai. The deal saw Narmina come to Equus Stud -- where Temerity was foaled -- and for the foal to race in the colours of the Ruias, pere et fils. So it is to be wondered who got the bargain; Mr. Desai for getting Narmina for only €9,000 or Mr. Ruia for clinching the lucrative arrangement.

Towards the end of January earlier this year, Temerity had her first outing -- an educational one -- when she placed fourth. Since then, she has reeled off four wins on the trot including the F.D. Wadia Trophy, Gr.3 in Pune. She leaves the gates quickly, settles nicely behind the early pace and makes her move smoothly in the straight. Three of her wins have been easy romps and the only time she has had to be shaken up was in the F.D. Wadia Trophy, Gr.3  when Eternal Sunshine and In My Dream challenged her on either side. She showed her sterner side to hold on more easily than the verdict of half a length and a head suggests. It is also true that Temerity hasn't yet beaten good horses -- In My Dream and Eternal Sunshine are rated only 61 and 55 respectively -- so being rated 91 flatters her somewhat. But she sets the standard. Her sire Intense Focus is a Dewhurst Stakes, Gr.1 winning son of Giant's Causeway and she comes from an Aga Khan family renowned for stamina.  

Hall of Famer, La Dona and Cataleya finished in that order at Malakpet last month with less than three lengths covering them. That is a fairly close verdict and the possibility exists that on another day, with the race unfolding differently, the order may change. The winner has won all her three races over a mile and she won her last race despite shifting out. A lesser jockey than David Allan could have spelt trouble. Hall of Famer's dam is a half-sister to Golconda Oaks, Gr.2 winner Gisele. This is the Amber Forest family developed at Usha Stud -- that of Snow, Blue Ice, Santorini Star, Snow Dew, etc -- which is better around a mile than at distances beyond 2000 m. As the only grey in the filly, she will be easy to keep an eye on. La Dona was second to Common Wealth in the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Gr.1 and just held on from the fast finishing Ice Glacier in the K.R.O.A. Mysore 1000 Guineas, Gr.3. She has never been out of a paying place and there is no reason why she shouldn't be about the premises again. Cataleya won her first start when taken to Bangalore but has disappointed in three subsequent black-type starts. She is back to Mumbai where she is a course and distance winner of the Forbes Breeders' Fillies Championship Stakes, Gr.3. In that race, Silken Eyes, Eternal Sunshine and Book Thief were well behind her. At Malakpet, she brought the Guineas field into the straight but couldn't hold on. Her trainer Malesh Narredu had another Multidimensional filly called Godspeed with whom he won this race two years ago so he knows what is needed. He has won two of the Guineas run so far and lost another by a short-head so the stable is in rousing form.

Cataleya is a Mahalakshmi-based filly who has had more starts out of Western India. The best rated local fillies after Temerity are Devoted Eyes (Multidimensional - Ave Maria) and In My Dream (Phoenix Tower - Taralaya). Devoted Eyes beat Accolade on Myrtlewood's Indian Oaks day, then went wrong and missed the racing across the Ghats. She lost as a hot order on the opening day of the Mumbai winter season, came back with minor battle scars and is currently under a Veterinary ban. Her being ready for a race like this has hence to be taken on trust.

Accolade beat In My Dream easily in the Poonawalla Breeders' Multi-Million, Gr.1 but the filly had Common Wealth and Ice Glacier -- both Gr.1 Classic winners subsequently -- finishing behind her. In Pune, she was half a length and head behind Temerity when receiving 3 kgs. from the winner. That is good form but she won the first race of her career only on her last start in November. She has a most interesting pedigree and traces to M. Francois Dupre's mare Tosca. Tosca produced the full-sisters Texana and Texanita who were absolute flyers, both winning the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, Gr.1. Along In My Dream's tail-female line you will find stallions like Kahyasi, Shahrastani, Akarad and Wild Risk, the aim being to add stamina to a brilliant source. Sometimes, such an exercise blunts the original speed and nullifies class. 

All the other fillies have a rating below the average field rating and it is a rare occasion when such a runner wins a big race. There is an old saying that "There is no class in Classics". What it means is that it is very much possible for a low rated runner to win a big race if it has been prepared astutely as long term target by a proven Classic trainer . There are plenty of cross connections in this race. Pesi Shroff (Temerity, Courtship and Mrs. Patmore) and Cooji Katrak (Devoted Eyes, Silken Eyes and In My Dream) will both saddle three fillies. Four fillies -- Arak, Book Thief, Mekong Delta and Mrs. Patmore -- will run in the silks of Mr. Vijay Shirke and they are trained by four different trainers; Mr. Atul Amersey also has an interest in a quartet of runners (Devoted Eyes, Silken Eyes, Sparkling Eyes and In My Dream) while Rehanullah Khan sends out two. There are five 'got-abroads' -- Temerity, Arak, Book Thief, Mekong Delta and Mrs. Patmore --, four daughters of Multidimensional -- Cataleya, Devoted Eyes, Sparkling Eyes and Silken Eyes while Manjri's Phoenix Tower is represented by In My Dream and Eternal Sunshine. Of the fillies not discussed in detail -- those with a rating below 59 -- the one to keep an eye on is Mrs. Patmore, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor and a course and distance winner on her last start. She has had just two starts so far and hence is likely to improve the most.

PAST THE POST

This will be the fourth instance when there has been a renewal of the Indian 1000 Guineas at Mahalakshmi coinciding with a Test Match in Mumbai. The first occurred in 1951 when it was the second day of India-England encounter at the Brabourne Stadium. India, having won the toss, were sitting pretty with a score of 450 plus -- thanks to substantial centuries from Pankaj Roy and Vijay Hazare -- when some spectators from the western stands left cricket for Mahalakshmi to watch Kashmir's filly Roman Dancer win the Indian 1000 Guineas. (The Test Match, by the way, ended as a draw.)

In 1966, West Indies started the final day needing 169 runs to win with eight wickets in hand. They lost two quick wickets but then a rollicking partnership between Clive Lloyd and Garfield Sobers at Brabourne Stadium took them to victory and left them enough time to change their flannels and dash to the racecourse to witness a stirring duel between two Rock of Gibraltar fillies, River Haven and Multirosa, which the former won by a short-head under a forceful ride from Eric Eldin. Unfortunately for the West Indian cricketers as they had been told that the Talib-trained Multirosa was as good as past the post.

Thirteen years later, it was the opening day of the India-Pakistan match at the Wankhede Stadium. India won the toss but struggled against the swing of Sikander Bakht to be 154 for 6. Then came counter-punching partnership between Kirmani and Kapil Dev that took the score to 232 for 6 at stumps. It was gripping cricket and only a few spectators went over to Mahalakshmi to watch Highland Rule romp home easily under Sandy Barclay. (India bowled out Pakistan in the fourth innings to win by 131 runs.)

This year, the Indian 1000 Guineas is on the fourth day. It is unlikely, as it appears after second day's play, for the match to be over by Sunday afternoon. In fact, it could well be in a very intriguing stage and not many will take the train from Churchgate to Mahalakshmi. Racing has lost much appeal over the years.