Though the first Classic of the winter season is run at Hyderabad in November, the Golconda Derby is the last of the regional Derbies before the Indian Derby on first Sunday in February. The Golconda Derby is hence a rather difficult stepping stone and the number of horses who have run in it as well as the Indian Derby can be counted on fingers of one hand. Nelston, in 1983, was the first to do it. Well beaten at Hyderabad by Deccan Prince, he surprised his ten rivals at Mahalakshmi, paying Rs. 191.50 for a fiver on the Tote. There was a gap of two weeks between the two races that year. Twenty four years later in 2007, Diabolical won both the races though the gap had now been reduced to just a week. A favourite in the Golconda Derby, he was at long odds in the Indian Derby. Retribution (2008) and Quasar (2015)  both won at Hyderabad but failed in the Indian Derby the following Sunday.

In the Golconda 2000 Guineas, Gr.2 in December, Germanicus (Whatsthescript - Phenomenale) and London (Phoenix Tower - Fair Always) finished first and second. The duo renews their rivalry on Sunday . They were both nearer the  the tail-end of the field in the "2000" early on but made up ground on coming into the straight. Germanicus was in the first to show out towards the inside while London came charging in on the extreme outside. The  break that Germanicus took proved vital as he just clung on to thwart the fast finishing London. London has not raced since then, Germanicus failed to make the board in the Panchshil Indian 2000 Guineas, Gr.1. There is no certainty that either of them will definitely stay the 2400 m. trip.

Germanicus is from the first crop of new stallion Whatsthescript who has thrown winners aplenty. Germanicus is obviously the best of his winners. Whatsthescript was an excellent miler with a speedy pedigree and it is too early to say whether he can meld with stamina-laden mares like Phenomenale. Phenmenale won the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1 and is by Montjeu, a confirmed stamina influence. Phenomenale's grandam is a three-parts sister to the dam of the Aga Khan's Arc winner Sinndar so there is plenty of stamina in the bottom half of the pedigree of Germanicus. His last run, though, was poor and before that he was well beaten by Accolade, himself a doubtful stayer, in the Kingfisher Ultra Pune Derby, Gr.1. In that race, he just held off Namid whose run the South India Derby, Gr.1, if not bad, wasn't particularly encouraging.

Why has London been off the races for so long ? His dam won the Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 and is from the same family as Shergar, another Aga Khan legend. So London is very much like Germanicus in that he is by a prolific winner producing sire who is yet to get a good 2400 m. horse from a classy and staying family. London himself has not raced beyond a mile so far. All this, of course, does not rule out the possibility of Germanicus or London winning the race -- after all, they are the two highest rated contenders -- but the reward must be commensurate with the risk to back them.

There are two course and distance winners in the race in Veronese (Bushranger - Verbania) and Royal Sceptre (Ace - Premier Collection). The former won the Golconda Oaks, Gr.2, plugging on resolutely, running well above her rating and clocking a very average timing. In that race she beat Frosty and Aster Rose who have subsequently run poorly in the Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks, Gr.,1. Veronese's sire was a Champion 2YO Sprinter who has been reasonably successful as a sire with the average winning distance of his progeny being just short of a mile. He has obviously melded well with the staying dam line of Veronese which has produced that redoubtable stayer Sagaro, who won the Ascot Gold Cup, Gr.1.  Veronese has shown that she can stay a moderately run race and will now need to prove her class as well as the ability stay in a what will undoubtedly be a much faster contest.

Royal Sceptre, the other course and distance winner, was sent by his trainer from Bangalore to Hyderabad for an ordinary Class 2 handicap. That itself suggests that the trainer had this race in his sights. It is rare for a horse to win a Derby coming from the handicap route as Royal Sceptre and Pallas (Win Legend - Conceptual) -- another Bangalore challenger -- will be attempting. Having won over 1800 m. earlier, Pallas won the Nethravathi Trophy, a Class 1 handicap over 2000 m., on his last start by six lengths to earn himself a rating of 86. His dam is a winner of the Bangalore St. Leger, Gr.2 as well as the Golconda St. Leger, Gr.2 and the ability of Win Legend do well with staying mares is well established. Win Legend's previous four Classic winners are all fillies so Pallas is attempting to be the first colt to be successful at Classic level. His trainer Arjun Mangalorkar has picked up a Classic at Malakpet every now and then.  

Star Nijinsky (Multidimensional - Allaire) won the Deccan Derby, Gr.1 at Malakpet in October. Her two starts during the winter campaign, in Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 and Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2, were not in keeping with the stature of a Derby winner. She was officially examined after her Oaks run when she finished last and was found to have been afflicted with epiglottic entrapment with ulcers. Even if that problem has been sorted out, there would have been insufficient time to hone her back to peak fitness. On her best form and pedigree she is capable of having a say in the finish. Her being dead last, though is dampener even with Temerity's case fresh in mind.

The late Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy's Trust operation seems to be best handled by K. Satheesh in Hyderbad. He fields two Dancing Forevers in Handy Man -- a half-brother to Tintinnabulation -- and Like Wise -- third dam Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victress All Along -- and both are bred to stay. The sires of Namid, England and Watchmyscript do not inspire confidence over a mile and a half. This is a very difficult to race to short-list the main contenders because most of the runners have a question mark regarding class or the ability to stay; in some case as regards both the attributes. To add to the confusion, some of the ratings are confounding. The R.W.I.T.C. site shows the rating of Serjeant At Arms to be 100. Serjeant At Arms beat Germanicus by over eight lengths at level weights when the two last met in a race. Yet, the H.R.C. site has Germanicus also rated at 100 !

That makes this a race strictly for those who have a crystal ball !

PAST THE POST

Ten fillies have won this race including the very first one run in 1980. Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy's grey filly Nicolette won that race when she came home three and a half lengths ahead of Word-A-Day. She had to wait a bit longer to be confirmed as the winner since Walter Swinburn, the rider of the runner-up, objected in vain to get the placings reversed in the Stewards' Room.

Nicolette's full-sister Nicolina was the dam of Recommender who won the race seven years later. Own Vision was the winner in 2004. Her three-parts sister Arabian Rose was the dam of Arabian Prince who won this race in 2010 in a record time.  Elite Zone (2005) and Retribution (2008) were full-brothers.

The Golconda Derby has always been a lucrative target for outstation raiders but in the last ten years, the local brigade has held its own by winning five times.

Of the last seven winter Classics run at Hyderabad, Nanoli Stud has bred six winners.