The Bangalore Colts' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 provided a cracking contest and the verdict of just a head between the two market leaders left both camps a trifle disappointed. Supporters of the grey favourite were crestfallen that their Champion had not won by a longer margin as he had been doing previously while the camp of the runner-up lamented the so near and yet so far verdict. The race was notable not only for the close finish. The winning time, adjusted for penetrometer reading differences, was vastly superior to that clocked by Punjabi Girl a week previously and better than Dancing Dragon's time on the same day. In fact, Sana who finished a distant second to Dancing Dragon, clocked a better time than Punjabi Girl. The fillies are clearly no match for Sir Cecil and Star Superior who remain the prime contenders on Sunday. Normally, one would say that a verdict as close as a head can be over turned on another day. It may not be so in this case because the Derby will be run over 400 m. longer and that could be a significant game changer.

Before coming to Sunday's race, it is necessary to dissect the Colts' Championship. The race was over a mile and that was eminently in favour of Star Superior, a proven miler. The race, as anticipated, was decided at the 400 m. post when Star Superior came up with his run but was unable to pass Sir Cecil. Sir Cecil is a galloper; Star Superior is a finisher. When a finisher is unable to grab the lead and has to settle for a slanging match, it is the galloper who generally prevails. As such, an "away" victory, however narrow, over a staunch rival should gladden Sir Cecil supporters. Previously, Star Superior had been allowed time to find his feet, improve steadily, make significant progress round the bend and unleash his run at the top of the straight. In the Colts' Championship, he was hustled to keep tabs on Sir Cecil. Perhaps, that did not suit him and he required a fraction longer -- and a couple of cracks from his jockey -- to get moving. His stretch run was a bit erratic as he kept hanging left despite Suraj using the whip with his left hand. Star Superior felt his jockey's whip more often than his rival down the straight. The last quarter was run in less than 24 seconds and that was certainly not to Sir Cecil's advantage. His jockey, the often maligned Neeraj Rawal, rode a very competent race to keep him going.

As a full-brother to the Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby, Gr.1 victress Hall of Famer and bred on the same cross as Angel Dust (Garuda Bangalore Derby, Gr.1), Sir Cecil can justifiably be expected to stay. Star Superior, on the other hand, may not. His third dam, the Irish-born mare Preparation won four races in England up to 1200 m. In India, she proved a wonderful broodmare. 11 of her dozen foals were winners -- including three Classic winners -- and they won 60 races between them. Only four of those  60 wins were over 2000 m. or more. The unbeaten Exhilaration counted the McDowell Indian Derby, Gr.1 and Classic Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 among his nine wins; at the age of eight, Starfire Boy won the Governor's Cup at Calcutta in a small field carrying the bottom weight and the seven year-old Ace picked up the Hill Stamina Cup at Ootacamund. In the subsequent generations, we have 19 winners descending from Preparation who have won 85 races and not a single one of them at 2000 m. or more. Star Superior thus has a bit of family history to overcome. Besides, his sire Excellent Art is yet to get a black-type winner beyond a mile.

What is in Star Superior's favour, though, is that the Derby Bangalore has been won by quite a few classy milers -- Divine Light, Camineto, Snow Dew, Aboline and Serjeant At Arms, to name some -- and that is a cause for optimism. His tactics will have to be tweaked and he will need a suitable pace. That suitable pace may not be forthcoming as Sir Cecil is not averse to be trading it with the front runners. The unbeaten colt has an edge on Sunday even if it is a thin one.

With just seven runners declared, it becomes the smallest field for this race. It is matched in size just twice before -- in Astounding's year (1992) and Snow Dew's (2001). Both Astounding and Snow Dew won easily as favourites. The average field rating this year is 60 which slightly below the average of recent years.

Form lines and ratings suggest that the fillies are not of the same calibre as the two leading colts this year  and Punjabi Girl (Win Legend - Chapmans Peak), rated only 59, has a mountain to climb. The Calcutta runner Home of the Brave (Saamid - Roof Fiddle) has a win over a mile but will be running after a gap of nearly 120 days. It is hard to recall a horse winning a Derby in India with such a long break. Rikki Tikki Tavi and Van Dyke finished way behind Star Superior last month to kindle too many hopes of turning the tables while Poseidon (Green Coast - Speedboat), despite two wins over a mile, will be tackling black-type company for the first time.

It all points to a re-match. The adversaries are better informed of each other's strengths and weakness now and the riding tactics will be crucial to the eventual outcome. This will be first match of the day with the Wimbledon Final and the World Cup football final in Moscow coming up later in the evening. Plenty of top class sporting action for one Sunday.

PAST THE POST

A romantically ideal finale for Bangalore's summer Classics would be for the winners of Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 and Bangalore Colts' Trial Stakes, Gr.1 to fight out the finish of the Derby. It has happened four times before. Divine Light got the better of Brave Dancer in 1987; Star Supreme beat Wandering Star in 1997; Southern Empire downed Haunting Memories in 2006 and last year Manifold prevailed over Castlebridge. Honours have been split equally between the colts and the fillies in these matches.

The Bangalore Colts Championship Stakes forecast has been repeated thrice in the Derby. Mount Everest and Royal Revive in 1962, Royal Tern and Own Opinion in 1978 and Holding Court and Flashing Star in 2005 occupied the same positions in both the races. The Derby was run over a mile in Mount Everest's year.  The Fillies' race forecast has been replicated in the Derby just once. That was in 1983 when Camineto put it across Snow in both the races. There is just one instance of the Colts' race forecast been reversed in the Derby. Aristocrat beat Everynsky in the Colts' race but the latter turned the tables in the Derby.

Ten previous winners of the Derby Bangalore were unbeaten but Almanac, who had won all his five races going into the fray, was beaten and and finished off-the-board.

There have been 19 Colts'-Derby doubles and eight Fillies'-Derby doubles. Seven other fillies, who did not win the Fillies'race, have also won the Derby. 'Got-abroads', though have not been particularly successful with just four of them winning. Favourites, too, have had a lean time, just six obliging this millennium.