Little did the lady trainer know that one day she would accomplish a task that her father-in-law, the legendary RR Byramji was a master at! It’s been a long while now that one of the most respected surnames in Indian racing had a ‘Classic’ conquest on the iconic Mahalaxmi track. Ms Parvati Byramji arrived, strategized and conquered the StyleCracker Indian 1000 Guineas (Gr1). Her ward Gift of Grace (Speaking of Which – Appeasing, Usha Stud) ran the best race of her career to clinch the first Classic of the new season, paying a fitting tribute to the master trainer and resurrecting Brand Byramji at Mumbai!

Sitting up with the pace, Gift of Grace stuck close behind leader Hunt For Gold right until the turn and then rolled off ahead soon on turning for home. Jockey David Egan had the filly hard-held, waiting to open throttle just at the precise moment. The other main contenders were off the bridle long before David Egan started to nudge Gift of Grace past the 400m mark. Gift of Grace sped ahead and had a slender lead to build on and the filly accelerated well once she got the go-ahead from David.

Missing You, Thailand, Juliette, Kariega and Well Connected were giving it all but not making any headway as far as Gift of Grace was concerned. Cosmic Ray, the last one to turn for home, picked up speed midway in the straight and started to look threatening as she made a steaming charge forward. She zipped past the bunch with ease, but still had a couple of lengths to cover to get at Gift of Grace. At one stage Cosmic Ray looked capable of doing so, as she was bridging the gap at a brisk rate. Had Gift of Grace slackened even a wee bit, Cosmic Ray would have collared her. David Egan changed the whip hand and with some strong pushing added the finishing touches and ensured that Gift of Grace galloped at a good clip all the way to ward off the spirited challenge posed by Cosmic Ray. David Egan celebrated the victory with a ‘punch of triumph’ in the air soaking in the cheer from the stands and the nostalgia attached to the grand Indian classic, his first Indian Classic success on his debut tour of India.

Young David Egan has ridden astutely right from day one on Indian tracks. Several overseas riders have thrived after a stint in India. Top-notch jockeys like Mick Kinane, Johnny Murtagh, K Fallon, and Richard Hughes to name a few, reached soaring heights after achieving high success on the Indian turf. David Egan, who is already a well-established jockey, is surely on course for greater laurels.  

The race had its elements of thrill when Cosmic Ray came with an eye-catching run in the final furlong. She however, ended a gallant runner-up, finishing ¾ L behind the winner.  Juliette did her reputation no harm as she too progressed well to finish third behind two rival fillies who were clearly superior on the day. Well Connected tried hard too, but had to be content with a slot in the frame.

For trainer Ms Parvati Byramji, this was the moment of glory and undoubtedly her biggest success. She had a dream debut at the Mahalaxmi racecourse winning the Indian 1000 Guineas (Gr1) on her first attempt. “Yes it was a dream start with fairy tale ending,” said Ms Parvati Byramji. She is a game galloper and one who is up for a fight. We call her ‘Dippy’ as she is a Dip-back filly. Breeder and joint owner Ms Ameeta Mehra entrusted the filly to me and we all worked together as a team. We were happy with the progress she made right from the start of her career. She won on debut over 1200 meters, but did well over the middle distances as well. Here in Mumbai, my belief in her grew as she looked general happy, spurted well and most importantly ate well. She is easy to train and her temperament is pleasing. We booked David Egan to ride her and he pretty much got the best out of her,” said Parvati. On her future plans, she said, “the colts are a stronger lot and we will wait and see the outcome of the Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr1) before deciding on the next move.” Parvati is the second lady trainer to lead-in and Indian classic after Aarti Doctor who saddled Wild Eagle in the 2000 Guineas (Gr1) in the 90s.

David Egan had earlier piloted Iron Age (Strong Suit – Intrigue, Manjri Stud) to a record-breaking triumph clocking a cracking 0:56:91 over the 1000m scurry while claiming the Sir Homi Mehta Sprint Championship (Gr3). Setting off at a quick pace, Iron Age led all the way home to stretch his unbeaten streak to five wins in a row. Intense Stylist made a late rally to finish a good second, but never really posed a threat to the Imtiaz Sait ward.

Lorraine (Mull of Kintyre – Four Penny Lane, Sohna Stud) scored a fluent victory in the opening race of the day. Biding his time well behind leader Sagittarius, jockey PS Chouhan made progress early before the turn to be in close third as they turned for home. Sagittarius kicked on in the straight with Momentum and Lorraine looming large on the outside. The moment Lorraine quickened, it was all over. The Noshir Cama trainee sailed past Sagittarius smoothly and drew away in the final furlong to win by close to three lengths, notching up a third straight win, her first over the 2000m distance. Sagittarius held on to finish a decent second ahead of Momentum. Both Gloriosus and Zenon ran below par and disappointed.

In the very next race, the same connections struck again with Tanjo (Western Aristocrat – Hazelhead, Nanoli Stud) pulling off an easy victory. Settling in third after a quick start, Tanjo made a smooth forward move at the turn to get alongside the front running Run forest Run and My Precious. He took charge soon on turning for home and bounded forward away from the competition. Tanjo looked the winner long way from home and duly compiled a fine victory without having to fire on all cylinders. Gentillesse made good progress in the straight and finished a good second beating Run Forest Run by a length.

Pesi Shroff’s Akina Speed Star (Dean’s Kitten – Cockayne, Sohna Stud) notched up her maiden win on her fourth start. She was off to a good start and hit the front with Brilliant Gold in chase. Jockey Leigh Roche settled the filly well riding in check once she found her rhythm.

Into the straight Akina Speed Star stretched out well shaking off Brilliant Gold and amassing a handy lead. Ex’s And Oh’s improved in the straight and gathered speed to come up to the leader, but could not sustain her acceleration long enough. Akina Speed Star produced that extra bit in the run to the wire to score a comfortable victory. Ex’s And Oh’s ended a close second well ahead of the rest. King Solomon was badly poised, languishing in the rear, but improved positions to finish in the money, a good five lengths behind the runner-up.

Tenerife (China Visit – Cest Bon, Usha Stud) scored a long-pending win in the class IV Kejriwal Trophy. Jockey Nicky Mackay soon on start and took off with Tenerife to set the tone for the 1200m race. She looked good as she pulled away to establish a couple of lengths’ lead but she had a scare when Mighty Warrior came with a game challenge. It looked for a moment that Might Warrior would get past Tenerife in the final furlong, but the Warrior could not build on the good burst. Tenerife kicked on and this time he stretched ahead to finish strongly to win by a length and half. Mighty Warrior put up a stiff fight alright, but could not finish as strongly. Transform improved to finish third ahead of Ame.

Noble Heir (Kingda ka – Sinetta, Nanoli Stud) from Vishal Gaikwad’s stables, produced an electric gallop in the final furlong to score an incredible victory in the concluding race of the day.  Noble heir was way behind in the second last position as they turned for home. Cellini looked good when he took charge midway down the straight and shaped well to score. Jockey Colm O Donoghue rode out confidently and made steady progress all through the straight and timed his run to perfection. He collared Cellini a few strides from the post and registered his maiden win on third start. Cellini was unlucky to miss out and ran a close second. Ron looked unsettled in the straight and could not dish out his best while ending up third.

For the professionals, trainer Noshir Cama sadled a double, while jockeys David Egan and PS Chouhan scored a double each.