Although most Indian Classics have been run on a Sunday and quite a few on a Saturday -- that was the day there was racing at Bombay in the early days -- various exigencies have meant that all seven days of a week, Monday to Sunday, have witnessed a Classic being run. The very first Indian Classic run on a Sunday was Serenade's Indian Oaks of 1948.  We have also had a Thursday Indian Oaks in 1978 when Muffin got the race following successful double objections. Sharabelle won the Indian Oaks on a Friday in 1962 when the objections of jockey M. Hayes on the Goculdas filly Capri against the winner and the runner-up were both overruled.  We have had quite few Saturday Indian Oaks and, perhaps, the most notable of them is the one run in 1995 when the winner Worthwhile had quite a few anxious moments. First was the tough tussle on the track. Next, there was the waiting while the Judge consulted the camera print and declared her the winner by a short-head. Then came the objection by the runner-up Mystic Memory which was deliberated upon by the Stewards and overruled. The last Saturday Oaks came in 2014 when Isn't She Special was the winner. Hyderabad has been the reason for the recent Saturday Indian Oaks. In 1995, there was the Asian Racing Conference at Hyderabad whereas the Sunday scheduling of Golconda Derby necessitated a preponement in 2014 and this year.  

The strongest trend of the last ten years is that eight of the winners were coming off a run in the Guineas. The next best is six favourites winning. 'Got-abroad' have fared reasonably with four of them going first past the post. However, only three highest rated fillies obliging and two previous start winners makes for a very negative portent. Therefore, it seems appropriate to start with the fillies whose number was in the frame in the Stylecracker Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 in December. Of those four, Cosmic Ray, whose electrifying burst after "coming from Byculla" had caught the eye, will not be running. Her connections reckon that she is a star miler and do not want to blunt her speed by running her over a longer distance.

Young trainer Parvati Byramji deserves all the accolades that can be showered on her for keeping Gift of Grace (Speaking of Which - Appeasing) in top fettle over six months during which the filly has never been out of 1-2 in her six starts. In her four seconds, the dipped-back filly hit the front at the top of the the straight and was caught in the shadow of the winning post. The credit for her last win -- and her first Classic -- falls on the shoulders of her jockey David Egan. After riding her once, Egan figured out the limitation of her finishing  burst. Accordingly, though he could have gone past Hunt For Gold at any time, he delayed the final move in the "1000" till well into the straight and that paid rich dividends. In the earlier part of the race, Gift of Grace had momentarily headed Hunt For Gold but  a slight tug from the jockey was enough to settle her into a close second whereas earlier in her career she would have been keen to grab the lead. If that ability to settle has turned into a habit, it will be useful over the longer distance that she now has to contend with. Her dam is by Razeen, an undisputed influence for class and stamina in Indian racing, and she herself was beaten second in the Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2 by Star Luminary, another daughter of Razeen. Two of Appeasing's full siblings -- Enduring and Oriental Express -- had wins over 2400 m. Speaking of Which has had three runners over 2400 m. so far. Sir Supremo and  Rosina have  won and Rhapsody was in a paying place. The stallion is obviously passing on stamina which his pedigree did not suggest. Given her rating and exceptional consistency she may well start as the favourite. Winning the race will depend on how the race unfolds. The connections are obviously confident because the filly is a final entry. 

Juliette (Musketier - Gimmesumsugar) was third in the Stylecracker Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1, unable to get on terms with the winner and caught unawares by the lightning finish of the runner-up Cosmic Ray. Still, she was only two and a quarter lengths behind Gift of Grace and over the longer trip that's a margin a that can be bridged. Her sire Musketier, born in Germany, raced till he was 10, won black-type races in three countries -- France, Canada and U.S.A. -- and scored half a dozen victories over 2400 m.  The most remarkable fact about Musketier is that five of his six consecutive sires along the male line are winners of the German Derby, Gr.1 and the one who wasn’t -- Literat -- was a winner of the German 2000 Guineas, Gr.2. Musketier stands at Calumet Farm in Kentucky and Juliette gets her colour from him. Gimmesumsugar, the dam of Juliette, won 2 races in Canada and on her Catalogue page you will find plenty of good stakes winner at distances from a mile to 2000 m. Distance is unlikely to daunt this filly to be guided by a jockey who has won this race aboard Tiger Tops.

At the end of last summer's racing, Well Connected (Arazan - Guest Connections) stood tall. Very tall, indeed. She was unbeaten in her three starts which included the Bangalore Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.1 and Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1. Since then, her graph has dipped if not plummeted. She did extend her winning run with a victory in the Deccan Fillies' Championship Stakes, Gr.3 though it did not enhance her standing. Expected to win without raising a sweat, she just about managed to catch Gift of Grace on the post. Then came the humbling fourth in the Deccan Derby, Gr.1 and that has been followed by two consecutive defeats at the hands of Gift of Grace. Most trainers agree that when fillies lose form -- and they do so quite suddenly -- plenty of time is required to get them back to their peak. Time is something that Well Connected has not had as she has been running once every month. It is hard to say in what physical readiness and frame of mind she comes out on Saturday. At her best, she would have plenty of fans and supporters. The question is, "Is she back to her best ?". That is the question many asked -- and failed to answer correctly -- about Sir Cecil about a year back. Well Connected hasn't given too much to do in training and there is a lurking feeling that the Oaks may be a dress rehearsal for the Derby.

The second 'got-abroad', Sea The Dream (See The Stars - Navajo Dream), is totally different from Juliette. Juliette's performance has been most respectable whereas Sea The Dream, rather inexperienced, is a winner of only two very ordinary races. Juliette's dam was acquired for a paltry sum while Navajo Dream is sure to have cost a pretty penny. Navajo Dream was entered for Tattersalls December Sale in 2015 but was 'bought in' when the bidding did not reach her reserve price of  75,000 Gns. Her sale was later privately negotiated and is sure to have been close to her reserve price. Musketier's covering fee in 2015 was US$ 7,500 whereas Sea The Stars commanded € 125,000 . 

As mentioned earlier, eight of the Indian Oaks winners had started in a Guineas before winning the Ladies' Derby. The two exceptions are Tiger Tops whose previous run was a second to Quasar in the Calcutta Derby, Gr.1 and Roberta who had won a Class III handicap over 2000 m. Both Tiger Tops and Roberta were trained by Pesi Shroff.  Sea The Dream is following the Roberta path. She made her debut in Bangalore towards the end of last June and finished way down the field. Thereafter, she has one win in Pune over 1800 m. and another over 2000 m. at Mumbai in December. The last two races were akin to 'friendlies'. In Pune she faced three stable-mates, a filly running in the colours of Mr. S.M. Ruia -- her part owner -- and a Net Whizz maiden colt not really suited for 1800 m. At Mumbai, the opposition was slightly better but her stable-mate Notoriety, who finished second, seemed much too awed to put up a good fight.  (Notoriety, incidentally, lost on her subsequent start). Sea The Dream is rated just 49. The lowest rated winner of Indian Oaks in last ten years is 61. That was Roberta last year when the average field rating was also the lowest of the decade. .

Lady Be Good, the fifth dam of Sea The Dream, is perhaps the youngest tap-root mare of international repute for she was born only in 1956. Since then, a host of excellent racehorses have descended from her including Epsom Derby, Gr.1 winner Motivator. The branch of her family through her daughter Bold Example -- Sea The Dream's fourth dam -- is more speedy than staying. The first mare from this family to come to India was Usha Stud's Passed So Fast. The best offspring of Passed So Fast in India was Shamaal (by Razeen) who won the A.V. Thomas Sprinters' Cup, Gr.1. (Shamaal's son Lightning Bolt ran a good race in the South India Derby, Gr.1 but lacked the finishing kick at the end of the trip). There is only one horse among the descendants of Passed So Fast who has a good win over 2400 m. and that is Flowersoftheforest (Razeen out of Polish Lightning, a daughter of Passed So Fast). If you look at the catalogue page of Navajo Dream, the dam of Sea The Dream, you will find a host of good black-type winners -- including Polish Precedent, Zilzal, Awe Inspiring, etc -- but not one black-type winner beyond 2000 m. The dam line of Sea The Dream is hence of uncertain stamina. The silver lining, however, is her sire Sea The Stars, the average winning distance of whose progeny is 2280 m. Still, one gets the impression that the Oaks has come too soon for her and that she may at her best in the summer and the monsoons. 

The field for this year's Oaks as about the same size as in the recent past but the average field rating of 56 is rather poor.  We have five outstation challengers, three 'got-abroads', two Classic winners, one maiden and one unbeaten filly. Shroff will have a busy time getting his three fillies ready to race but saddled four once and will not be fazed. And, we have to wait and see if Gift of Grace will be sporting her usual red nose band.

Another final entry is Kate (Kingda Ka - Cyrene). She won her only start so far at Hyderabad as a four year-old, clocking a smart time over 1400 m and winning by eight lengths. She is bred and owned by the Dhunjibhoys who are steeped in racing for many years. They, obviously, spotted something special to rush her into such a big race. Or, perhaps, it is emotional because her grandam  Estonia gave the Dhunjibhoys their first Indian Oaks sixteen years ago.  Either way, it is a stiff hurdle for the inexperienced filly.

Notoriety (Speaking of Which - Farrfesheena) and Armaity (Multidimensional - Hills and Stars) are the two other fillies Shroff will be saddling. Of the two, the latter is more appealing for two reasons. She is certain to stay and she has worked well in the company of Sea The Dream. Both, however, are lowly rated.  After scoring on her debut, Thailand (Top Class - Immortal Story) has not posted a win for over a year, All her seven starts since have been a graded company. Bostonia (Multidimensional - Real Excellence) is a maiden after five starts though last time out she was second to Supreme Fragrance in the South India Oaks, Gr.1 after having been a detached last for most of the journey. There are plenty of Oaks winners in her immediate family and it would be no surprise to see her getting on the board provided she has come out well from the hard race she had last time out and travelled well. Hokkaido (Poet's Voice - Hasanka) was initially owned by the Shirkes but changed hands during the Pune season. Since the Shirkes race solely for winning big races, it is difficult to see them letting go of a Classic prospect. Mishka's Pride, closely related to Kate on her dam's side, is the lowest rated of eleven fillies. 

PAST THE POST

Pesi  Shroff commenced his training career from the winter of 2004-05. His first Classic winner was Blue Ribbon who won the Indian Oaks of 2007.  Since then he has saddled seven more winners of the same race, the last five in consecutive years. That is a feat that is unmatched. His complete Indian Oaks record reads 24 runners, 8 winners, 4 seconds, 3 thirds and 9 unplaced. In 2012, his fillies -- Smashing, Alma Mater and Volterra -- took the first three places. He has 1-2 in the race on three occasions.  Undoubtedly, Ladies' Derby is his  own signature race.

The last Indian Oaks winner that he trained was Roberta. Since then, both the trainer and the filly have gone through a trough. Shroff hasn't  led in a Classic winner since then and the filly turned a corner just earlier this month, earning her first bracket since the Oaks. Will her master also end the famine on Saturday?