Last Sunday, the sports lovers of Bangalore had a feast with India and Australia playing the decider of the ODI series. The local favourite, Team India, won quite comfortably in the end though there were passing anxious moments. This Sunday, the sporting action moves barely two kilometres away from the Chinnaswamy Stadium to Mallenahalli race course.The ODI was billed as Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith. The two protagonists were at their very best, Smith outscored Kohli but ended up on the losing side while the Man of the Match award went to Rohit Sharma. The Shree Meenakshi Sundereshwara Bangalore Derby, Gr.1 is being spoken of as a straight contest between an unbeaten colt and a star diva. Will one of them wear the sash at the end of the race or is there a Rohit Sharma waiting in the wings to upstage them ? 

As the French would say it, "Les dames d'abord". Ladies first. Anjeze (Win Legend - Angelique) has 5 wins from seven starts, two Classics, a course and distance victory in a good time, a sire who has produced Derby winners, and is herself a full-sister to a filly, Angel Dust, who won this very race. She comes from the Aga Khan's celebrated international tap-root Mumtaz Mahal. Those are the many endearing things about her. She ran respectfully enough in the Bangalore Fillies' Championship, Gr.1, finishing a close third behind Well Connected and Thailand and those two fillies have maintained a Classic level of form. The only poor race that she ran was the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1 where she was seventh of ten. In that race she was ridden by a unlikely jockey in P.P. Dhebe but still finished ahead of Royal Crystal who won the Golconda Derby, Gr.1 just last Sunday. She was then given time off, missed the monsoon racing and has come back refreshed and ready to win two Classics on the trot. She is said to be a high mettled, excitable filly and so the connections have thought it prudent not taking her to Mumbai though they feel that she had the calibre to make her presence felt at Mahalakshmi.  Also, she had to pull out all stops to get better of Speedster -- a filly she was expected to swat aside -- in her last start. She will be more alert now and unless she is surly or too taut, she would give her backers a run for the money.

On the records, there is nothing that can be counted against War Hammer (Air Support - Soviet Lake). He has won all his six starts including two Classics at a mile. He settles well at the back of the field, picks up easily when asked to and has generally produced instant acceleration. He had physical problems after winning the Bangalore Colts' Championship, Gr.1 and like Anjeze he missed the wet weather racing. On the evidence of his two runs during the winter, he has returned sound as a bell and that calls for commendation of the team attending to him. Yet, while he has the respect of many, there are questions being raised against his chances. (They were raised against Sir Cecil, too, even before the grey developed physical problems). The most common plaint against him is that he has never won beyond a mile. Injury prevented his running in the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1 and after winning the Bangalore 2000 Guineas, Gr.2, he could have run in the Chief Minister's Cup over 2000 m. but the connections have reckoned that for a colt who had a serious set-back, a less strenuous schedule was preferable. 

In the eighteen Bangalore Derbies run this century, seven of the winners did not have a win beyond a mile and out of them Royal Russian jumped successfully from 1400 m. to 2400 m.  So not winning beyond a mile is not an issue. If a horse has the class and the stamina, he can tackle the longer distance successfully. Of War Hammer's class there is no doubt. There is, however, a question mark over his stamina. His sire Air Support does not have a winner over 2400 m. though Impavid was a respectable third at Guindy and Consigliori a gallant second at Malakpet. Out of the right mare, Air Support will get a good winner at 2400 m. This where the plot thickens and this is where his detractors may have point. Is Soviet Lake the right mare ? Soviet Lake herself won five races up to 1200 m.  She has produced eight winners of 39 races but only up to a mile. Soviet Lake, however, is a half-sister to Adolfito (by Tejano) who won the President of India Gold Cup, Gr.1 over 2400 m. Their dam Nine Carat counted the  Golconda St. Leger, Gr.2 among her nine wins and was a full-sister to Loving Spirit (Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2) and half-sister to Classic Touch (South India St. Leger, Gr.1). There is plenty of stamina in the further family which has produced the likes of Rocklie, Bakhtawar, Socialite and others in India. That makes Soviet Lake a speedy mare from from a strong, staying family. The question to be answered, therefore, is not whether War Hammer has enough stamina but whether he has enough class to offset any shortfall in it. That, admittedly, is not an easy question to answer. But two very old racing adages are in the colt's favour. One says that unbeaten horses must be backed till they are beaten. The other opines that in a Derby, a colt has an advantage over a filly.

In the Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2, the grey filly Speedster (Pinson - Tinkerbell) led for the most of the trip and made Anjeze really earn her laurels, putting up a spirited fight and going under by just a length. She may again show the way to the field but is likely to be challenged much earlier. That is because in the Oaks she was an unknown quantity and the field expected her to come back to it. Her prowess is now known and the other runners will be ready to pounce at the top of the straight. Her dam, the Usha Stud-bred Tinkerbell did not win but  Speedster's half-sister Buttonwood who has won over 2000 m. twice and 2400 m. once.  The Nanoli Stud Indian Oaks, Gr.1 winner Pleasure Hunt is from the immediate family. Speedster's sire Pinson was a Gr.2 winner in France over 2000 m.

Here And Now (Saamidd - Lambency) has won twice over 2000 m. in the manner of a good stayer in the making. The first time, he ran a forward race and left the field for dead once he had assumed command. Last time out, he came from last to first to mow down Streaming Gold. He  has a fine pedigree -- same family as Razeen -- and he appeals as the one most likely to profit if one of the principals falters. Roman Senator (Multidimensional - Ave Maria) is a three-parts brother to Prevalent Force (South India Derby, Gr.1) who is now excelling at  a mile or less. This is essentially a family of milers. Roman Senator's main claim is his trainer's Classic record. Padmanabhan, though, is still looking for his first Classic of the year. Mighty Red (Dean's Kitten - Lunar Love), too, has a win over 2000 m. but is the lowest rated runner in the field. His sire has produced a Derby winner in Aggregated. Mighty Red should not be lacking in stamina though he is obviously short on class.  

The remaining runner is the Mysore-based Square The Circle (Kingda Ka - Circle of Bliss) whose two wins have come over 1400 m. and 1600 m. His best effort, however, is his second to Southern Ruler in the ARV Group and Catalyst Properties Mysore Derby, Gr.1, though the winner was almost out of sight.  His dam had a clutch of placings in good races --  including second in Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Gr.1, Deltin Casinos Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1, Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks, Gr.1, third in the McDowell Signature Indian Derby, Gr.1 -- when she was called Circle of Life. Her three black-type wins, including the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and Goffs R.W.I.T.C., Ltd. Gold Cup, Gr.2, that came after a change of name. Kingda Ka has two black-type winners over 2400 m. including King Charles (Golconda Derby, Gr.1). Square The Circle is not lacking in any way on the pedigree side. However, his last run in Desert God's Chief Minister's Cup was hardly encouraging. He was last of six runners throughout the race.

The average field rating is 64 which is well below the norm for this race in the last decade. It is also smaller than the dozen who, on an average, have contested this race. How will the race unfold ? One scenario is that Speedster streaks to the front, Anjeze in midfield and War Hammer at the back, she will likely be challenged first by Anjeze in the straight and War Hammer will range alongside. Thereafter, it is in the lap of racing racing Gods.

PAST THE POST

It may be interesting to review the Bangalore Derby winners of the last decade and draw some inferences. Two winners -- Becket and Toroloco -- were unbeaten going into the Derby and maintained their status. Red Baron is the only outstation horse to have won. Tororosso won the Derby as a maiden. Becket, Red Baron and Tororosso were 'got-abroads'. The average field was about a dozen runners and had an average rating of 70, rounded off. The draw seems to have no significant advantage, six of the winners being from the inside half and four from the outside.  Angel Dust won from draw no.1 while Agostini was drawn 12 on the extreme outside. Six favourites were victorious. Eight of the winners were had won their previous starts and there were half a dozen who had last raced in a Classic. Kangra won with just a 16 day gap to her previous race while Tororosso had a break of 47 days. Toroloco jumped from a win over 1400 m. straight to 2400 m. but the fillies Angel Dust and Kangra were course and distance winners. Becket and Kangra went on to win the Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 but Red Baron never raced after winning the Bangalore Derby. For Sun Kingdom, Bold Majesty, Angel Dust, Tororosso and The Invader, the Bangalore Derby has been their last winning bracket; though, it must be mentioned, that Angel Dust and The Invader ran just once after the Bangalore Derby, both being on the board in the Invitation Cup while Tororosso is still in training.

The very first running of the race was on 19 January 1974 and was won by Prince Ardent. The race was initially called the Arc de Triomphe. It became Bangalore Derby in 1989 and was won by the filly Parfait Amour. Though the race has generally been run on the Republic Day, its first six renewals took place on different dates. Everynsky was the first winner on the Republic Day in 1980. Since then, it has been run on a day other than Republic Day six times, including twice in February. Both the February Derbies were won by fillies -- Icebreaker in 2009 and Kangra in 2018.