Chennai

Only Malakpet staged more juvenile races in 2019-20 than Guindy. That is because H.R.C. lost no racing days due to the abrupt end to the season whereas M.R.C. could not conduct  four. Of late, all eyes have turned to Guindy as a convenient centre to raid and five outstation challengers were successful in taking back the booty this season.  Smashing Blue started the trend in  early December by coming from Hyderabad and easily winning the Tamil Nadu Race Horse  Owners'  Association Maiden Million. On the South India Derby, Gr.1 day,  Classic Charm arrived from Bangalore and took away the riches of the A.M.M. Arunachalam Juvenile Million from the Mysore-based Vachan. Two raiders drew the blood in February. First, Vachan bagged the Madras Gold Vase, Gr.3 and picked up the winner's stakes in excess of one million. Finishing second to Vachan was Portstewart from Hyderabad. Then, Caracas, based in Bangalore, lifted the Sans Craintes Million from Vachan. Finally, Johnny Bravo, another Bangalore runner, annexed the Guindy Grand Prix, Gr.3, the only juvenile race over a mile at Guindy.  A point worth noting is that none of the Bangalore runners managed to win on their own turf.

Smashing Blue, unbeaten four starts, is clearly head and shoulders above the other four raiders and has already been discussed in detail. Vachan (Whatsthescript - Maun Vrat) is trained by the Mysore schooler Rakesh. He started at Hyderabad, then raced five times at Chennai and only his last start was at Mysore. That was during the Invitation Cup week-end when he finished his campaign by winning the Kunigal Stud Million. He has, in fact, amassed more stakes than the unbeaten Smashing  Blue.  Already gelded, Vachan's damsire is the premium stamina influence Montjeu and he himself comes from a staying family. Whatsthescript has sired the Golconda Derby, Gr.1 winner Germanicus so Vachan is not lacking in staying blood and it will be interesting to see how he tackles longer distances as he goes along. 

These are early days but the failure of Classic Charm (Saamidd -Treimhse Tirim), trained by S. Ganapathy, Caracas (Air Support - Corsican Gal),  in the yard of trainer S. Dominic,  and Johnny Bravo (Phoenix Tower - Zafayra), a ward of Neil Darashah, to win at home is somewhat galling. Caracas is a half-sister to Classic winning milers Charlatan and Cosmic Ray (who failed to stay) so has a proven pedigree. The other two are from excellent families but their siblings have been a bit wanting so far.  A wait and watch policy in their regard will be beneficial. 

The best of Guindy's home brigade were the fillies Imperial Empress (Net Whizz - Paula's Girl) and Pirate's Love (Pinson  - Tinkerbell) who both scored twice. The former is trained by Guindy's stalwart Robert Foley for the Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy Chettiar of Chettinad Charitable Trust. The filly is a half-sister to Tororosso (B.N. Gudiyappa Bangalore Derby, Gr.1) which happens to be the only victory of his career. Her full-brother Hope and Glory began in Western India where he won one race but has been a different horse since moving to Delhi where he has picked up half a dozen brackets. Their dam is a Gr.1 winner in Chile. As such, Imperial Empress can hold justifiable aspirations but her prospects depend on which outstation challengers she has to contend with. She did beat Vachan once but the gelding  reversed the verdict when getting weight. 

Pirate's Love has won both her races over 1200 m. but that is encouraging since her full-sister Speedster placed in  the Shree Meenakshi Sundareshwara Bangalore Derby, Gr.1 as well as the Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2 while her half-sister Buttonwood is a winner over 2400 m. Sometimes, when a juvenile has staying siblings but wins over shorter distances, it can be indicative of class. Tinkerbell did not win but her dam is a three-parts sister to Pleasure Hunt, winner of  the Nanoli Stud Indian Oaks, Gr.1. M.P. Vishesh trains the filly for Mr. Tatineni Prasad Rao.

The first juvenile race at Guindy was won late in October by Pacific (Strong Suit - Paris) who is trained by K.S. Mandanna for the Mistrys of Manjri Stud. The well-bred Pacific was a stylish winner on debut but a far-off fourth in Smashing Blue's race. She hasn't raced since and it is hoped that it is only minor niggles that have kept her off the track. Her sire, who died last year, has produced a really good horse in the sprinter Iron Age. Pacific's Phoenix Tower half-sister also raced in Chennai but failed to win in eight starts. Still, Pacific stands out among the winners of one race.

Mysore

Trainer Md. Sajid Qureshi grabbed three of the only nine juvenile races  -- the smallest number at any centre -- run at Mysore and all of them were for Mr. R.P.S. Chauhan. He scored twice with Ashwa Brooni (Chevalier - Elegant Approach) who started with two consecutive wins and then was narrowly beaten by Vachan -- already discussed -- on the final day.  In winning his second race, the colt accounted for Johnny Bravo who later went to Chennai and won the Guindy Grand Prix, Gr.3. His sire Chevalier, who died in 2018, had a fairly long innings in Ireland and India and he did get a black-type winner who was also Gr.1-placed abroad but none in India.  Ashwa Brooni's fourth dam Petite Sirene came to Dashmesh Stud in the early 1990s and all her three foals were Classic placed. She belonged to an excellent family.

Two of Mysore's juvenile races were contested over the Invitation Cup week-end.  The week-end kicked off on Saturday with the Madras Race Club Million and four outstation challengers filled the places in the frame. The winner was Sherwin (Burden of Proof - Showin'off) and he had to battle hard to get the better of Allabouther. Showin'off, a winner, lost the Gitanjali Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1 by only a short-head to Vijays Pride. Sherwin, trained by Arjun Mangalorkar for U.R.B.B. is from the last crop of the Wall of Fame stallion Burden of Proof and it will be nice if he can pay posthumous tribute to his departed sire.

On Sunday, the home team struck back with Vaachan and Ashwa Brooni finishing ahead of four raiders. Both Vachan and Ashwa Brooni have found their due mention.

Delhi

Delhi was the hardest hit centre by the early end to the season, losing twelve days. Yet, it had one more juvenile race than Mysore. Exactly half the number of winners were sent out brothers S. Nawab, S. Ali Khan and H. Ali Khan. The Hyderabad runner Ashwa Virrat, who won both his races at Delhi,has already been talked about. The other dual winner at Delhi was Jeweller (Top Class - Paras Mani). Bred and owned by Mr. Mahesh Yadav, S. Nawab's ward won once in January and again about a month later in February. He has twice been unplaced.  Mukteshwar Stud's beautifully bred Top Class -- now joined by the Scat Daddy horse Dali -- has been a useful stallion with black-type winners Shivansh and Emperor Cruise prominent among his "gets" while Paras Mani, a winner of four races, belongs to the Judy O'Grady family that has been in the headlines abroad in recent years. 

Mr. Sunil Kumar Verma's prominent "Master" racing operation at Delhi is supported by his Master Racing Farm near Jodhpur in Rajasthan. He led in three juvenile winners -- Master Causeway, Miss Enable and Master Stoute -- who were homebred, the first named trained by S. Ali Khan and the other two by H. Ali Khan.

PAST THE POST

This series of three articles gives an overview of what the crop of 2017 has achieved so far. What the future holds for it is extremely uncertain as the pandemic situation becomes grimmer by the day. Racing  means different things to different people. But, to no one is it more important than one's own life. That the virus holds a life threatening dagger over each and everyone's head is something that hasn't quite sunk into all our minds. Only when that consciousness is reached will we take the proper decision about the timing and format of future racing.

On a lighter note, there was a doctor who once held Indian racing in a vice-like grip. At one international conference, when speaking about an equine virus that was then in the process of proliferation, he proclaimed  that India was in no danger because "we have stopped the virus at the border !". How fervently might the Government yearn to resurrect that doctor and rein in the spread of Covid-19 virus.