After ten months, we will at last have a Gr.1 race. As usual, the first Gr.1 contest of a new racing year is the Indian 1000 Guineas. Unusually, it is being run at Pune and in January. Twice before -- in 1984 and 1985 -- it had been held at Pune and it was won first by Eminence and the following year by Corviglia. The very early “1000’s" were run in January but after Jeanne d'Arc had won it in 1947, the race was always scheduled and run in December.  Indeed, these are unusual times and Pune will have the dubious distinction of hosting the first ever Indian Classic without spectators and without official betting.  

With the summer and monsoon seasons being cancelled on account of the pandemic, the trainers have had a difficult task of keeping their horses physically fit and mentally happy. They seem to have coped well with the unusual circumstances. Eight regional Classics have been run (this is being written before the Bangalore Oaks) and they have provided four winning favourites who were also top-rated in their respective races. Followers of form should have no complaints.

There are four unbeaten fillies among the eight that will report to the Starter on Sunday. Forest Flame (Leitir Mor - Memory Bay) has won all her four starts thus far and recorded a hat-trick of black-type wins comprising of Ebco Worksmart Breeders' Produce Stakes, Gr.2, Poonawalla Breeders' Multi-Million, Gr.1 and Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Gr.2 on her last start. That last win was very impressive as she slammed the field by seven lengths without her jockey Trevor having to exert unduly. It also makes her the only filly on Sunday with a win over a mile She is the highest rated runner in the field and her trainer S.S. Attaollahi must be quietly confident of her giving him his first winner of the race.

From Hyderabad comes Smashing Blue (Win Legend - Twice Over) who is unbeaten in five starts including four "Millions" of which two -- Byerly Turk Million, Gr.3 and Darley Arabian Million, Gr.3 -- were black-type races. Her lead-up race this year was in open Class II and despite carrying a low weight, she had to be ridden hard by Akshay Kumar to prevail in the closing stages. She was racing after a long time and her trainer, former jockey R.H. Sequeira, will surely hope that she comes on for the race. She is rated just a point below Forest Flame but the concern is that she has never raced beyond 1200 m. thus far. Dashmesh Stud imported the filly's grandam Longmorn, a winner over 1200 m. in Canada, in 2007. All of Longmorn's descendants in Canada and India, including three full-brothers of Smashing Blue, have not won beyond 1400 m. Win Legend has sired Classic winners over 2400 m and 2800 m but they had better stamina credentials on their dam's side than Smashing Blue. Forest Flame and Smashing Blue are from different branches of the Schiaparelli family. Forest Flame's Barley Corn branch reached India before Ratifia -- Smashing Blue's fourth dam -- arrived. The fact that Forest Flame has a win over a mile against Smashing Blue's never having essayed the distance gives Attaollahi's filly an edge in excess of the mere one point difference in ratings. The previous Malakpet-based filly to win this race was Vijays Pride.

Carrying the same colours as Forest Flame is Alluring Silver (Leitir Mor - Personal Allure), the only grey in the field. Her dam was purchased at Keeneland November Sale in 2010. It was after she reached India that one of her earlier foals, Turallure, struck a rich vein of form to win the Ricoh Woodbine Mile, Gr.1 and place second in Breeders' Cup Mile, Gr.1. Personal Allure died in 2017 but before that she left four fillies, all grey like herself. Her 'got-abroad' filly Pure Allure was third in the Bangalore Oaks, Gr.2 but unplaced in Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks, Gr.1. Trained by Pesi Shroff, Alluring Silver has won both her races stylishly. Her sire Leitir Mor's two Classic winners so far -- Vijays Singham  and Forest Flame -- have both won a mile Classic but some others like Hunt For Gold, Golden Oaks, Successor, Ashwa Bravo and others have been found wanting at a mile and beyond. Alluring Silver is a second string to the Poonawalla bow. The in-form Suraj Narredu -- he has four winners from six rides in the Classics this year -- has been booked to ride Alluring Silver but the trainer is without a Classic win for over two years. It is twelve years since the Poonawalla Farms had a winner of this race -- that was Sweeping Success in 2008 -- and a winner in their own colours would be a nice way to end the drought. The last grey to win this race was Thumbelina in 1992. 

There are two maidens -- Costa Rica (Phoenix Tower - Celadon) and Super Girl (Arazan - Mauna Kea) -- competing, too. It is coincidence that both of them  ran in the same race on Christmas Day which was won by Sunderji's 'got-abroad' filly Powerful Lady with Costa Rica a neck behind in second and Super Girl a further length and a half behind in third. That was the second time Costa Rica played the bridesmaid. The filly's dam, a much travelled mare, was bought for $45,000 at Keeneland's November Sale in 2015, in foal to Elusive Quality. Celadon was conceived in Japan but foaled in the U.S.A. where she won three races at Fair Grounds over 1100 m. In India, she has had three foals. Her 'got-abroad' filly was called Elusive Star who won at Pune the only time she raced. Costa Rica is her second foal and she also has a full-brother to Costa Rica. In the meanwhile, her last foal born in the U.S.A., named Copano Kicking, was making waves in Japan as a star sprinter. He ended up with a career record of 20 starts, nine wins on dirt from 1000 m. to 1400 m. and the equivalent of two million pounds in stakes. Celadon was now wanted in Japan and Manjri Stud let her go via the U.S.A. Celadon, back in the country of her conception, has dropped her Mendelssohn foal and is expecting the next in 2021 by the Breeders' Cup Sprint, Gr.1 winner Drefong. It will hence be obvious that Costa Rica's immediate family is very speedy. She may have the class to get a mile but it is not a given. Like Alluring Silver, Shroff trains Costa Rica. The other maiden, Super Girl trained by S.S. Shah, is more exposed and doesn't strike as one who will bother the Judge. Both the maidens are jumping into the deep end within eight days of their last start.

Noble Queen (Night of Thunder - Manila Bay) made her debut towards the end of November in Pune and scored comfortably. She has not raced since so her unbeaten status remains intact. New Approach Bloodstock bought her dam, on behalf of Sohna Stud, at Tattersalls July Sales for a mere 10,000 gns. She was in-foal to Night of Thunder who was then standing at Kildangan Stud for a covering fee of 30,000 euros. That fee has now rocketed up to 75,000 euros on the strength of his early results. Manila Bay herself did not race but is a three-parts sister to All The Good (BMW Caulfield Cup, Gr.1) while their dam is a half-sister to Ramruma (Epsom Oaks, Gr.1, Irish Oaks, Gr.1, Yorkshire Oaks, Gr.1). Noble Queen, the only 'got-abroad' among the eight contenders, has the right pedigree credentials but is rather inexperienced as is her trainer Deepesh Narredu.

Last year, this race was won by the Usha Stud bred filly Gift of Grace. That nursery is represented this year by Miss Muffet (Multidimensional - Xisca) who has one win from two starts. Miss Muffet is by a Champion Sire out of a mare who counted the Eveready Calcutta Derby, Gr.1 among her eight wins. Miss Muffet is trained by the veteran Imtiaz Sait who won the Indian St. Leger with her half-brother Caprisca. She ought to be a live contender later in the Indian Oaks but this trip is rather sharp for one with her pedigree. However, since some of her rivals may not get the mile, she could sneak a place with a late run.

That leaves only One Wish (Arazan - Rhapsidion Snow) who, like Costa Rica, made her debut during the current Pune racing but unlike her hoisted the winning flag on her second start. Trainer Sunderji has preferred One Wish to Powerful Lady, the conqueror of Costa Rica and Super Girl. Is there a clue in that preference or is it just that he felt the Guineas came much too soon ?

Stats of the Last Decade 

The average field rating is 46.5. That is a lot lower than the average field rating of the last ten years which stands at 64.5. Of course, it is understandable because of the lack of racing during the summer and monsoon that has deprived this crop of an opportunity to improve their assessments. Two favourites and three top-rated fillies won during the last decade. Three outstation fillies were successful while four of the winners were having their first run on the track. Two of the winning fillies were 'got-abroads' and Pesi Shroff saddled four winners. Among the jockeys, P.S. Chouhan, Suraj Narredu and P. Trevor are jointly on the top with two winners each. With Godspeed, Myrtlewood and Gift of Grace, Usha Stud heads the list of leading studs. Of course, the stats pertain to races run at Mahalakshmi. 

PAST THE POST

Most of us have come through a trying year and one thing that has occupied many of us in the lockdown days are the sporting events. They have provided something to look forward to and have been like manna from heaven. Two sporting events of 2020 stand out. One was the 7-2 whipping of Champions Liverpool by the newly promoted side Aston Villa in the Premier League. The other was India winning the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne after the Adelaide debacle. Both the events were timely reminders of the tremendous potential  a sport has to provide the unexpected. That glorious uncertainty is what lures the fans.