This year, the Calcutta Derby was scheduled for 9 January. A fresh wave of Covid caused it to be postponed. Even on the date it was originally planned, it presented a rather muddled picture. It was hard to find a runner who stood out and there were questions to be asked about those who were being talked about as likely contenders. Some had beaten each other by turns; some had stamina queries while the 'class' of others was in question. The postponement has allowed some new contenders an opportunity to aim for what was not an earlier target.  All the runners will now participate with a longish gap and how well tuned they are is the single most important factor on Saturday. Add to that how the race unfolds and the luck in the running and you have a punter tilting at windmills.  

Trends (Last Ten Years)

The field which generally lines up at Hastings for the Derby is not a very big one, with double digits only twice in the last ten years and an average of just eight runners. The field rating is 70, that of winners 93 and six of the winners were top-rated. Four favourites, four outstation contenders, three fillies and one 'got-abroad' have been successful. Nine winners had won their previous starts, the only non-winner being Hall of Famer who had been second in the Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1. in her previous start. The gap between the previous run and the Derby has generally been around two to three weeks though Snowscape was making a quick re-appearance after just twelve days while Trafalgar took in his stride an absence of 105 days. Among the professionals with a runner on Sunday, Vijay Singh and Suraj Narredu top the lists with three wins each. Sohna Stud has provided three winners and it is nice to see a nursery other than the "Usual Two" at the top. Six winners of the Calcutta Oaks turned up in the Derby but only In The Spotlight added to her course and distance victory; of the remaining five, four finished second.

The Hopefuls

With the late withdrawal of Oasis, the local contingent whittles down to just three and two of those will be saddled by Vijay Singh who has led in the winner of this race a record number of eleven times previously. Vijay Singh fields two sons of Win Legend -- Galen and Jake -- but his having let go Suraj Narredu to partner Neil Darashah's unbeaten Sea Lion (Phoenix Tower - Tropical Blue) suggests that he holds a better chance. Sea Lion has two wins from two starts and he literally blew away the field in the Calcutta 2000 Guineas, Gr.2. That race has provided exactly half the winners of the Calcutta Derby in the last ten years and thus it bodes well for Sea Lion. Against that, you have to note that Sea Lion won the "2000" in an absurdly slow time of 1.42.31. The PNR reading was 1.19 and all timings that day were poor. Besides, Sea Lion's sire is not the best advertisement for Derby winners (Rochester not overlooked) while his dam is by Senure. Sea Lion's full-brother Treasure Gold did beat Chopin over 1800 m. and their grandam won the Foodbrokers Aphrodite Stakes, L., at Newmarket over 2400 m. in the colours of Sheikh Hamdan. There is a doubt about Sea Lion's suitability for the distance and if he is at short odds, others look more attractive.  

Two outstation challengers which catch the eye are the Bangalore-based Silvarius (Multidimensional - Silverina) and Alastair (Speaking of Which - Alice Springs) who comes from Mumbai. Both are Usha-breds and out of mares who had won Classics at Calcutta in their racing days. Both are trained by handlers who have won this race previously.

Silvarius, from Arjun Mangalorkar's yard, is still a maiden after five starts but has placed in two Derbies. First, he was second to Oasis with Galen and The Protector well behind him in the Betindiaraces.com Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.2. Then, he was third behind Zuccarelli and All Attractive in the Kingfisher Ultra Bangalore Derby, Gr.1. Admittedly, he was way behind the winner but being rushed into the lead in the backstretch did not, perhaps, suit him; else, he may have finished closer and, possibly, been the runner-up ahead of All Attractive. His dam won the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.3 and the Calcutta St. Leger, Gr.3. Though he may not win, he is  a good prospect to place being, potentially, the best stayer in the field.

Alastair is trained by Pesi Shroff and his stable is having such a dream run that anything he fields in a big race deserves the utmost consideration. The moment the postponement of this race was known, Alastair was sent off to Calcutta.  On his last two starts, he has got his number up in Gr.1 races. In the Pune Derby, Gr.1, he was fourth to Zuccarelli, A Star Is Born and Regal Command while in the Arion Horse Company Indian 2000 Guineas, Gr.1 he again occupied the same spot behind A Star Is Born, Zuccarelli and Presidential and finished closer to the winner. His dam Alice Springs, a full-sister to the Southern Regent (McDowell Indian Derby, Gr.1, Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 in record timing, etc), was the last foal of her dam. A small filly whom Shroff trained, Alice Springs won the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.3, Calcutta 1000 Guineas, Gr.3 and Calcutta St. Leger, Gr.3. Unlike most of Shroff's Classic contenders, Alastair has been worked differently. In the last month, he has had eleven pieces of work, all steady and none where he has been asked a question. Each horse is different and recognising what each individual needs is the hallmark of a good trainer. 

Others

The Arion Horse Company Calcutta 1000 Guineas, Gr.3 winner Kamilah has had a feel of the course and distance when she ran second to Euphrates in the Calcutta Oaks, Gr.3. That was also a very slowly run race. Kamilah is a grand-daughter of the Indian Turf Invitation Cup winner Sweeping Success.

One trainer who has caught the attention this year is B. Prithviraj. The former jockey, who is based in Bangalore, has a small string of about 20 horses. With two sons of Excellent Art, he has been busy all over the country. He took All Attractive first to Chennai for the Coromandel Gromor Nilgiris Derby, Gr.1 and placed second  to Alicia; then, journeyed to Calcutta for the Calcutta Monsoon Derby, Gr.2; went back to Guindy for the South India 2000 Guineas, Gr.1 and took the runner-up berth behind Angelico and, finally, on his home turf ran behind Zuccarelli in the Kingfisher Ultra Bangalore Derby, Gr.1. Malakpet saw him arrive with the maiden Karanveer for the Golconda Derby, Gr.1 and the gelding ran a brave race, making most of the running and fighting tenaciously in the closing stages. He finished only fourth but was within a length of the winner Faith of Success. It is quite common in a big race for one of the fancied runners to run much below the expectations. That gives a chance to another runner to pop into the frame and the enterprising Prithviraj must hope that Karanveer is that runner.  

The Field

Nine runners (average field rating 67) will line up on Saturday. There are six outstation challengers of whom Sea Lion, The Protector and Kamilah have been stationed in Calcutta but are schooled by trainers based elsewhere. The two maidens -- Silavrius and Karanveer -- are both Bangalore-based, one unbeaten horse in Sea Lion and the filly. Vijay Singh, Pesi Shroff and Arjun Mangalorkar have led in a winner before. Among the jockeys declared, only Suraj Narredu has ridden a Calcutta Derby winner before.

PAST THE POST

 The first Indian Derby was run in 1943. A decade and a half later, both Calcutta and Madras came up with their own versions. The one at Hastings was run on the Boxing Day of 1958 while Guindy held its inaugural running on the Pongal Day of 1959. Initially, both "regional' Derbies were contested over 2000 m. Guindy switched to the proper Derby distance after just one year but Calcutta continued for nine years. 

There have been no missing years at Calcutta and Saturday's renewal will be the 64th. The very second running at Calcutta saw a successful objection by the filly Rising Bell against the on-the-course winner Ghazi. For 28 years, Calcutta did not see a grey Derby winner. Then, it had four in the space of three years ! Azhar won in 1987; Brave Dancer followed suit in 1988 and the next year the grey filly Aphroze and the grey colt Zara Shah dead-heated !! The remarkable fact about this dead-heat was that both the horses were bred at Poonawalla Farms. Mr. C.M. Varma owned a share in the filly while his brother, Mr. B.M. Varma, had an interest in the colt !!!! Both the dead-heaters were the joint property of four owners so there must have been quite a crowd as they were led in.

The year after the dead-heat Derby was sensational as well. Yerevan crossed the post first but objections were lodged by the riders of all the three other horses in the frame. What's more, they were all upheld. Aspirant got the race and Yerevan was placed fourth.