Forty one years after the inaugural running was won by Own Opinion, the Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 returns to the place of its birth for the eighth time. In December, the Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy Stayers' Cup, Gr.1 at Mumbai saw My Opinion hold Theon by a neck with Salazaar three lengths behind in third. All the three horses will step out on Saturday at Guindy and they will face two new challengers, fillies Faith of Success and Speedster. That should make the race interesting but the business end could well see the old foes battling it out.

Trends (Last Ten Years)

This is a good race for the favourites with six of them obliging. Generally, there are ten starters (average field rating 99) but the top rated runner has won only thrice. The average rating of the winners is 102; half the winners had won their previous starts, four were 'got-abroads' and three belonged to the Classic crop. Four winners were based at Mahalakshmi. Among the professionals, S.S. Attaolahi (3 wins) and P. Trevor (2 wins) are the leaders in their respective callings while three of the winners were born at Poonawalla Farms. The Poonawalla farms stalwart Placerville reeled off a hat-trick through Native Knight and Astapi (twice) but he has no runners now while of the stallions whose progeny will be racing, Burden of Proof and Multidimensional have sired winners. 

The Duellers

My Opinion and Theon have raced in the interim and enhanced their own prospects. My Opinion went back to Chennai and has won twice from three starts. The first was a "loosener" over a mile; he then won the South India Stayers' Trial Stakes over 2400 m. and on his last start picked up his third South India St. Leger, Gr.2. Three wins over 2800 m. is almost akin to being a course and distance winner and My Opinion will certainly have the home advantage. Having gone past Salazaar at Mumbai, My Opinion -- or at least his jockey -- was perhaps thinking that the race was in his pocket. Theon then thundered along but the winning post came a bit too soon for his liking. Neither horse was fully ridden out and the closeness of the verdict suggests that it is not a definitive one. Akshay Kumar, who was in the saddle in his Mahalakshmi triumph, is entrusted with the job of steering him. 

Theon won the Villoo C. Poonawalla Indian St. Leger, Gr.1 in taking style, slamming the well regarded Lagarde by over five lengths. The Stayers' Cup had been his first foray into graded company and he has come on after the experience. Lagarde is not the same force at distances of 2400 m. and beyond and Theon may have been flattered by the verdict. But his improvement was plainly visible and he is now fully ready to cross swords again with his conqueror. He will be running at Guindy for the first time but has the familiar stable jockey P.S. Chouhan atop. 

The Challengers

Salazaar was the first to make his move at Mumbai when he went past the front runner Apsara Star just after coming into the straight. He was going well till My Opinion reeled him in with a furlong to go and he even lost the runner-up berth to Theon. He was a well beaten third in the Stayers' Trial Stakes at Bangalore behind Speedster and stablemate Automatic. He is nine years old now and no horse as long in the tooth as he is has won an Invitational race. C. Umesh is booked to ride him for the first time.

Zuccarelli and Faith of Success are the only two members of the 2018 crop to have won two Classics over 2400 m. Faith of Success disappointed in the Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby, Gr.1 but she does have a genuine excuse in that she was running within a week of having won Golconda Derby, Gr.1 with a bit of travelling thrown in. She has had her rest and should be fresh but 3000 m. is a different kettle of fish. She appears a genuine filly and will do her best, though that may not be enough to win. Neeraj Rawal, who has guided the filly in all her three wins, will be in the plate.

Speedster had been on the board in the Oaks as well as the Derby at Bangalore in her Classic year. After two years, she only recently got a chance to go over 2400 m. in the Stayers' Trial Stakes and she grabbed the opportunity to post a resounding victory over Automatic and Salazaar. The grey mare certainly stays a mile and a half but is yet to venture beyond. She is owned and trained by the former Champion Jockey Warren Singh and it is always good to see lesser lights get a deserving break. With Suraj Narredu in the saddle she will get all the assistance required.   

The grey Speedster, wearing a distinctive orange nose-band, likes to to be in front and the Calcutta challenger Redoutable has run forward races in his last couple of starts. The two of them should be able to get the contest moving while My Opinion, Theon and Faith of Success run off the pace. Salazaar should start getting into the mix as they pass The Monument. My Opinion, Theon and Faith of Success could then begin their runs. Who is in front and by how far and how well the come-from-behind trio responds to their riders' urgings will decide the finishing order.

The Field

It isn't often that the weekend's 'Marathon' draws the largest field among the four invitational races but it has happened thrice before; in 2001, 2009 and 2014. It's a coincidence that in those three years, the favourite won the Stayers' Cup. The dozen runners have an average field rating of 89. The five year-old Pissarro is still a maiden while Angelico, Automatic, Hioctane and Fire Power have not won beyond 2000 m. There are two fillies and one 'got-abroad'. Barring My Opinion, Theon and Salazaar, all other runners will be essaying 3000 m. for the first time.

PAST THE POST

Three runners -- Aztec, Ardiles and Astapi -- won the race twice. Eleven other winners have attempted to add to their first win but failed. One of those eleven was Native Knight who participated in the race four times.

A race as long as this means that some of the runners are running on an empty tank coming into the straight. In the inaugural race, Own Opinion held off the fast finishing Deep Water Blues by a head. Since then, not many renewals have seen such close finishes and the cameraman has been called upon just eight times. The 1997 renewal at Bangalore, however, saw three horses passing the post, unseparated by the naked eye. The print gave the race to Son of Silver by a neck with the favourite Aroma and Clayton declared dead-heaters for the second place.