The Major P K Mehra Memorial Super Mile (Gr.1) race will be an exciting affair. The quality of the field will ensure this. Since this race caters to horses which find the sprint sharp and are out of depth over longer trips, the number of hopefuls is bound to be more. Since most stallions in India are sprinter-milers, there will be no dearth of quality horses. As the race is held a day after the Hindu Sprinters Cup (Gr.1), we see a number of Sprinters too figuring in this race. A couple of winners have also been failed favourites of Sprinters Cup. Bergamo and Strengthtostrength have the distinction of winning both the events and interestingly, the latter was winning his first ever race of his life over a mile! Last year, Algeciras who failed in the sprint made amends in the Super Mile while Kanthara proved the bridesmaid on both the occasions. This year too we will see a couple of horses, notably River God who will try their hand at both the events. The Mumbai contingent has been robbed of a formidable contender as Monifieth is not in the fray. As such, Berlioz enjoys the pride of place. Berlioz has proved to be outstanding over trips up to a mile. The son of Sri Pekan, Berlioz has everything going for him. The striking quality of Berlioz is his blinding speed which can leave the opposition chasing his shadow. His ability to quicken and the fact that the mile long trip suits him fine is what marks him out as the horse to watch. Berlioz won the Indian 2000 Guineas by bursting clear of the field at the top of the straight even as the others were getting into top gear and lasted out the entire Mumbai straight which really takes some doing. After a couple of ambitious attempts over longer trips, Berlioz will be run over a mile. In the fitness that he is in, he will make everyone sweat. Hawke Bay and Proteus make up the contingent for the Super Mile from Mumbai and these are capable runners to say the least. Hawke Bay has the class and if his legs stand up well, he will be right there. River God is easily the most outstanding horse currently racing in India. At seven, he maintains his zest for racing. The son of Razeen won a string of graded races during the Bangalore Summer Season over trips ranging from seven furlongs to nine furlongs. Though a known bleeder, the Bangalore weather has been kind to him. He will be favored by the terms of the race and he is the horse everyone has to beat if he takes kindly to the scorching heat of Chennai. Elusive Pimpernel enjoyed a rating of 70 during his racing career and River God at 69, towers over the horses which are currently racing. Lancaster, who aroused great expectations after finishing second in the Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million, won a mile race at Bangalore after a frustrating wait. He won a mile race getting the better of Stagecraft virtually in the dying moments of the race. He is an under achiever thus far but if he takes a liking to the underfoot conditions at Chennai, he can be right there. On the other hand, Stagecraft appeared to be a sensational horse when he won a race in the highest class in just three attempts. Somewhere, he lost his sharpness, suffered a setback and as such, his run after a longish absence from the track must be considered encouraging. If he lives up to his potential, he is a realistic threat to all. Ganapathy has a strong challenger in Spectacular Quest. Star Admiral, who has been somewhat of a letdown, is also in the fray and this under-achiever could still prove everyone wrong. Spectacular Quest can upset them all if he reproduces his Bangalore Summer season form. Bangalore Derby winner Fantabulous King is back in the fray after a double tie back operation. He is blazing the track and the connections are planning to run him in both the Sprinters Cup and the Super Mile. Fantabulous King is no doubt a top notch performer and has loads of talent. But the recent mock race that Fantabulous King ran certainly does not enhance his credentials a great deal. All said and done, his speed could decide the shape of things over the mile long trip. Hyderabad’s main challengers will be Red Orchid and Coral Gables. Red Orchid very nearly spoiled the part in last year’s Invitation Cup where he lost by a narrow margin to Simply Supreme. He is a very capable horse. Coral Gables has enjoyed a great run. Last year, the son of Young Senor finished third and his current performance indicates that he is still on the boil. On his day, he can sweep them all!