There is always a belief among punters and followers of form that handicap races for horses in the lowest class throw up surprise winners for one reason or another. And, it is the higher class events where the form of fancied runners is less likely to go awry. But the Sport of Kings has glorious uncertainties of its own, a glimpse of which was witnessed at the Malakpet racecourse on Wednesday when the Race2Win.Com sponsored Deccan Derby (Gr.1) was run. The punters had barely recovered from the shock victory of Akido in the Turf Authorities of India Cup when, half an hour later, Arkadian pricked their buoyancy about getting their math right in the big event. The moneybags, who thought that Excellent Lass was running on eight legs and that wagering on her was the easiest way to mint money, were taken to the cleaners by the bookies. Finally, punters, who were eager to recoup their losses and pinned their hopes on Char Ek Char to be their saviour, probably went home wiser after being adventurous with their finances.

Three out of Excellent Lass’s four career successes included three graded events – the Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi Million, Bangalore and Mysore Guineas. Just recently, in the Bangalore Summer Derby, Excellent Lass had finished runner-up to Santissimo, who is considered as one of the top juveniles in the Indian racing circuit at present. These credentials were enough to send Excellent Lass as the piping-hot favourite to win the Deccan Derby. But her foray in this mile and quarter race turned out to be the worst performance of her career. That aside, even the bookmakers felt that the Rajesh Narredu-trained filly’s victory was a foregone conclusion as they didn’t hesitate in offering generous odds of 12 to 1 and over for her rivals. But Pesi Shroff-mentored Arkadian scripted an incredible success story only a few could have surmised. When the gates flew open, Excellent Lass held the lead briefly for a furlong before yielding it to K. Mukesh Kumar-ridden Get Lucky who bowled along merrily in front while his rivals jostled for a strategic position till the halfway mark. Get Lucky brought the closely bunched field into the straight with Excellent Lass and Elfin Knight joining him at the final turn. Suraj Narredu gave Excellent Lass her head at the two-furlong marker and the filly zipped ahead but not before shifting in and cutting across Get Lucky, who was pushed towards the rails. Just as Get Lucky was being steadied by Mukesh, Trevor Patel astride Duke of Tuscany knocked him off his strides again. Meanwhile, Excellent Lass strode ahead with Duke of Tuscany getting stronger at the finish. However, motivated by Mukesh to display his valour, Get Lucky retaliated at both Excellent Lass and Duke of Tuscany by unleashing a powerful burst to overpower them in the last hundred metres. 

However, Get Lucky’s valiant effort was overshadowed by Arkadian, who stormed on to the scene with an effort as brilliant or rather a shade better than the former. Arkadian was steered confidently by S. Saqlain, who arrived late at Malakpet and could fulfil only three out of his eight riding engagements, when keeping his mount out of harm’s way and launched his assault from the last position when the field was homeward bound. Saqlain exceeded the stipulated whipping count on the way but found the chestnut colt striding aggressively with every stroke. Arkadian (Cougar Mountain – Aspen Sun) was clearly in a destructive mood and his acceleration crushed Get Lucky’s defiance no sooner had the latter regained the lead. The flight of Shroff’s ward saw him check in a length and quarter clear of Antony Raj-steered Victor Hugo, who started his ascent alongside Arkadian in the home stretch but failed to match his brilliance and had to settle for the runner-up slot. Get Lucky, who ran true to his name until Arkadian foiled his mission, ended third ahead of Duke of Tuscany. Arkadian is co-owned by Mr Cyrus F. Palia & Mrs Freny C. Palia and was bred at the Jai-Govind Stud. 

The magnanimous contribution of Race2Win.Com in sponsoring the Deccan Derby surely helped the Hyderabad Race Club in making the event an attractive proposition for all the contestants, more so for the winning connections. The gaming company also brought fun and floric for the spectators at the Malakpet racecourse as they hosted an hour-long glamorous fashion show after the Derby prize distribution was over.