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Arabian Prince Shatters Course Record

By Mahendra Mallya | 05 Mar 2011 | MUMBAI


Mr. Zeyn Mirza & trainer J S Dhariwal leading Arabian Prince (C D Hayes Up), winner of The Privilege Industries Stayers' Cup (Grade 1)

Arabian Prince (Burden Of Proof – Arabian Rose), owned by Dr Vijay Mallya, showed tremendous physical and mental strength to not only outclass his rivals, but also shatter the course record of 3:11.63, clocking 3:09.98 for the 3,000 metres race. Always up with the pace, Arabian Prince made steady progress maintaining steel like grip on the proceedings right from the outset. Spearhead made the early pace at a fair clip with Sunlight soon stalking close behind. Arabian Prince, Clever Ploy, Vijays Angel and The Leader were huddled closely, Spark Of Gold and Rezoom were next, with Cabriolet, Native Knight and Autonomy close in tow.

The good early pace meant the best on the track would survive, and Arabian Prince proved he was not just the best on the day but the best stayer ever. Sunlight, Arabian Prince and Cabriolet entered the straight together. While Sunlight was toiling to keep up, Arabian Prince seized charge showing a lot of steam. Cabriolet too looked to offer a chip on his shoulder, but his bluff was soon called by Arabian Prince who literally tore away with his powerful finishing burst. The fact that jockey CD Hayes rose in the saddle to signal his triumph, clearly indicated that Arabian Prince had lots left in the tank confirming that the Burden Of Proof progeny was blessed with immense stamina and speed to match.

I daresay that the course record fell into his kitty without much ado and Arabian Prince could have chipped off more split-seconds had he been totally extended. Such was his power at the finish. “It was a splendid performance and we are thrilled at the manner of this conquest. Arabian Prince had won well in Calcutta and he showed no travel fatigue whatsoever. We were confident he would do well but I must admit he has done better than expectations. He was flawless today and that thrilled me no end,” said Mr Zeyn Mirza, MD, United Racing and Bloodstock Breeders Ltd. Trainer Jaggy Dhariwal had the ‘I-told-you-so’ look on his beaming face. “I had said it in the press conference that he was the rightful favourite to win the race and I stand vindicated. He has progressed well and has a big heart. Hayes rode him to perfection. I knew the moment he entered the straight that we would sustain his command all the way,” said Dhariwal.

Attila (China Visit – Al Dente), a resident of the Shroff Stables, owned by the Chetak Horse Racing Pvt. Ltd and M/s Mohan Chattaram, Banwait J. Singh and Kishore M Dingra, rose to the big occasion and how! Never flashy in style and one with a fair amount of consistency to show, Attila came to his optimum form this season. He came into this race with a narrow loss to Forest Flair and then a fashionable victory during the Derby weekend. His last effort was a distinctly forward one though he did not figure on the judge’s frame in the Dr SC Jain Sprinters’ Championship, finishing on a close sixth despite encountering traffic snarls. There was no such hindrance this time, for the biggest Sprint campaign of his life.

Attila settled quickly and nicely behind Vijay Damini, Successor and Nefyn, on his first essay this season. Nefyn, blessed with loads of speed and talent, seemed awfully short of a true run and the mock race outing barely appeared to be of help. He ran purposefully though, but was clearly below his best. Forest Flair did well to run in the front bunch from the widest draw and was travelling well in touch with the front-runners. Captivating was briefly in the front bunch but failed to capitalise when it mattered and faded out of contention. Celestial Way, unlike Forest Flair did not show early speed and raced at the wrong end of the field for the most part. D’Artagnan did not make any impact at any stage. Attila assumed command soon on straightening for home and picked up speed nicely. Imran Chisty had a lot of work to do as Attila started to drift out and the rest were snapping at his tail.

Chisty did well to keep the momentum going and started to go all out. He had a handy advantage within sight of the winning post and he did everything right going for the kill on a still drifting horse. Successor remained under the spotlight for an amazingly prolonged period before being overwhelmed by the fast finishers, read Celestial Way and Forest Flair. The duo shot through the middle of a well-spread field to make a decisive last ditch effort of getting past Attila. Weizhou, keen to prove a point also gave his best and did not do too badly to grab a place in the limelight in this fiery set of proven sprinters.

Attila never relented showing tremendous guts and temperament to cross the wire with Imran Chisty gesturing triumphantly towards the Grand Stands amidst a roar from the crowd. Celestial Way finished a notable second. Forest Flair bled somewhere at that time that could have proved his undoing, yet ended alongside Celestial Way. The others finished on in close order and although the 1 minute 10.83 secs was not Attila’s best yet, it was enough on the day to earn him a permanent place among the illustrious circle of the fastest horses in the country.

Trainer Pesi Shroff was delighted and said, “Attila was in the best of condition and showed marked improvement recently. In the Dr Jain Sprinters’ Championship he had to serve for room and yet managed to finish close from the top finishers. I did feel and hope that he would get a better run today which he fortunately did and Imran rode extremely well to extend a great finishing touch.”

“Attila ran a great race and although he was drifting, I knew he was going well and would hold on. He was pulling towards the finish and I was confident that I would see him through in the last furlong. He felt good right from the moment we took the jump and but for that slight drift in the straight, I knew he would carry me past the post the way he did,” said Imran Chisty. For the Usha Stud Farm, this was a jubilant ‘double’ as both Arabian Prince and Attila were bred at their Farm, adding to their long list of high-profile winners. For Pesi Shroff, this was his first Sprinters’ Cup victory as trainer.

The day was as exciting as it can get with the entire racing fraternity congregating at the Mahalaxmi racecourse for the Invitation Cup weekend. The appetisers were attractive, the main course on the morrow promises to be sumptuous too. The Super Mile and the Invitation Cup have the expectations soaring and with a list of races leading to these huge races sure offer a highly electrifying menu.