Destroying the reputation of a few contestants including outstation contenders, Magan Singh Parmar-groomed Buddy recorded a stunning upset in the Race2Win Foundation-sponsored Hyderabad Deccan Derby on Sunday. As there were hardly any runners who had shown the stamina to tackle the mile and a quarter journey at the young age of three, the betting started at 5 to 1 for Madante and the trend did not reflect spontaneous betting on any horse.

When the field of fourteen left the gates, jockey K. Mukesh Kumar made a bold move by  trying runaway tactics with Buddy, who hardly had any friends in the betting ring except, of course, the bookmakers. Mukesh controlled the pace to a nicety taking Buddy to the front shortly after the start, while the fillies' championship winner Moonveil, with Trevor Patel in the driver's seat, chasing him alongwith Smashing Grey in the initial stage of the race. Vortex raced with the next bunch alongside Digital Empress and Garfunkle, who were ahead of Madante, Alexios, and Quattro. Mahogany, ridden well off the pace by Vivek G., raced unconcerned in the rear.

As the field braced up tfor the final run-in, Buddy led his rivals into the straight and had Moonveil still shadowing him. Contrary to the expectations of most racegoers, Buddy relished his front-running role and refused to call it a day even as Trevor put pressure on Moonveil to collar the leader. Elsewhere, Ashhad Asbar launched his bid with Quattro, who failed to keep a straight course and caused interference to Garfunkle and later Madante when approaching the winning line. Mahogany in the meanwhile made steady progress, essaying her challenge from the inner lane. Sensing and opportunity to cause an upset, Mukesh went all out on Buddy which led to his mount drifting out.  slightly under pressure. Moonveil also suffered the same fate when Trevor asked for an extra effort from the filly.

Amidst this chaos, Buddy (Dali – Dangal) stretched out to skip away for a hard-earned two-length victory over his nearest rival Moonveil. Mahogany was seen moving well in the last furlong, but her effort was insufficient to affect the outcome of the race. She finished third, a neck behind Moonveil, while Quattro ran fourth. Whether it could have made a difference to the final result of the Derby or not, in hindsight, it must be said that both Madante and Garfunkle were deserted by the luck of the race.

Nevertheless, trainer Parmar deserves praise for having Buddy spot-on for the Derby triumph and jockey K. Mukesh Kumar merits equal praise for showing remarkable poise when Moonveil threatened to overhaul him. The dark bay gelding Buddy is co-owned by Mr Subodh Kumar Ananthula and Dr Prabhakar Chowdary Tripuraneni.