Having won eight races so far, S Padmanbhan-trained horse needs to justify his favourite tag against 13 rivals at Mahalaxmi racecourse today
The favourite - Sir Cecil
The S Padmanbhan-trained Sir Cecil, full brother to the 2017 Indian Derby-winning filly Hall Of Famer (Win Legend - Elusive Trust), will attempt to emulate the same feat today at the Mahalaxmi racetrack when he and David Allan will be loaded into the starting gates along with 13 other rivals.
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The next best - Star Superior
Certainly more talented than his illustrious elder sister, Sir Cecil comes into the Derby field with an imposing reputation, as winner of all his eight races so far. However, today's Indian Derby may prove to be the most rigorous test of his career, especially as he is coming out of a recent ligament problem which forced his trainer Padmanabhan to keep him away from action in the last 48 days.
The challenger - Adjudicate
His main rival appears to be the same horse who finished second to him on three occasions - Star Superior (Excellent Art - Ramjet) trained by Rajesh Narredu and to be ridden by his elder brother Suraj Narredu.
The joker in the pack - Bushtops
If Sir Cecil falters for any reason, Star Superior has legitimate claim to the Derby crown, though the pedigree pundits may not agree. The number of followers for Adjudicate (Multidimensional - Alvarita) have increased after she went into the care of James T McKeown and reeled off three Classics on the trot at Kolkata - the 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas and the Kolkata Derby.
And now, the joker in the pack: The MK Jadhav-trained Bushtops (Archipenko - Etroubles) won a non-descript class III race a month ago by shooting like an arrow in the centre of the track, earning precious points on the Dynamic Class Ratings chart.
First race at 2.30 pm.
Selections:
* Tattersalls Million (Class V; 1400m)
Barack 1, King Khalil 2, Perpetual Winning 3.
* Rusi Patel Trophy - Gr 3 (For 4y&o; 1600m)
Costa Brava 1, Serjeant At Arms 2, Cambridge 3.
* Ebco Worksmart Breeders' Produce Stakes - Gr 3 (For 3y; 1400m)
Hunt For Gold 1, Malwa 2, Trouvaille 3.
* SM Shah Eclipse Stakes of India- Gr 2 (For 4y&o; 2000m)
Desert God 1, Jack Frost 2, Salazaar 3.
* BK Rattonsey Memorial Maiden Multi-Million (For 3y, maidens; 1200m)
Divine Glory 1, Missing You 2, Desert Empire 3.
* Padmini & Gobind Jhangiani Million (Class III; 1200m)
Mozart 1, Intense Stylist 2, Between The Waters 3.
* Dr MAM Ramaswamy Million (Class IV; 1000m)
Mighty Warrior 1, Sharareh 2, True Grit 3.
Recommendations:
Best bet: Barack (1-1)
Upsets: Conscience (5-8) & Bushtops (6-2)
Today's pools:
Super jackpot pool: 3,4,5,6,7,8
Jackpot pool: 4,5,6,7,8
Treble pool: I - 5,6,7; II - 6,7,8
Tanala pool: All races.
The Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby - Grade 1
The 6th race at 5.30 pm; For Indian horses, 4y olds only; Dist: 2400m
1. Augustus Caesar 57 Neeraj Rawal (2);
2. Bushtops 57 P S Chouhan (10);
3. Mr Handsome 57 Yash Narredu (13);
4. Pioneer 57 P Trevor (6);
5. Sacred Roman 57 Y S Srinath (1);
6. Sir Cecil 57 David Allan (7);
7. Star Superior 57 Suraj Narredu (11);
8. Tasawwur 57 A Imran Khan (8);
9. Valegro 57 N S Parmar (4);
10. Vintage 57 S Zervan (3);
11. Adjudicate 55.5 A Sandesh (9);
12. Bluebell 55.5 Leigh Roche (12);
13. Eyes For You 55.5 Robbie Downey (14);
14. Merlot 55.5 Imran Chisty (5).
Selections: Sir Cecil 1, Star Superior 2, Adjudicate 3.
Upset: Bushtops
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