Moonlight for D-day

Cooji Katrak-trained horse is the best bet for Indian Derby followed by Ocean and Beyond; outside chance for Sunlight

Moonlight for D-day

Cooji Katrak-trained horse is the best bet for Indian Derby followed by Ocean and Beyond; outside chance for Sunlight

The stage is all set for the greatest annual contest to decide the four-year-old champion horse, and so much interest has been generated thanks to high decibel pre-Derby hype that all enclosures of the Mahalaxmi racecourse are likely to register a full house.

A bumper ten-race card is slated for Sunday, in which the grade 1, McDowell Signature Indian Derby will feature as the penultimate race scheduled for 5.15 pm. Exactly a dozen runners are in the fray for the big event, and the two top market fancies ufffd Ocean And Beyond & Moonlight Romance ufffd are both owned by Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan & Prem Tharani, representing Wadhawan Livestock Pvt Ltd, albeit trained by different trainers. While Ocean And Beyond who has been chosen for a ride by English rider Richard Hughes is trained by SK Sunderji, Moonlight Romance is trained by Cooji Katrak and will be ridden by David Allan.

Support
Others who are also getting support from some corners in the ante post betting are Xisca, a filly who reeled off all important races at Kolkata including the Derby there, and carrying the silks of C Glenn, M Deboo & Mr & Mrs KN Dhunjibhoy, and Macchupicchu, owned by the same connections as last year's winner Jacqueline, that of Shirke, Dhunjibhoys & Berjis Desai but racing in the silks of the last-named. Interestingly, both these horses are trained by Pesi Shroff.

The dark one is Sunlight, also trained by Cooji Katrak and owned by Wadhawan and Tharani. She will be ridden by Paul Mulrennan. "There is very little to choose between our top two horses ufffd Ocean And Beyond & Moonlight Romance, I think both are very closely matched," Prem Tharani, part owner, told MiD DAY on Saturday, "even our third horse, Sunlight, has an outside chance and frankly we will be happy to lead in as long as any of them wins, though personally I am slightly inclined towards Ocean And Beyond."

Even the bookmakers apparently agree with Prem Tharani and have opened Ocean And Beyond (Richard Hughes up) as a firm favourite. However, I have absolutely no doubt that over the Derby trip of mile-and-a-half, Moonlight Romance should prove far superior to Ocean And Beyond.

However, in a race like the Derby it's never only the horse, but a combination of horse-and-jockey and it is on this front there could be a grey area. David Allan, who has been chosen to ride Moonlight is an average jockey and has recently messed up big time last month with Becket at Mahalaxmi and last week with Balmoral Castle at Hyderabadu00a0 when dealing with a high-pressure situation. But I still feel the filly is game enough to win this race despite the jockey and nominate her to win the Signature Derby.

If for any reason, Moonlight falters at the judge's end, the one who can exploit the situation is Macchupicchu who will be ridden by B Prakash and will surely put in a very bold performance.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels