MY SELECTIONS
1)(8-3)
2) 1-2
3)3-2
4)(3-4-1)
5)7-4-10
6)(2-4-5)
7)(2-13)
4/10/2010
4/06/2010
a brief on current Classic winners and runners
Jacqueline, Becket, Change of Luck( Gypsy Magic) , Native Knight et al…
The Indian Classic racing scene during current winter season was dominated by above four runners and no serious race-goers looked beyond them .
Most of the readers , not all (perhaps), will agree that these 4 thoroughbreds were/are the best of the crop of 2006. Who is better than whom , at present, may not be conclusively assessed as lot of heat has been generated by interested as well as ignorant followers of these thoroughbreds(TBs) in various columns and forums.
I’ll try to confine this article ,primarily , to the published facts , then opine on them and in final paragraph will try to summarize my viewpoint.
Jacqueline (King Charlemagne- Talita Kumi)(odds -12/1) won her first race from 10th position at bend . She always was ‘come from behind’ type and ran in the rear – whether lost or won her race, except Invitation Cup race , where she was always in the first 3 runners. Here I’ll consider only the races she lost rather than the one which she won ! Her second race was Poonawalla Multimillion where she(12/1) came from 10th. position at bend and placed 3rd. a neck behind Gypsy Magic(Change of Luck-now) who was also at odds of 12/1 and was 14th. Or 15th. at bend, then drifted badly on entering straight- towards outer rails, losing many lengths and finally the race was won by late Versaki (Even) – the favorite beating Gypsy Magic and Jacqueline. In her next outing she beat Gypsy Magic(Change of Luck) – the favorite again ‘coming from behind’(10th.position) Her second loss after PBMM she was in Bangalore summer Derby and she and lost by short-head to Aboline – coming from 10th. Position(her favorite position?!!) but she beat Gypsy Magic by 7 lengths in this race . she won several races at Pune and Mumbai including 1000Guineas, 2000Guineas ,Indian Oaks and Indian Derby(by 3/4length) beating Becket in a hard fought duel .She lost to Becket , her final race – Indian Invitation Cup - by head , by running against her norm – joining the front bunch at an very early stage .
Becket(Hawk Wing – Boiling River) had won Bangalore Derby by beating You Are So Beautiful by 4 lengths and though You are So Beautiful had beaten a late finishing Change of Luck(Gypsy Magic) but the race was 1600m 1000 Guineas. Becket came down to Mumbai to challenge Jacqueline in Indian Derby and was beaten(3/4 length) by her convincingly. She was beaten by him in the last stride by head in Invitation cup. He lost Indian St. Leger to Change of Luck only by short-head.
Change of Luck – last progeny of Stunning, who may carry her legacy and definitely her genes , had been an enigmatic disappointment till she won the Leger. I must categorically state at this point that I consider Stunning the ‘best’ broodmare of last 20 years. Almost close to one hundred posts/comments have been published how and why Becket lost the race and Change Of Luck has won but unfortunately no one has bothered to analyse the reasons for the loss or the win of these 2 runners .The genetic aggressiveness of Becket may be his undoing ,while the ‘closing’ and incremental improvement during race – a trait visible in the progeny of Stunning must have helped Change of Luck. Secondly, the ‘staying’ ability of Stunning’s offspring will always be better than many Indigenous and imported breeds.
Native Knight(NK) is a real joker of the pack ! He fits in everywhere. Before winter classics I made a remark that given an opportunity he can win a regional classic. He didn’t try. The connections were/are wiser! Still a maiden he has won more than Rs. 60 lakhs for his connections – much more than a monkey(Green Monkey – bought for $ 16 million) who could not win a race in USA and is a stallion(!!!) there. Why didn’t they sell him( a gelding) to Poonawalla is a mystery.
To be honest to him I must confess that he was the ‘best moving runner ‘ in Indian St. Leger and if he can retain the ‘condition’ and tries (very unlikely) to run Bangalore St. Leger may add a classic to his name!
I’ve already discussed their pedigree in detail, which may bring Change of Luck very close – almost at par with Jacqueline but racing performance – the acid test of a thoroughbred , clearly puts Jacqueline ahead of them with the rider – the longer she (change of Luck) goes , the better she goes…
The Indian Classic racing scene during current winter season was dominated by above four runners and no serious race-goers looked beyond them .
Most of the readers , not all (perhaps), will agree that these 4 thoroughbreds were/are the best of the crop of 2006. Who is better than whom , at present, may not be conclusively assessed as lot of heat has been generated by interested as well as ignorant followers of these thoroughbreds(TBs) in various columns and forums.
I’ll try to confine this article ,primarily , to the published facts , then opine on them and in final paragraph will try to summarize my viewpoint.
Jacqueline (King Charlemagne- Talita Kumi)(odds -12/1) won her first race from 10th position at bend . She always was ‘come from behind’ type and ran in the rear – whether lost or won her race, except Invitation Cup race , where she was always in the first 3 runners. Here I’ll consider only the races she lost rather than the one which she won ! Her second race was Poonawalla Multimillion where she(12/1) came from 10th. position at bend and placed 3rd. a neck behind Gypsy Magic(Change of Luck-now) who was also at odds of 12/1 and was 14th. Or 15th. at bend, then drifted badly on entering straight- towards outer rails, losing many lengths and finally the race was won by late Versaki (Even) – the favorite beating Gypsy Magic and Jacqueline. In her next outing she beat Gypsy Magic(Change of Luck) – the favorite again ‘coming from behind’(10th.position) Her second loss after PBMM she was in Bangalore summer Derby and she and lost by short-head to Aboline – coming from 10th. Position(her favorite position?!!) but she beat Gypsy Magic by 7 lengths in this race . she won several races at Pune and Mumbai including 1000Guineas, 2000Guineas ,Indian Oaks and Indian Derby(by 3/4length) beating Becket in a hard fought duel .She lost to Becket , her final race – Indian Invitation Cup - by head , by running against her norm – joining the front bunch at an very early stage .
Becket(Hawk Wing – Boiling River) had won Bangalore Derby by beating You Are So Beautiful by 4 lengths and though You are So Beautiful had beaten a late finishing Change of Luck(Gypsy Magic) but the race was 1600m 1000 Guineas. Becket came down to Mumbai to challenge Jacqueline in Indian Derby and was beaten(3/4 length) by her convincingly. She was beaten by him in the last stride by head in Invitation cup. He lost Indian St. Leger to Change of Luck only by short-head.
Change of Luck – last progeny of Stunning, who may carry her legacy and definitely her genes , had been an enigmatic disappointment till she won the Leger. I must categorically state at this point that I consider Stunning the ‘best’ broodmare of last 20 years. Almost close to one hundred posts/comments have been published how and why Becket lost the race and Change Of Luck has won but unfortunately no one has bothered to analyse the reasons for the loss or the win of these 2 runners .The genetic aggressiveness of Becket may be his undoing ,while the ‘closing’ and incremental improvement during race – a trait visible in the progeny of Stunning must have helped Change of Luck. Secondly, the ‘staying’ ability of Stunning’s offspring will always be better than many Indigenous and imported breeds.
Native Knight(NK) is a real joker of the pack ! He fits in everywhere. Before winter classics I made a remark that given an opportunity he can win a regional classic. He didn’t try. The connections were/are wiser! Still a maiden he has won more than Rs. 60 lakhs for his connections – much more than a monkey(Green Monkey – bought for $ 16 million) who could not win a race in USA and is a stallion(!!!) there. Why didn’t they sell him( a gelding) to Poonawalla is a mystery.
To be honest to him I must confess that he was the ‘best moving runner ‘ in Indian St. Leger and if he can retain the ‘condition’ and tries (very unlikely) to run Bangalore St. Leger may add a classic to his name!
I’ve already discussed their pedigree in detail, which may bring Change of Luck very close – almost at par with Jacqueline but racing performance – the acid test of a thoroughbred , clearly puts Jacqueline ahead of them with the rider – the longer she (change of Luck) goes , the better she goes…
4/04/2010
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