Two to tango in turf ball

Rarely do trainers state their opinions as frankly as Padmanabhan does. Going by his confidence, the Invitation Cup should be his. Desert God, a fine 4-year-old representing the classic crop of 8 in a field of 13 runners, is a winner of the Indian Derby. He is set to get four kilos from the five older horses in the field, which according to his trainer is wrong because group races are invariably run on equal weight terms for 4 and 5-year-olds of the northern hemisphere (southern hemisphere horses have a midyear birth date unlike their northern counterparts who share January 1). The 4-kilo pull in weights should be a huge advantage for Desert God over Quasar and Be Safe, two of the classier older horses in the fray.

Desert God, the Indian Derby 2016 winner is the pick of the 4-y-0s although others like the summer-winter Bangalore Derby winner Angel Dust can be ignored only at a punter’s peril.

On the face of it, the Invitation Cup could be a toss-up between Quasar, the champion older horse in the fray and Desert God, with a fair claim to be the pick of his generation. And then there is Be Safe, who brings in the classic story of a horse on the mend that adds spice to racing tales.

His impressive win in the Indian Derby of 2015 was a year ago and a calendar year is a very long time in racing. And yet he carries the best known colours of gold and brown belt and cap and all the local hopes on Guindy turf, starting out now on a new journey to an older greatness.

If the race were to go beyond the quartet of the two older horses, the champion colt and the Derby winning filly, it would indeed be a bolt from the blue. Desert God’s dam Running Flame (also trained by Padmanabhan) was an Invitation winner too and Burden of Proof is a proven sire although his progeny is yet to win an Invitation Cup.

Quasar’s staying power has been too well documented ever since his career took a dramatic turn after his triumph over Be Safe in last year’s race he is a completely different horse.

The clash of the two gigantic performers and major stake earners is going to be the talk of the town for a while to come. And there are usually no ‘traffic’ problems and hard luck stories on a course with easy turns and a wide straight.

‘May the best horse win’ is clichetic but it is somewhat relevant to this clash of a major quartet of performers. Quasar carries the expectations of people who spot in him the only possible horse who can win two Invitation Cups back-to-back since the race became n open fair in 2013 since when the winners have been Tintinnabulation, Alin-dair and Quasar. Of them,Tintinnabulation ran in the Stayers Cup on Saturday.

As opposed to the high tension Invitation Cup, the super mile may be an open and shut case if trainer Pesi Shroff’s shrewd placement of Myrtlewood in this race rather than in the Invitation Cup after her second to Desert God in the Indian Derby is any indication. Back to her pet distance, the metric mile should be her forte and everyone is looking forward to a winning performance from the classy filly.