Captain Morgan looks strong

Racing Winter Derby : Attaollahi-ward could face stiff challenge from Battalion and Magistero

Captain Morgan, a potent mix of experience and class, is expected to triumph in the BN Gudiyappa Bangalore Derby (Grade I) over 2400 metres, the feature event of the Winter meeting here at the Bangalore Turf Club on Thursday.

The Sulieman Attaollahi’s ward, who produced a fine show to finish a close second to the mighty Azzurro in the 2000-metre Chief Minister’s Trophy here last month, has displayed the required stamina and quality in the past to emerge as the favourite in the marquee race.

In a field featuring 10 horses, the challenge for Captain Morgan could come from Battalion and Magistero. The seasoned Trevor Patel, who missed the Summer Derby due to a wrist injury, will pilot the four-year-old Captain Morgan in the race that offers a total prize money of Rs 1.44 crore.

Last year was fruitful for the colt, with victories in the Madras Race Club Trophy (1400M) and the Moonlight Romance Trophy (1400M) lifting his profile. Though he has the credentials to pass the stiff test, Captain Morgan holds only a slight edge over his opponents and will face a strong competition from Battalion, who is in prime form. After winning three straight races in Ooty in the first-half of 2016, Battalion, trained by Neil Darashah, pipped Captain Morgan in the Bangalore 2000 Guineas (Grade II) over 1600 metres last month.

While the number of victories make Battalion one of the contenders for the Derby, the geld stands second best to Captain Morgan when it comes to lasting the extra 400 metres distance. 

“Most of the horses in the field have not completed more than 1600 metres. Apart from possessing the endurance to run a 2400-metre race, Captain Morgan has run with older horses and has produced impressive performances. He is a horse with class and will be the one to beat,” said experienced trainer S Padmanabhan.

Should Captain Morgan bag the top honours on Thursday, it will be trainer Attaollahi’s fourth straight Derby triumph in Bengaluru. Attaollahi’s Angel Dust won the 2015 Summer Derby and the Winter Derby last year while his ward Serjeant At Arms won the Summer Derby in 2016.

“In the Chief Minister’s Trophy, considered as the preparatory race for the Derby, Captain Morgan performed well though at a lower handicap. The second-place finish to Azzurro was the indicator that Captain Morgan has the ability to compete in such races,” said Attaollahi. 

As has been the case in the recent past, the Winter Derby field is far from strong, with high-profile horses like Serjeant At Arms and Hall Of Famer gearing up for the Indian Derby in Mumbai on February 5.

Adding spice to the Battalion-Captain Morgan battle, however, will be the presence of Magistero and fast-improving Tororosso. Though a maiden, the third-place finish in the Bangalore Guineas has come at the right time for Tororosso. Among the fillies, Proserpine, winner of the South India Oaks (Grade I), is another quality contender.

The card

No False Rails.
1. MEG CUP (DIV II) (RTD 15-35), 1400M, 1.15 pm
1. Peppa (R Narredu)    60    A Velu    10
2. Helios (Narayana Gowda)    59.5    Rayan Ahmed    8
3. Ira (Pradeep)    59.5    Rajesh Babu    4
4. Mystical Shadow (Narayana Gowda)    59.5    S Shiva Kumar    9
5. Regency Girl (Neil Darashah)    59.5    Jagadeesh    7
6. Call Me Maybe (Prasanna K)    59    A Imran K    2
7. Happy Dancing (Sharat K)    58.5    M Kumar    11
8. Ravishing Snow (Padmanabhan)    58.5    R Marshall    5
9. Valentine Babe (S Komandur)    58.5    Cedric Segeon    3
10. Divino (S Narredu)    58    Prabhakaran    6
11. Incitatus (Prithviraj)    58    A Ramu    12
12. Ninon (Manohar)    56.5    M Mark    1
   
Ravishing Snow  1; Call Me Maybe 2; Valentine Babe 3.
2. MYSORE RACE CLUB TROPHY 1400m, 1.45 pm   
1. Apache Sunrise (Neil Darashah)    57    Suraj Narredu    2
2. Aafrikaan (Byramji)    53    Irvan Singh    5
3. Don Dela Vega (Prasanna K)    53    Arshad Alam    1
4. Kambaku (A Mangalorkar)    53    S John    9
5. Lawrence Of Arabia (Padmanabhan)    53    A Sandesh    10
6. Lycurgus (Prithviraj)    53    PP Dhebe    7
7. Rum Runner (Prasanna K)    53    P Trevor    4
8. Sun Blazer (Dominic)    53    PS Chouhan    8
9. Astrild (D Byramji)    51.5    I Chisty    6
10. Chemical Romance (Neil Darashah)    51.5    Neeraj Rawal    3

Lawrence Of Arabia 1; Apache Sunrise 2; Rum Runner 3.    
3. Vijayanagar cup (div i) (RTD 30-50) 1200m, 2.15 pm
1. Aguante (Mahesh)    60    Srinath    11
2. Fair Game (Kishan Thomas)    60    Cedric Segeon    3
3. Stellar Ambition (Imtiaz Khan)    60    RN Darshan    6
4. Bazinga (Narayana Gowda)    59.5    Rajesh Babu    5
5. Alvarez (Md Khan)    59    K Mukesh    4
6. I Smile (Sharat K)    58.5    M Naveen    10
7. Atlantis (S Narredu)    58    Manish R    8
8. China One (D Byramji)    58    Jagadeesh    12
9. J Gatsby (Neil Darashah)    58    Nazerul Alam    1
10. Rare And Bold (Prithviraj)    57.5    Vinod Shinde    2
11. Diamond Green (Sirajuddin)    57    Akshay Kumar    7
12. Indian Brahmos (Inayathulla)    53.5    Irvan Singh    9
   
Fair Game 1; Aguante 2; Indian Brahmos 3.
4. bangalore race course 154th year commemoration trophy (terms) 1600m, 2.45 pm
1. Bold Command (Ganapathy)    60    Srinath    5
2. Acclaimed (S Attaollahi)    58.5    P Trevor    6
3. Arrogant Approach (S Attaollahi)    58.5    S John    3
4. Auriga (S Komandur)    58    Suraj Narredu    2
5. Blazing Touch (Sirajuddin)    55.5    Akshay Kumar    1
6. Mickey Mouse (Narayana Gowda)    55.5    Arshad Alam    4
   
Bold Command 1; Acclaimed 2; Auriga 3.
5. Indian Republic Trophy (rtd 60 & above) 1800m, 3:20 pm
1. Quaker Ridge (A Mangalorkar)    60    S John    6
2. Toroloco (I Ghatala)    60    Neeraj Rawal    9
3. Jersey Wonder (Prasanna K)    59.5    P Trevor    5
4. Ambitious Reward (Lokanath)    58.5    Arshad Alam    12
5. Speed Hawk (Warren S)    58.5    Srinath    8
6. Spirit And Truth (Neil Darashah)    58    M Mark    3
7. Flamboyance (G Sandhu)    57    Irvan Singh    11
8. Zodiac (Neil Darashah)    57    Suraj Narredu    10
9. Bonfire (Md Khan)    56    I Chisty    2
10. Gabino (S Attaollahi)    56    Cedric Segeon    4
11. Mystic Music (A Mangalorkar)    54.5    PP Dhebe    1
12. Torch Bearer (Padmanabhan)    54.5    R Marshall    7
 
Jersey Wonder 1; Mystic Music 2; Quaker Ridge 3.
6. VIDHANa SOUDHA CUP (rtd 30-50) 1400m, 3.55 pm
1. Fire Glow (Prasanna K)    60    A Imran K    12
2. Capitalize (Lokanath)    58.5    G Adarsh    8
3. James Bond (Inayathulla)    58.5    Irvan Singh    6
4. Sans Escale (S Attaollahi)    57    P Trevor    10
5. Wings Of Fortune (Narayana Gowda)    57    S Shiva Kumar    4
6. Lightning Strikes (G Sandhu)    56.5    Srinath    5
7. Odyssey (Sharat K)    56.5    Ramesh Kumar    2
8. Lunar Storm (Lokanath)    56    Suraj Narredu    3
9. Master Glory (Manohar)    56    Jagadeesh    9
10. Dagobert (Imtiaz Khan)    55.5    Rayan Ahmed    7
11. Iron Will (Padmanabhan)    54.5    I Chisty    11
12. Cape Cross (Inayathulla)    54    Arshad Alam    1
   
Lightning Strikes 1; Fire Glow 2; Iron Will 3.
7. BN Gudiyappa Bangalore Derby (Grade I) (Terms) 2400M, 4:30 PM
1. Amber Crown (Ganapathy)    57    Ashok Kumar    7
2. Battalion (Neil Darashah)    57    Suraj Narredu    6
3. Bold March (Karthik G)    57    PS Chouhan    1
4. Captain Morgan (S Attaollahi)    57    P Trevor    10
5. Fabulous (A Mangalorkar)    57    S John    8
6. Magistero (Ganapathy)    57    Srinath    2
7. Sporting Pleasure (Padmanabhan)    57    I Chisty    4
8. Tororosso (I Ghatala)    57    Neeraj Rawal    5
9. Admiral One (R Narredu)    55.5    A Imran K    3
10. Proserpine (Neil Darashah)    55.5    A Sandesh    9 

Captain Morgan 1; Battalion 2; Magistero 3.

8. MEG CUP (DIV I) (RTD 15-35) 1400m, 5:10 pm
1. Erdemir (G Sandhu)    60    Srinath    5
2. Kasauli (Kishan Thomas)    60    PP Dhebe    2
3. Jack Of Hearts (Faraz Arshad)    59    A Imran K    7
4. Lightning Attack (Lokanath)    57.5    P Trevor    10
5. A Word To Remember (Warren S)    57    Sunil Samson    4
6. Kanthaka (Nityanand)    57    I Chisty    9
7. Secret Prayer (Narayana Gowda)    57    Praveen S    11
8. Sterling Role (Aravind G)    57    PS Chouhan    6
9. Coraggio (I Ghatala)    56.5    S John    1
10. Look Out (Sirajuddin)    56.5    Nitin Singh    3
11. One To Note (Hidayat K)    56.5    Arshad Alam    12
12. Grey Hound (Md Khan)    56    Rayan Ahmed    8

Lightning Attack 1; Jack Of Hearts 2; Erdemir 3.

9. VIJAYANAGAR CUP (DIV II) (RTD 30-50) 1200m, 5:50 pm
1. Topaz (Lokanath)    60    Srinath    8
2. Manta Ray (Warren S)    58.5    P Trevor    2
3. Youre Ashwashakthi (Pradeep)    58.5    S Shiva Kumar    7
4. Zubaida (I Ghatala)    57    Neeraj Rawal    1
5. Cherie Amour (Nityanand)    56.5    Arshad Alam    6
6. Good Fruit (Prithviraj)    56    B Nayak    3
7. All Thats Nice (Md Khan)    55.5    K Mukesh    4
8. Breaking Away (Amit Caddy)    55    Nazerul Alam    5
9. Celestial Storm (Inayathulla)    55    Jagadeesh    9
10. New Era (Faraz Arshad)    55    Raja Rao    12
11. Croziet (Manohar)    54    Prabhakaran    11
12. Hurrah (G Sandhu)    53.5    Irvan Singh    10
Topaz 1; Manta Ray 2; Good Fruit 3.
 
Day’s Best: Bold Command;
Double: Fair Game and Jersey Wonder;
Jackpot: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 
I Treble: 1, 2, 3.
II Treble: 4, 5, 6;
III Treble: 7, 8, 9.