HPSL Bangalore Derby: Ranquelino dishes out a masterclass

Bengaluru: The pre-race prediction for the HPSL Bangalore Derby was a two-horse battle between Redefined and Ranquelino for the crown. Well, there was a fight among the two but it was only for a fleeting moment as ace jockey A Sandesh powered Ranquelino to a smashing victory that left the sold-out crowd at a sun-splashed Bangalore Turf Club completely spellbound on Sunday.

Marquee races are all about strategies and executing them, and Sandesh did that to perfection in the 2400-metre long Grade I race, four-year-old gelding Ranquelino responding brilliantly to his call with a sensational sprint in the final 400 metres to power home in 2:29.87, a commanding four-and-a-half length distance ahead of the second-placed Redefined (Akshay Kumar astride).

Like he did in the Summer Derby here last August, Suraj Narredu once again decided to come charging off the blocks with Excellent Lass and set the early pace in the Winter Derby. Aquastic (David Allan astride) and Redefined were second and third while Ranquelino was placed just behind them followed by the rest of the pack.

The order remained the same in a largely smooth race for most parts, no one opting to do anything out of the ordinary in the biggest race of the winter season. As the horses hit the final bend, the voices in the gallery started to grow louder with each one screaming out the names they had placed their bets on.

Excellent Lass, who had a brilliant early 2024 before developing ‘bad habits’ and tailing off towards the latter part of the year, maintained her pace around the turn but Redefined started to make the charge to take second place with Aquastic falling behind third.

All the while Sandesh kept chugging along nicely with Ranquelino right behind the leaders. As the horses emerged from the curve into the final straight, Sandesh, getting a nice clear path, decided the time was right to step on the accelerator and Ranquelino answered the call beautifully.

With 400 metres left, Ranquelino blasted ahead like a horse possessed and over the next 200 metres opened up a commanding lead that had everyone eating out of their hands. However, the question was whether Sandesh had pulled the trigger prematurely and if Ranquelino could sustain the momentum considering he was running 12 furlongs competitively for the first time in his career.

But like he did when he won the Bangalore 2000 Guineas, albeit over 1600m last month, Ranquelino showed it has the pedigree not just to sprint but stay as well as he held fort strongly, giving Pune Derby champion Redefined and the chasing pack no chance at all. With around 50m left, Sandesh didn’t even bother looking back, raising his fists in celebration, the commentator aptly saying ‘you can rush to the toll gate to collect your prize money’.

“I won a Derby after almost eight years so the feeling is great,” said veteran trainer Darius R Byramji. “Sandesh rode a picture-perfect race and Ranquelino did exactly what he wanted. Sandesh never allowed Ranquelino to get into any trouble and the finish was just incredible. There were questions whether Ranquelino could stay and he chose the biggest stage to prove it. Hats off to him!”