Mumbai: Seven years on from Maple Star’s shock win, the legendary Gold and Brown silks of Dr Ramaswamy, one of the greatest patrons and supporters of horse racing in India, were carried to victory in sublime fashion as the tiny grey filly Juliette, with an enormous heart and an engine to match, annihilated her rivals with a classy performance to make the Indian Oaks her own, and give her young trainer Karthik G his second Oaks success.
Well supported on the course and eventually sent off as the favourite in the field of 11 fillies, Juliette was restrained upon jump out, but then rapidly brushed up as they rounded the first bend to move into fifth position as Notoriety took them along at a brisk pace.
The pace began to pick up as they approached the bend with Gift of Grace, who had been racing in second spot throughout, moving up to take charge from Thailand breathing down her neck in second. With Juliette and Well Connected racing together a length or so away, both were poised to make their bid.
Thailand was the first to commit and go for home, as Gift of Grace ran out of gas soon after entering the straight, with Well Connected moving up along the inside but it was all over once Colm O’Donoghue pressed the button on Juliette as she came with a powerful run down the outside to surge past the rest as if they were moving in slow motion and cruise away to an impressive 5 ¾ length victory in a cracking time of 2.29.86 seconds.
Well Connected stayed on to somewhat redeem herself and take the second spot while Thailand kicked on to finish a creditable third. Armaity finished on like a rocket from the rear of the field to end up an impressive 4th and do the best of the three Shroff runners.
The other graded race on the card – The Grade III Gool S Poonawalla Million for three-year olds, saw an equally impressive winner as California, who had been shocked as a firm favourite on her debut, made no mistake this time and proved far too good for her rivals to make amends for her earlier lapse, producing a stylish performance in the hands of P. Trevor to win as she pleased.
Settled into the middle of the pack in the early stages as Exotic Queen once again attempted to make all, California came through the middle with a strong run to take charge midway up the straight. She quickly put daylight between herself and the chasing pack and Trevor could afford a peep over his shoulders before easing down in the closing stages to win stylishly. Lady Lanette finished second for the third consecutive race in a row but found the winner vastly superior.
She can win a small maiden for the asking. Flame of Thea, having her first run was green and in the rear turning for home but finished on suggestively to take third and raised hopes of a future success.
Sacred Roman emerges winner
The Byculla Club Trophy, the longest race of the season over a stamina sapping distance of 2800 meters. With just four runners taking to the starting gates, it was the youngest of the quartet, the Pesi Shroff trained five-year-old gelding Sacred Roman who made every post a winning one under a confident ride from Irishman Leigh Roche.
Having won the Stayers Cup back in March 2019, Sacred Roman certainly had the credentials to succeed but he had been woefully out of form in his subsequent endeavours and as a result, was lesser fancied than Raees, last year’s winner who had returned to defend his crown.
However, the longer distance seemed to bring out the best from the son of Holy Roman Emperor and he bounced back to form with an imperious performance. Raees tried his best for an encore but found the younger horse too strong and had to settle for the runners up berth.
