Indian Derby: Ramaswamy's Murioi has the look of a champion

It was Les Carlyon, one of Australia’s leading journalists who probably came closest to defining Horseracing. He wrote, “If you insist that two and two must always make four, if you insist that what should be will always be, if you cannot dream a little, forget about the Turf and Horseracing. Put on a white coat with a beeper in the pocket and go find a laboratory somewhere. To enjoy the Turf and Horses, you have to accept that two plus two is often five, or nine, or more commonly naught.” Horseracing is about the Thoroughbred. One of the most regal and magnificent creatures in the world with an exclusivity that makes him truly Blue Blooded and a breed apart. To be labeled a Thoroughbred, a horse has to trace his ancestry and lineage back to just one of three founding Stallions. The Byerly Turk, The Darley Arabian and the Godolphin Barb. If a horse’s bloodlines do not go back to one of these three, then you may be a good horse but you are not a Thoroughbred. [caption id=“attachment_1368545” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Murioi is the favourite for the Indian Derby. RWITC[/caption] The camera will harden and focus on Sunday, 2 February, 2014 when the 72nd running of the Indian Derby will take place. Fifteen four-year-olds made up of four colts, five geldings and six fillies line up to face the starter for what will be the most important race of their lives. For each of them every step will tell two sides of a nerve wracking story. Will it be inebriation with the headiness of a dream called victory or will it be devastation by the haunting visitation of a nightmare called defeat. The total stake they race for is over Rs 32 million, making it the richest ever Indian Derby and a far cry from the Rs 35,000 that Princess Beautiful won in the inaugural Derby back in 1943. The Royal Western India Turf Club and the Mahalaxmi Racecourse will be the venue of what has become Mumbai’s biggest, most colourful and definitely the most exciting social-sporting extravaganza of the year. It’s one big carnival out there as close to thirty thousand people converge to have a party, let down their hair (most try to keep it under their hats!) and try to unravel the hieroglyphics that invariably veil the outcome of the Derby. Well to me this year the McDowell Signature Indian Derby has an outstanding colt in the form of Murioi. He’s a “Got Abroad” and he hasn’t put a foot wrong this season in Mumbai. Owned by Dr MAM.Ramaswamy, bred at Hazra Stud, trained by S Ganapathy and to be ridden by Chris Hayes, Murioi was always meant for the Indian Classics. So far he’s unbeaten in his three starts on the Mahalaxmi turf. Each win was even more impressive than the last. It began with a lead-up race over the metric mile when he dished out weight and a beating to a top class filly named Circle Of Life. Then it was on to a three-length victory in the Indian 2000 Guineas over the same distance. And finally he topped it off with an incredible performance in winning the Ruia over 2000 Metres. He raced against the clock that day as he had no opposition as such but it was his style and manner of victory that stamped him as a class apart. Of course he is racing against 14 others and they are not in the race to enjoy the party-like atmosphere or to have a feel of the Mahalaxmi racetrack. He’s taking on some very serious opposition in the form of the Pesi Shroff trained Jeremiah, the Bangalore Derby winner Agostini, as well as the Indian Oaks heroine and runner-up Isn’t She Special and the aforementioned Circle Of Life. But I feel Murioi has the measure of all them. The only weakness – Murioi’s Achiles Heel if you like - could be his temperament. He is quite highly strung. The Derby starts right in front of the grandstands and the noise from the crowd thronging the rails is scary. That might just upset him and quite frankly for me that’s the only way he can go down on Sunday - by beating himself. By working himself up to such a pitch that he becomes a nervous wreck. That’s the chance you have to take. Murioi is a champion. He has it stamped all over him. He just has to behave like one and the McDowell Indian Derby 2014 is his for the taking. Cyrus Madan is a former Chairman of the Royal Caclutta Turf Club and has been a race commentator since 1978, having called races on every racetrack in India. It is safe to say he is mad about horses.