The last decade has seen just one strong favourite win the Indian Derby. Jacqueline held off a spirited challenge of Becket to land the rich prize. Other than Jacqueline, there have been a series of high profile failures starting from Mystical, Southern Empire, Set Alight and Murioi. The defeat of at least three of the horses mentioned was considered improbable even given the uncertainties associated with the sport. They had such imposing credentials that they were expected to stamp their authority. The fact that they failed highlights the fragile nature of the champions where they are entering the hitherto unknown territory.

There is a sea of difference between tackling 2000 and 2400 metres. Stamina then overtakes speed as the prime ingredient for success. Will the class of Be Safe defy everything? The answer from the majority is yes and the confirmation of this belief is what we would be waiting with bated breath on Sunday when about 13 horses hold their nerves in front of a noisy Grand Stand crowd and set off in quest of the biggest race of Indian racing calendar.

	Be Safe (file photo)

The Bangalore Summer Classics have been pointers to Indian classics year after year. Several of the Bangalore Derby winners have gone on to win the Indian Derby. Last year Alaindair won the Derby making a smooth transition from 2000 metres to 2400 metres though he did not face the pressure of being a favourite. The last year`s winner of the Kingfisher Derby was Be Safe who has thus far held forte as the best horse in the country. Culebra who ran second suffered a setback and went out of racing. Tiger Tops finished third in that race and the filly has since then gone on to achieve greater laurels, with her success in the Indian Oaks being spectacular. Bold Majesty who finished fourth is a dual Derby winner including the one achieved a few days back in Bangalore. He is also in the lineup. Thus we see them clashing again in a different environment and distance. The one horse which has made the grade in the intervening period is Quasar who won the Pune Derby, Calcutta Derby and Golconda Derby and bids to win his fourth Derby.The rest of the runners in the lineup will have to make a quantum leap in order to have a realistic chance.

All this indicates that horses have to be first season performers in order to be classic winners. Be Safe won on debut run as early as October as a two year old and since then the only hiccup that he suffered was in the Gr 1 Poonawalla Breeders` Multi-Million where his defeat was more due to extraneous factors than reasons of merit. The big made Be Safe has trained on well and his jockey Suraj Narredu who has struck a great partnership with the horse, rides him with great understanding. Be Safe used to pull hard initially but Suraj had curbed this trait. Be Safe now settles so well without as much as a protest and produces the devastating turn of foot which makes his contemporaries look like pigmies. Suraj`s contribution in grooming the champion has been immense. Be Safe won the 2000 metres Ruia Trophy in record time and goes to the post as a fresh horse where as all his competitors have had energy sapping lead ups. Be Safe has everything going for him and if he pulls it off in the Indian Derby, it will be an extraordinary feat and caps a glorious year that his trainer Malesh Narredu has been enjoying having won four major Derbys since last July.

Suraj is in the best phase of his successful riding career. The international experience as also the fact that he invariably handles pressures riding public fancies has helped hone his big match temperament. He handles big race exceptionally well. ``Be Safe is an intelligent horse. He switches off when you want him and when asked to change gears, he does so instantly. I have no doubt in mind about Be Safe getting the extra distance with equal
felicity,`` said Suraj Narredu who is all keyed up to win the biggest race of his career.

Dr M A M Ramaswamy, who owns the Hazara Stud Farm colt, had his first success in the Indian Derby coming after an agonizing wait but now holds the record of maximum number of winners in this mega race at seven. Hazara Stud Farm has been enjoying unprecedented success in the last two years with the produce of the stud farm having won every big race in the country. This year too, the success of Quasar and Be Safe has firmly established it as an elite stud farm.

Pesi Shroff trained Tiger Tops is a serious challenger. The progeny of Tiger Hill hasn`t done anything wrong. After losing narrowly to Quasar in the Calcutta Derby, Tiger Tops travelled back to Mumbai and swamped the field in the Indian Oaks. She showed no ill-effects of the travel and the grueling race that she had only the previous week. Her performance establishes her as a solid horse at the highest level. If there is any horse which can be considered as capable of an upset, then it should be Tiger Tops.

Malesh Narredu is also running Quasar. Though Quasar won the Golconda Derby with diminishing superiority, he is a formidable opponent nevertheless. The travel by float and the grueling Calcutta Derby had a bearing on his performance. The fact that he is big made and thrives on racing should see him bounce back and put up a big challenge to the favourite.

After running fourth in the Kingfisher Derby, Bold Majesty has done wonderfully well on the South India circuit. The progeny of Multidimensional won the Mysore Derby and then followed it up with his latest triumph in Legacy Bangalore Derby. In between, he won a couple of classics over a mile. Bold Majesty has proved that there are no issues with stamina and the fact that he can relax in the early stage of the race where there is frenetic pace helps him immensely. Trainer Ganapathy believes that his ward is at his peak and capable of a big show in the Indian Derby.

The best achievements in life are unexpected. For those of us who are in the business of chronicling events, expecting the unexpected is what we have learnt to accept.