Arjun Mangalorkar trained dual classic winner Kensington runs with an excellent chance to land the spoils in the Gr 1 Coromandel Gromor South India Derby Stakes, the star event of the Madras Racing Season, to be run on Friday. The schedule of the season went haywire with unseasonal rains causing many race days to be cancelled resulting in the classics having to be rescheduled.

The Derby thus was not held on the traditional Pongal Day but that doesn`t diminish the importance of the Derby in any way. The stakes are good, the quality of the contestants is well matched and the day`s card is also elaborate which should make way for some quality action.

With the scheduling of the Oaks a day before the Derby, one or two possible runners of the Derby have elected to run there, notable among them being Pesi Shroff trained Alicia who won the Nilgiris Derby and the South India 1000 Guineas on the same track before finishing second best in the Bangalore Oaks. Since Pesi Shroff has many in his armoury, he has the luxury of choosing the targets. He has preferred Oaks for Alicia while pitchforking the relatively inexperienced but progressive Presidential in the Derby.

Kensington won the Deccan Colts Championship Stakes in the month of September last year. Kensington on that occasion beat the likes of Zuccarelli who has subsequently enhanced his reputation with some stellar performances. Kensington cut an erratic course by drifting out of a straight course and literally finishing on the edge of the track despite which he pulled off a miraculous win. Kensington missed the Derby action, the trainer preferring to nurse the horse which reportedly had a suspensory problem. His painstaking efforts obviously paid off when Kensington came and won the Bangalore 2000 Guineas in the month of December despite the long absence from the track. The horse showed character when fighting bravely with Evaldo and prevailing by a neck.

The trainer has sensibly planned to pitch his ward in the South India Derby where he is the only classic winner in the fray. Kensington is a full brother to dual Derby-winning Angel Dust and as such, there should be no issues tackling the Derby trip of a mile and a half. Kensington ticks the box on all counts. Jockey Anthony Raj who was in the shadow of his more accomplished brother S John was the jockey who steered Kensington in both the classic wins. However, this time out, the more experienced S John has been declared to ride as the jockey can make the weights now. The last few workouts of Kensington suggest that all is well with him and he is the horse everyone has to beat if they nurse the hope of winning the Derby.

Prasanna Kumar trained Evaldo has been a progressive horse. After beating Prince Abir, Evaldo showed vast improvement when going down narrowly to Kensington in the Bangalore 2000 Guineas. Though by Gusto who appears more of a sprinting sire, the stamina appears to come from dam Farrfesheena who has foaled a classic winner in Cataleya. Evaldo seems to be on the upgrade. His workouts have been excellent. He will have the services of Akshay Kumar. Hence there would not be any shortcoming in terms of assistance from the saddle. Evaldo is expected to raise the level of his performance and prove a worthy challenger to Kensington.

Ganapathy trained Southern Dynasty hasn`t made the expected progress after a surprise third behind Miracle in the Deccan Derby. Though Southern Dynasty ran three lengths off Kensington in the Bangalore 2000 Guineas, the subsequent run of the Southern Dynasty in the South India 2000 Guineas has been disappointing. Southern Dynasty ran 12 lengths behind winner Angelico. Though the mile and a half trip suit him fine, he has to lift his performance a couple of notches higher to make his mark in this race.

Trainer Pesi Shroff whose stable is on fire is double-handed in this race. Presidential was a smashing winner at Pune but his subsequent run was disappointing. However, he was seen in a better light in the Indian 2000 Guineas where he finished less than three lengths behind eventual winner A Star Is born. Though by Phoenix Tower which has mostly sired sprinter-milers, Presidential`s stamina should come from her dam Riyasat who was the winner of the Indian Oaks. Presidential has been working well and considering the fact that he is a highly progressive horse, he is a force to reckon with despite lack of experience. Since the Pandemic affected the natural progression of horses because of the racing programme getting interrupted, the potential of emerging horses is always difficult to gauge.

Pesi has another serious contender in Botero who had run behind eventual Pune Derby winner and stablemate Zuccarelli. Botero won a race easily beating Sky Storm at Mumbai and then ran a close second to Kamaria in his next outing. Botero is expected to make progress though at this point of time it is difficult to consider him as one capable of causing a surprise though in racing no one can hazard an unqualified statement about a racehorse because the wonderful equines have the habit of making an ass of anyone who is assertive in his statements!

Vittal Deshmukh trained Bugsy is another horse on whom the connections have high hope. Though Bugsy did not do much in the South Indian 2000 Guineas, his forte is his stamina and ability to tackle long trips. Trainer Deshmukh believes that Bugsy is highly talented and has in him to win the classic. The trainer has plenty of confidence in his ward to cause a flutter in the Derby.

Imperial Blue from trainer Irfan Ghatala`s stable has been running fair races. He was four lengths behind Kensington in the Bangalore 2000 Guineas. Owned by the enthusiastic Arun Alagappan, Imperial Blue has a lot to catch up on but has the ability to spice things up.

Mysore based Pratap Kamath has entered Trust Bond in the fray. Trust Bond won three races on the trot and then finished fifth to Angelico. Interestingly, many of the contenders in the fray are due to the fact that in horse racing, if you can`t hope, you can`t win. As such, every runner has to be treated with the respect they deserve. Upsets after all are par for big races.