Velvet Rope with P Kamlesh up The Indian Derby 2006

Velvet Rope trained by Vinayak with P Kamlesh up wins The Indian Derby 2006 at the Royal Western India Turf Club Mumbai

Velvet Rope beats Mystical

Friendless Velvet Rope turned out to be a horse with an iron punch when the Vinayak-trainee knocked out the fancied runners in the 2,400m McDowell Indian Derby at the Mahalaxmi race course on Sunday. P. Kamlesh, who partnered the got-abroad horse to victory, scored his first Derby win, while it was third for Vinayak.

The winner, a Turtle Island-Truffa son, also bettered the course record over the Derby trip by 0.6 second. The record was earlier held by Starsky, who had clocked 2 minutes 30 seconds in the 2002 Derby.

It was a close contest with the runaway Bangalore Derby winner, Holding Court, finishing only half-a-length behind after going stride for stride with the eventual winner. The public-rage Mystical, too, added excitement to the finish in the last furlong but the 8-10 favourite looked to be tiring in the last 100m to finish a further length and-a-half behind.

The record timing of 2 minutes and 27.4 seconds clocked by the winner indicates that the early pace in the race was cracking. Admiral’s Force, the stablemate of the favourite, ensured it with a runaway lead but the strategy followed by jockey C.Alford for a serious Derby contender like Romantic Liaison, surprised many in the crowd. Alford made the Liaison chase the leader from the start. The filly did take over the running at the top of the turn but she found herself out of steam passing the distance-post when Holding Court, Mystical and Velvet Rope came alongside.

To say that jockey Kamlesh rode a well-judged race would be demeaning the effort of the winner. The horse looked beaten inside the 100 m when jockey N. McCullagh brought Holding Court alongside. But Velvet Rope recharged his batteries in a trice to get the measure of his rival in the final three strides, which were long enough to seal the verdict by half-a-length.

There was no hard-luck story for the favourite. Mystical had some problem before arriving here from Bangalore but the Alnasr Alwasheek-Mystic Memories son had beaten Democraticus, also a Derby contestant, and Velvet Rope in his preparatory race, the 2,000m Ramnivas Ramnarain Ruia Cup. However, his margin of victory in that race was hardly convincing. More importantly, Velvet Rope stayed the Derby trip more comfortably than Mystical while Democraticus failed miserably.

In one of the most stunning upsets, Velvet Rope stormed home to edge out Holding Court and Mystical in the last hundred metres of the Grade I McDowell Indian Derby.

Against the backdrop of a carnival afternoon, 11 runners went to the mile-and-a-half start of the most prestigious race in India. Admiral’s Force, as expected, went to front to make pace for the favourite, Mystical. Romantic Liaison, winner of the Indian Oaks, sat in a close second with Holding Court about four lengths adrift in third. Mystical and Velvet Rope sat in the fourth group, another five lengths behind in what was a fast run race.

Romantic Liaison took over the running before turning home in an attempt to recreate her Oaks win as Holding Court, Mystical and Velvet Rope edged towards her. Straightening up, it was Holding who challenged the tiring filly first and as he headed her, Mystical loomed up on his outside. Meanwhile, Kamlesh had begun to work furiously on Velvet Rope as the three boys began to draw away from the field.

While Holding Court kept Mystical at bay, Velvet Rope began his final challenge and it proved too much for Holding Court and Mystical who had fought each other up the straight. At the all-important winning post, Velvet Rope had Holding Court by half a length with Mystical running one length behind. The filly, Romantic Liaison, was fourth but seven-and-a-half lengths behind.

Velvet Rope ran the fastest mile-and-a-half in the history of the Mahalaxmi track and one cannot help but wonder if the pacemaker should not have gone so fast, allowing Mystical to stay closer to the pace and use his devastating acceleration as he has done in the past. Thousands will talk about how the race was won and lost but finally no excuses — Velvet Rope reversed three lengths on Mystical and did it creditably.

This was jockey Kamlesh and owner Shiven Surendranath’s first-ever victory in the Derby. Velvet Rope was bred at the Sohna Stud, and is a got-abroad son of Turtle Island out of Truffa.

Incidentally, trainer Vinayak got this horse because of Cooji Katrak’s suspension. If one goes back three years, one will remember that Vinayak was loaned to Noble Eagle as a pace-maker a week before the Derby and at 100-1, he pulled off what was the biggest upset in years.

One might even say that if you want to win a Derby, put your horse in Vinayak’s yard just for the race and you never know what might just happen.