Southern Empire went into the race at very cramped odds. Though he was
conceding weight to all his adversaries, Southern Empire was expected to
not only to win but also swamp the opposition. Such was his imposing
reputation. Lombardia, who ran below par in the early part of the last
Mumbai season due to an infection, had shown glimpses of returning to
form in the St Leger where she had finished less than three lengths
behind Southern Empire. On that basis, Lombardia was expected to pose a
stiff resistance but her performance and that of pace-maker Storm Regent
surpassed the expectations of even the most optimistic of their
supporters. Southern Empire perhaps did not handle the underfoot
conditions on the sand based track where rain also had compounded the
problems of the horses expecting the top of the surface.
Storm Regent hit the front as the starter dispatched the field for the
mile and quarter trip, followed by Lombardia, Gentleman’s Deal, Southern
Empire, with Aquilo bringing up the rear. The order remained the same
till the horses negotiated the final bend. Lombardia joined issue with
the front-runner on straightening out for the homestretch, with jockey
Prakash on Southern Empire trying to improve his position. It was
evident at the top of the straight that something was amiss with
Southern Empire who was struggling to pick up momentum and the shocked
race goers were quickly reconciled to the unexpected though there was a
shock of disbelief.
In the meanwhile, Storm Regent and Lombardia were engaged in an
absorbing duel and the former held the initiative till the final moments
of the race but jockey Appu, riding like one possessed, managed to
induce Lombardia to produce that bit extra at the finish to get a short
head verdict. Southern Empire was a poor third, about five lengths
adrift. This was the second time that Southern Empire had run below par,
the last occasion was when he went down tamely to stablemate Diabolical
in the Indian Derby.
