Jacqueline Romps Home in 2000 Guineas |
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It is hard to dispute the assertion that 2009 has been the year of the woman. Jacqueline’s win in Sunday’s Indian 2000 Guineas at Mahalakshmi, coming as it did in the waning days of the 2009 calendar, sealed the deal. What is remarkable about Jacqueline’s dual-Guineas triumph is the fact that the two 1600-metre races came seven days apart. Add to that the beating of the boys, some of them with stellar credentials, and Jacqueline storms into the record books and is not likely to be dislodged from the high pedestal she now occupies. After all, the top two horses in America and in the world (Sea The Stars is in a category by himself) are two women. Zenyatta retired with her colours flying high with an emphatic win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic last month at Santa Anita. The Street Cry mare made it for 14 for 14 in her career and her swan song involved a confrontation with the men. Take the case of Rachel Alexandra. The Medaglia d’Oro filly took the American racing world by storm. She bolted in the Kentucky Oaks. In the Preakness, a race that came two weeks after the Oaks, the sophomore girl taught her male counterparts a stern racing lesson. Two more Grade I wins followed and Rachel Alexandra’s connections decided not to race her on the pro-ride surface at Santa Anita in the Breeders’ Cup. The Steve Asmussen-trained filly has begun training in earnest for her four year-old campaign. Let us take a look at Vodka. With Christophe Lemaire in the saddle, Vodka emerged victorious in the Japan (turf) Cup in November. Vodka now finds herself in the ‘ivy league’ list of distinguished distaffers who have dominated thoroughbred racing in 2009. That was a superb riding job from Richard Hughes, a perennial leader in the English jockey colony, who has endeared himself to racing fans in India over the years. Jacqueline had several doubters. She was taking on some talented three year-olds but she was coming off a romp in the 1000 Guineas. The implacable Hughes had his filly racing sixth in the eight-horse field and waited as long as he could. Versaki set the pace. Sea Ruler was held up. Big races are won with ground-saving trips. Jockey Hughes began looking for daylight with 400 metres to run. A deft manoeuvre or two and the King Charlemagne filly was in the clear. Hughes shot ahead with Sea Ruler in chase. Mickey Fenton had every chance with 200 metres left. The harder Sea Ruler ran the more resolute Jacqueline was. The bottom line is that jockey Hughes knows Mahalakshmi like the back of his hand. There are options galore for Jacqueline. The Oaks would be a safe option. The time between the Oaks and the Derby would be a big consideration. Two 1600-metre races in a seven-day span is one thing. Asking a filly (four year-old) to tackle two 2400-metre trips would be a mountain-climb. All this is academic. Pesi Shroff is a shrewd trainer. He has translated his riding savvy to his training regimen. There is a master ready to offer advice. Richard Hughes should know (or have a good idea) what Jacqueline’s limits are and he should be a critical part of the decision-making process. At this moment, it is easy to make a case for Jacqueline in her future engagements. Detractors must have dwindled in their numbers after the 2000-Guineas thriller. Jacqueline sits atop the fillies’ ranks and is a girl that boys hold in awe. If you had placed faith in the post-1000 reports, the 15-4 (in Chennai) on Jacqueline was nourishing by conventional standards. It was reported that Richard Hughes was so pleased with what Jacqueline did in the 1000 that he made the filly’s connections know that she had more than an ordinary chance. I was at Guindy. India has been a leader in technology and computers. The close-circuit TV monitors are what I would call ‘antiques.’ The sound system is loud, incomprehensible and comes close to poking a hole or two in your ear drum. New TV monitors will make eminent sense. The bookmakers’ ring needs a thorough cleaning. Guindy is known around the globe as a world-class racecourse. That accolade is in imminent danger. |
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