While trainers Vijay Singh and Daniel David fought for the trainers’ championship on the final day of the season, the man who had been the cynosure of all eyes during the ‘classic’ months of December and January was all but forgotten. He is of course Pesi Shroff, whose Bruckner cantered home in the Calcutta Derby in the hands of Paul Mulrennan. With horses like Accessor and Castle Queen also striking pay dirt, Shroff returned a handsome strike rate of 30 per cent which included 17 winners. Along with Bruckner, Shroff’s star-studded yard’s chief patron Khusroo Dhunjibhoy, backed his enterprising and hard-working trainer with some wonderful thoroughbreds to bag quite a few prized plums of the season.
Though, it was not a photo-finish, the ‘race of the season’, if there was such a tag, would probably have to be the Calcutta Gold Cup. The favourite Diabolical was beaten hands down by the Dhunjibhoy trio of Cotswold Arms, Ikaria and Chios, the last two named were under Vinayak’s care. Chios ultimately prevailed as he was brought with a stupendous run in the straight by Neeraj Rawal whose sum total of 10 winners at the end of the season does not reflect his true potential.
As for the local hero and champion Christopher Alford, he is probably one rider who has ‘seen it all’ at a very young age. His highly successful career may have a few black marks but there is no doubt that he is a ‘thinking’ rider and you cannot take away his sporadic brilliance from him. Before giving a couple of specific instances of where he has outwitted the opposition, it would be relevant to mention that the Alford name was made famous at this centre several decades ago when Richard Alford piloted Midnight Cowboy to victory in the Invitation Cup. Richard was one of the rare cases of a heavy-weight rider bagging the season’s championship.
Coming back to Christopher, his wins on Bid For Gold (1000 Guineas), Aboline (2000 Guineas) and Aemilia (St Leger) were a result of well-executed, pre-planned moves, which obviously suggests that he is a man for big occasions as he proved with Aboline once again in Mumbai when he won the Super Mile. However, his defeat on Oasis Knight in the Grand Annual Handicap was inexcusable. It is perhaps this element of unpredictability attached to him which adds to his charisma.
The win of the filly Aemilia in the Leger ended a magnificent run of five victories for Javed Khan-trained ‘horse of the season’ Aamar Kaku. The gelding commenced the season at a rating of 25 in the lowest Class and worked his up to a rating of 81 after incurring penalties of 4.5 kg, 5 kg, 7 kg, 6 kg and 5.5 kg. Sired by Don Micheletto out of Powerofcommitment, Aamar Kaku’s courage and commitment was well utilized and exploited by his mentor who placed him astutely throughout the season. Another versatile runner who was well placed to pick up four races is David-trained Burst Of Speed. She too was transported from the lowest category to the highest by virtue of these wins.
At the other end of the scale, vying for the ‘failure of the season’ (again, if there was such a tag) was Secret Whispers. He was worthy of at least two, if not three races, had he been placed shrewdly by the stable. Winning a race by default in a five-month long season does not do justice to his potential.
Public memory is short and like in every sport, it is usually the most current work which overshadows all else. In a marathon season such as this, a portfolio such as the handicapper’s is bound to come in for criticism on occasions as it did in the last race of the season where the favourite Whispering Wind was slapped with a penalty of 11 kg. Considering the filly won effortlessly in her earlier start, it would be fair to say that the handicapper was within his right to do what he did.
His difficult job is like a cricket umpire’s before the electronic era – you just can’t please everybody. Basic equations based on verdicts rather than discretion may be his primary tool but that’s fair enough as long as he is consistent. If the playing field is the same for everybody, why complain, just get your wards to do their best is the best policy to employ. All in all, the ’capper has done a decent season’s work in a thankless profession.
The stiping department too has had its fair share of success stories. The Stewards of course have the ultimate power but more often than not they have fallen in line with what the stipes’ observations. The point of this summary is to give a general viewpoint rather than stir up murky waters.
The RCTC team led by their dashing chairman Cyrus Madan has done a pretty good job throughout the season to ensure smooth sailing and equally smooth racing. They raced against time to ensure that the renovated Members Stand was opened to members and their guests on New Year’s Day. More renovations are in store for the paying punters who can now look eagerly to the Monsoon meet scheduled to commence in early July.
| 
