Santissimo delivers at the death

Nicely sticking to the pack in the gruelling 2000m race on a balmy day at the Bangalore Turf Club, S Saqlain waited and waited before giving his colt the green signal to step on the accelerator in the final 30 metres.

Bengaluru: Winning distance races is all about knowing when to pull the trigger, and S Saqlain timed it to perfection, guiding favourite Santissimo to a brilliant victory in the HPSL Bangalore Summer Derby here on Sunday.

Nicely sticking to the pack in the gruelling 2000m race on a balmy day at the Bangalore Turf Club, Saqlain waited and waited before giving his colt the green signal to step on the accelerator in the final 30 metres. And, the three-year-old responded magnificently, outpacing top filly Excellent Lass (Suraj Narredu astride) by a length in the Grade 1 blue riband event.

Saqlain’s gamble was extremely risky considering Excellent Lass’ pedigree – she won the Fillies Championship Stakes early this month at this very track by 5-1/2 lengths – but it eventually paid off to ensure trainer Pesi Shroff’s love affair with Bengaluru continues.

It was the 59-year-old Mumbai-based trainer’s third successive summer derby triumph following successes with Jamari last year and Supernatural in 2022. Shroff also engineered Zuccarelli to a dominant win in the 2022 winter derby and the top trainer was thrilled at adding another major trophy to his burgeoning cabinet.

“I love racing in Bangalore. I’ve been coming here since the early 1980s and it’s like a home for me. The weather is beautiful and the track is great. I have a lot of friends here and they are like family to me. So to win here is special,” Shroff told DH.

“We were always wondering whether he would get the distance because his stallion is predominantly a sprinter while his mother gets a mile and a quarter. But he is a very talented horse, a very honest horse. It’s a team effort, without the help of my staff, my family, my wife (Tina) doesn’t like me to say it but a lot of the work is done by her. My son (Yohan) looks after the nutrition of the horses. Saqlain was terrific,” added Shroff.

Once the gates for the marquee event were opened, it was another one of Shroff’s horses - The Panther - (Vivek G astride) that came rushing off the blocks, almost taking the role of pacemaker with Excellent Lass second and Amazing Ruler (A Sandesh astride) third.

The trio maintained that position around the bend before the positions changed around the 1000m marker. Dark horse Elfin Knight, piloted by Neeraj Rawal, took the lead with The Panther pushed to second and Excellent Lass third.

Things remained the same around the bend and even when they emerged into the home straight with around 300 metres to go, Elfin Knight was still ahead with The Panther second and Excellent Lass third.

With 200m left for the finish, Narredu opted to up the tempo and his filly started to steam ahead. Even at that stage, Saqlain, who was in Australia until 10 days ago and had second thoughts about returning to India before giving in to Shroff’s demands, didn’t lose his cool. He ensured Santissimo maintained pace but didn’t step on the pedal.

Over the next 100 metres, Excellent Lass opened up a decent lead and it looked like the strategy of Narredu, one of India’s foremost jockeys, would pay dividends. He was closing in on a derby win at home while Santissimo was headed for another second-place finish following a runner-up showing in the Colts Championship Stakes early this month. 

Derby races aren’t without thrills and Saqlain delivered a blockbuster finish. Having conserved most of Santissimo’s energy, he let go of the hand brakes with 30m left and the colt blitzed past a stunned Excellent Lass and Narredu for a brilliant triumph.