Santissimo delivers at the last second

Bengaluru: Winning endurance races is all about knowing when to pull the trigger and S. Saqlain found the right time to do so, guiding favourite Santissimo to a brilliant win in the HPSL Bangalore Summer Derby on Sunday.

Saqlain stayed with the pack in the grueling 2000m race on a mild day at Bangalore Turf Club, waiting a long time before giving his stallion the green light to step on the accelerator in the final 30m. And the three-year-old responded superbly to beat top mare Excellent Lass (ridden by Suraj Narredu) by a length in the Grade 1 race.

Saqlain's gamble was a risky one given Excellent Lass's lineage – she won the Fillies Championship Stakes by 5.5 lengths at this very track earlier this month – but it paid off in the end and ensured that trainer Pesi Shroff's love affair with Bengaluru continues.

It was the 59-year-old Mumbai-based coach's third consecutive Summer Derby triumph, following successes with Jamari last year and Supernatural in 2022. Shroff also helped Zuccarelli to a dominant win in the 2022 Winter Derby and the top coach was thrilled to add another major trophy to his growing collection of titles.

“I love racing in Bangalore. I have been coming here since the early 1980s and it is like home to me. The weather is wonderful 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 always wondered if he would go the distance because his stallion is mainly a sprinter while his mother can do a mile and a quarter. But he is a very talented horse, a very honest horse. It is a team effort, without the help of my staff, my family. My wife (Tina) doesn't like to say it, but she does a lot of the work. My son (Yohan) takes care of the horses' nutrition. Saqlain has been great,” Shroff added.

As the gates opened for this flagship event, another of Shroff's horses – The Panther (Vivek G) – burst out of the blocks and almost took over the role of pacemaker, with Excellent Lass finishing second and Amazing Ruler (A Sandesh) third.

The trio maintained this position around the bend before positions switched at the 1000m mark. Outsider Elfin Knight, ridden by Neeraj Rawal, took the lead while The Panther was relegated to second and Excellent Lass to third.

It was a similar story around the bend and even as they entered the home straight with about 300 metres to go, Elfin Knight was still in front, The Panther was second and Excellent Lass third.

With 200m to go, Narredu decided to pick up the pace and his mare started to pull away. Even at this point, Saqlain, who was in Australia until 10 days ago and had reconsidered returning to India before giving in to Shroff's demands, did not lose his nerve. He made sure Santissimo maintained the pace but did not put his foot on the pedal.

Over the next 100 metres, Excellent Lass built up a decent lead and it looked like the strategy of Narredu, one of India's best jockeys, was paying off. He was on the verge of a Derby win at home, while Santissimo was heading for another second place after his runner-up finish in the Colts Championship Stakes earlier this month.

Derby racing is not without its thrills and Saqlain produced a spectacular finish. Having used up most of Santissimo's energy, he released the handbrake with 30m to go and the colt raced past Excellent Lass and Narredu to win brilliantly.