Star is Superior by far

Jockey Suraj Narredu rides Star Superior across the finish line to win the Indian Derby at the Mahalaxmi racecourse yesterday

The hottest Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby favourite in many years, Sir Cecil, couldn't get going at a crucial stage, perhaps due to his reported physical problems; the challenger from Kolkata, Adjudicate, struggled to keep pace; and it was left to the Rajesh Narredu-trained Star Superior to show his staying power and amazing turn of foot to sail away in solitary splendour and win by a margin of five lengths.

Racing absolutely unperturbed, nearly a dozen lengths away from the pace of the race set by Valegro (N S Parmar up), Star Superior (Suraj Narredu up), owned by Zavaray & Behroze Poonawalla in partnership with Adar C Poonawalla, bided his time until the final 600 meters of the mile-and-a-half Derby even as favourite Sir Cecil (David Allan up) made his move to give a chase to the leader. Only after straightening for home did Suraj nudge Star Superior, whose response was so electric and turn of foot so amazing, that as early as 300 meters from home, race caller Deepak Rajpal had no hesitation in declaring who the Derby winner was going to be.

The champion horse and jockey with the Poonawallas. Pics/Bipin Kokate

Poonawalla's prediction
A beaming Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, whose farm bred Star Superior (Excellent Art-Ramjet) and family owned it, was on cloud nine. It wasn't just Star Superior's extraordinary show that gave him that feeling, it was his confident prediction. He had been telling everybody, who cared to listen, that his horse would win the Derby.

Speaking to mid-day, an elated Dr Poonawalla said, "I had always predicted that Star Superior would win. And I was saying that not as owner, but as someone who has some kind of expertise in the sport. I told the jockey Suraj [Narredu] not to hurry up."

Dr Poonawalla had told jockey Suraj to "Just stay out of the trouble, ride your own race and keep an eye out for the grey [Sir Cecil]." He added, "I was certain that Sir Cecil, though he is a great horse, won't win as he is not 100 per cent fit, and won't be able to stay the trip."

Meanwhile, winning jockey Suraj Narredu said: "I always believed in his [Star Superior's] ability; I knew he would get the mile-and-a-half. God was kind, everything went just right in the race, and a dream has come true." This was a second Indian Derby victory for the jockey, having won his first astride Be Safe, trained by uncle Malesh Narredu in 2015.

Team Narredu succeeds
For trainer Rajesh Narredu, younger brother of jockey Suraj, this was his first Derby victory. "I will give credit to the team. I trust my brother Suraj's judgement and decisions, and dedicate this first Derby victory to my family, especially, to my dad Satish," he said in a post-race chat.

The Poonawallas, in fact, had a great Derby day as four of the eight races on the card were won by horses bred by them, three of the four carrying their family silks.

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