Will Moonlight shimmer in Indian derby?

Moonlight romance could shatter the belief that fillies aren't favoured to win derbies

Will Moonlight shimmer in Indian derby?

Moonlight romance could shatter the belief that fillies aren't favoured to win derbies

The Indian Derby, scheduled to be run at the Mahalaxmi racetrack this Sunday (February 6) is India's greatest horses race.

Traditionally run on the first Sunday of February, this will be the 68th edition of the race that was first run in 1943, and for liquor giant Vijay Mallya's McDowell, this will be a straight 27th sponsorship of the race.

Universal belief
All over the world there is a belief, of course backed by statistical evidence, that colts or geldings (male horses) are more favoured to win the Derby than fillies (female horses), and the Indian Derby is no exception. It is thought that the reason for this is that the Derby mile-and-a-half (2.4 kilometers) trip is a grueling test of stamina as well as speed, and males being the physiologically stronger sex, end up winning more often.

However, fillies have had their share of Derby triumphs. In fact, the first ever Indian Derby, run in 1943, was won by a filly named Princess Beautiful, owned by the Maharaja of Baroda, trained by MC Patel and ridden by English jockey Edgar Britt, and just last year, Jaqueline, the Shirke, Dhunjibhoy & Desai-owned filly trained by Pesi Shroff and ridden by Richard Hughes, inscribed her name into the Derby scroll of honour as only the 16th filly in the 68-yearu00a0 history of the Indian Derby.

This year, yet again, there is a fair chance that a filly might end up winning the Indian Derby as the prospects of Moonlight Romance, trained by Cooji Katrak, are getting stronger by the day as extensive efforts are being made by owners RK Wadhawan and Prem Tharani to import a successful foreign jockey to ride her in the Indian Derby, against their own other colt, the Sunderji-trained Ocean And Beyond, who may be chosen for a ride by their retained first rider Richard Hughes.

There could also be another promising filly in the fray, Xisca, carrying the same colours as last year's winner Jacqueline and trained by the same Pesi Shroff, who trained her, and has been well-rested after her Kolkata Derby victory.

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