Murioi tipped for Indian Derby

Mumbai Dday has finally arrived All roads will lead to the Mahalaxmi racecourse as a record crowd is expected to witness the coronation of the champion fouryearold horse of the country winner of the McDowell Signature Indian Derby Gr 1MurioiBay colt 4y By Dubawi out of Zachetas Girl Bred at Hazara Stud Owner Dr MAM Ramaswamy Trainer S Ganapathy Jockey Chris D Hayes Odds 14to10All eyes will be on Murioi the horse who has yet to lose a race on the Mahalaxmi racetrack Its the story of a horse who after winning the champion juvenile crown exactly one year ago went horribly wrong in the summer of 2013 Its the story of painstaking efforts of trainer Ganapathy who patiently worked on him to get him goingAnd its also the story of a master mind Dr MAM Ramaswamy who has over the years scripted many a winning plot for his record number of Derby winners Will this story culminate in a fairy tale ending today eveningOr will Jeremiah the horse who has oodles of talent and has class written all about him refuse to quit the winning ways he has developed almost as habit executing each of his victories with clinical precision demolishing opposition of all hues with workmanlike attitutudeJeremiahJeremiah Grey gelding 4y By Jeremy out of Acciacatura Bred at Sohna stud Owners Haresh N Mehta Manav H Mehta Rakesh R Jhunjhunwala amp Jaydev Mody Trainer Pesi Shroff Jockey S Zervan Odds 3to1ldquoMurioi is in great heartrdquo trainer S Ganapathy told SUNDAY MiD DAY on the eve of the big race ldquoand so is my other horse Southern Emperor who has been shaping up very well of late I will be very happy to see them run onetwo in the DerbyrdquoThe Ramaswamy camp does not want to leave anything to chance They have imported jockey Chris Hayes to ride Murioi though Indian B Sreekanth who has partnered him in all his 10 starts so far is presently enjoying an incredible strike rate of 46 at the Mahalaxmi trackldquoThe boy is showing a lot of promiserdquo Ganapathy agreed ldquobut we wish to groom him steadily Indian Derby is a high voltage affair and we dont want to expose him so soon to that electric atmosphere which is the ultimate test of temperament for a jockey especially astride a horse on whom all eyes will be focused he is still young and in time he will have his chancerdquoOut to challenge the top pair of Murioi and Jeremiah are Alaindair conqueror of Murioi during the summer classics Isnt It Special Oaks winner Circle Of Life Oaks runner up and Agostini Bangalore Derby winner who paid a hefty final entry feeWith Derby favourites biting the dust in eight of the last ten years the connections of lesser fancied contestants are keeping their fingers crossed Trainer Malesh Narredu who has pitched in Falcon listed at 301 in the odds in the fray said ldquoits the Derby everyone is entitled to take their chances and I am taking mine with FalconrdquoNarredus quote aptly sums up why there are 15 horses in the Derby line up despite the imposing form and reputation of Murioi and Jeremiah My choice is Murioi whose current form I find simply sensational I expect him to score a decisive victory over this field and recommend him as a good bet of the Derby cardFirst race at 115 pmSelectionsRoyal Challenge Game For Life Cup Div II Class V 1200m Ashwa Yodhaa 1 Double Diamond 2 Traffic Jam 3Four Seasons Cup For 3y maidens 1600m Strategic Move 1 High Expectation 2 Incandescent 3White Mischief Cup Class II 1000m Way Out 1 Victorious March 2 Brindaban 3R N Kanga Gold Trophy For 4yampo 1600m Hachiko 1 Storm Tracker 2 Clinton 3Antiquity Blue Fusion Of The Finest Cup Class III 1600m Sheer Class 1 Elite Model 2 Haunting Moments 3McDowells No1 Platinum Trophy Class IV 2400m Aviator 1 Reynolds 2 Ace Fantasy 3B K Rattonsey Memorial Maiden MultiMillion For 3y maidens 1200m Quasar 1 Ladybird 2 Shivaliks Glory 3Royal Challenge Game For Life Cup Div I Class V 1200mBackstreet Bay 1 Dark William 2 Bella Figura 3RecommendationsBest bet NoneGood bet Murioi 87Chance bet Quasar 76Upset Catharsis 38 amp Neptunes Ocean 93Todays poolsSuper jackpot poo 456789Jackpot pool I 34567 II 56789Treble pool I 234 II 678 III 789Tanala pool All races2014 Derby in a nutshellMcDowell Signature Indian Derby Gr 1 For 4y 2400mTime 530 pmThe line up1 Ace Bucephalus 57 Suraj Narredu 122 Agostini 57 Beuzelin Louis 113 Alaindair 57 YS Srinath 44 Archie 57 Imran Chisty 155 Falcon 57 R Woodworth 66 Jeremiah 57 S Zervan 27 Murioi 57 CD Hayes 148 Southern Emperor 57 B Sreekanth 59 Wentworth 57 NS Parmar 310 Amazing Grace 55 P Trevor 711 Circle Of Life 55 R Hughes 1312 Highraz 55 S John 813 Isnt She Special 55 David Allan 1014 Keukenhof 55 CS Jodha 915 Starry Eyes 55 A Sandesh 1Selections Murioi 1 Jeremiah 2 Agostini 3 Alaindair 4