Mumbai 1000 Guineas (Grade I) Preview

After considerable delays and uncertainties, the Mumbai racing season begins in earnest on December 19^th with the highly anticipated Indian Turf Invitational Weekend. With no less than five Grade 1 races and the hotly anticipated Indian 1000 Guineas, Sunday’s race day is quite unprecedented in Indian racing history.

But this preview will be wholly focused on the biggest race in the Indian calendar. Held uninterrupted over the last 50 years, the Zavaray S Poonawalla Indian Turf Invitation Cup is surely the marquee event on a day filled with high-profile races. The race will be held at Royal Western India Turf Club

RWITC has one of the best racecourses in the country. Let us now have a look at the racecard & jockey details for the upcoming Mumbai 1000 Guineas (Grade I).

How To Bet on the Mumbai 1000 guineas race

Bettors lucky to be in Mumbai on Sunday can head to the Mahalaxmi racecourse to place bets at the tote counters. You can also place bets at the RWITC off-course counters available across Mumbai and Pune at various locations.

But if you want to stay in the safety of your home and place a bet without paying 28% taxes on your profits, reputed online horse race betting sites like the ones listed below are highly recommended:

The Zavaray S Poonawalla Indian Turf Invitation Cup – Race Card, Horses & Jockey Details

The Indian Turf Invitation Cup is an annual race held in rotation by one of the five turf clubs. The highly prestigious event has a history dating back over 50 years. Some of the best horses in Indian racing history have won this event when held at the Mahalaxmi racecourse.

With an approximate distance of 2400m, the Turf Invitation Cup heavily favors the stayers. The Grade 1 race is open to Indian horses aged four years and over. The 4:30 PM scheduled race has seven acceptances on the cards. These are the seven horses competing for the honors this year. They are as follows:

LAGARDE– KingdaKa(AUS)-La Terrasse

The 4-year-old bay colt comes from the stables of trainer SS Attaollahi with a record of 6 wins out of 8 races so far. His recent record is also quite impressive – 1-1-1-6-1. The winner of the Kingfisher Ultra Derby at Bangalore, Lagarde finished in the middle of the pack at the Mumbai edition of the Kingfisher Indian Derby (2400m) back in March 2021. He comes into this race with an adjusted rating of 79.

SOVEREIGN LEGEND – Win Legend (JPN) – Ratham

The 71-rated chestnut colt comes into this race with a record of 1-3-2-5 from his four races so far. After his maiden win in a Class 4 debut race, the 4-year old trained by the vastly experienced S Padmanabhan has failed to impress. A progeny of the impressive Win Legend (Sire of 442 winners), Sovereign Legend faces an uphill task at the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Sunday.

ALLURING SILVER – LeitirMor (IRE)– Personal Allure (USA)

The first mare on the cards is an experienced competitor with 10 completed races – 4 wins and 4 places. Trained by P Shroff, she comes into this race with a recent record of 3-3-1-3-7. Her last win was in the Grade 2 Nizam’s Gold Cup (2000m) at Hyderabad. A daughter of the legendary LeitirMor, Alluring Silver carries a middle of the pack rating of 102 for this race.

ARCADIA – Kingda Ka (AUS) – Shane (GER)

Competing in her first-ever Grade 1 race, the bay mare carries the second-lowest rating of any horse on the race card – 68. Her 11 races so far, primarily Class 2 – 3 events and maidens, have yielded 3 wins and 7 places. Trained by P Shroff, Arcadia is on a winning run right now with a recent record of 4-3-2-1-1. But she will need the best performance of her career to get ahead of the other horses on the card.

JULIETTE – Musketier (GER) -Gimmesumsugare (USA)

Arguably the tote favorite for this race, the this5-year-old grey mare is on a hot streak with five wins on the trot. And they have all come in long-distance term races ranging from 1800m to 2800m (Mumbai and Hyderabad). The overall record is also excellent, with 8 wins and 4 places out of 13 races. Trained by Karthik Ganapathy, the 115-rated Juliette will take some stopping on Sunday.

PARISIAN – Champs Elysees (GB) – Anywaysmile (IRE)

The 5-year-old bay mare is another experienced hand to keep an eye on for the Sunday race. She has raced and won at 2000+ distances, with an overall record of 6 wins and 3 places out of 9 races. With a recent record of 1-3-2-1-1, Parisian will be trainer P Shroff’s best horse in the Turf Invitation Cup. She comes to Mumbai with a 108 rating,  after a brace of wins in Pune’s October-November racing season.

SUCCESSOR – LeitirMor (IRE) – Sweeping Success

And the final name on the race card is a bay mare trained by Dallas Todywalla. With 2 wins and 7 places out of 12 runs, she carries a lowly 59 rating for the Sunday race. One minor thing working in Successor’s favor is her experience at long-distance races – she has finished runner up in several 2400m events. But with a recent record of 6-7-1-3-3 and competing in the first Grade 1 race of her career, this mare will not be a favorite for many punters out there.

Odds To Win The Zavaray S Poonawalla Indian Turf Invitation Cup(Grade-I)

Here is a quick table of the expected odds for all the contenders in this race:

Given her brilliant recent form, that too in the premier races against quality opposition, Juliette is our firm favorite to win the race on Sunday. Juliette has odds of 1.50 on some of the best betting sites in India which gives the horse an implied win probability of 66.67%. If any horse can spoil her party, it has to be the veteran Parisian, with Lagarde a slightly distant third on our books.

While Juliette and Parisian seem like relatively low-risk bets, Lagarde is an interesting option for some decent wins at odds of 3.75 on Betway. The horses outside the top three face an uphill task and we would only recommend the likes of Alluring Silver and Sovereign Legend to punters who like betting on heavy underdogs.

Recommended Betting Tip: Juliette (1.50)