Sunday’s horse racing action is available at two racecourses in India this weekend – Mumbai and Hyderabad. The City of Pearls, which hosts an exciting Grade 3 race, is the focus of our weekend horse race preview.
The attention will be on the Umraolal Gupta Cup and the Byerly Turk Million – the races with the highest stakes of the day in Hyderabad. Without further ado, here is some more info on the two events and the frontrunners in each:
The Umraolal Gupta Memorial Cup
The curtain raiser at the Hyderabad racecourse on Sunday, this horse racing event will start at noon 1:10 PM. INR 900,000 is up for grabs in this race, aimed at maiden three-year-olds. The 1200m distance will keep things short and engaging for the young horses. And there are a fair few of them in the running, with the race card showing 11 entries. More than half of them are fillies, which is quite interesting.
Here are the top picks for this race:
Kapell Bruke – Stallion Green Coast has three offspring in this race, and this bay colt is one of the frontrunners. He has finished second in both his races so far, showing excellent speed and staying power. Trained by D Netto, Kapell Bruke could be the tote favorite for this event. His jockey will be AA Vikrant.
Committed Warrior – This unknown quantity is a dark brown rig sired by the very well known Win Legend (JPN). This will be the first race of his career. Hailing from the stables of trainer RH Sequeira, Committed Warrior has the bloodline that warrants another look. Akshay Kumar will ride him in Sunday’s race.
Belle Springs – If we had to include one filly from this bunch, it would have to be the daughter of Speaking of Which (IRE) off dam Long beach. A bay filly trained by LD Silva, she has one race under her belt, which she finished well in the third position. Imran Chisty is signed to race her on Sunday.
Our Picks
Kapell Bruke seems like a good choice for the top spot if the bookmakers begin listing at 5/1 or longer odds, with Belle Springs our highly rated second choice. Committed Warrior is good for a long shot.
The Byerly Turk Million
The Grade 3 race is the highlight of Sunday’s horse racing proceedings with an eye-catching total stake worth INR 1,535,660. This is a term race for three years olds with a max distance of 1200m. Eight young fillies have been signed up and accepted for the race, involving six stalwart trainers. The fourth race of the day, this one will start at 02:45 PM.
There are some highly-rated young fillies in this mix:
Smashing Blue – Yet another progeny of Win Legend makes an appearance in today’s preview – this time off dam Twice Over. Currently training at RH Sequeira’s yards, Smashing Blue has scored two wins in her two races so far. That makes her the top contender for this race, with jockey Akshay Kumar holding the reins on Sunday.
Aintree – She may be still without a win, but this daughter of Green Coast is a consistent performer with a record of 2-2-2 in her first three races so far. Trained by LD Silva, she has a weight rating of 52 which is well below Smashing Blue at 59. Jockey Imran Chisty will be in the saddle for Sunday’s race.
Bedford – Sired by Phoenix Tower (USA) off dam Browning (USA), this dark brown filly comes from the stables of trainer KSV Prasad Raju. She scored a win of her debut and will be looking to continue the good form in this race as well. Rated at 56 wt, she will have the veteran jockey P Trevor in the saddle.
Our Picks
Smashing Blue it is for us as the top choice if the odds makers start listing at 5/1 or longer odds, with Bedford as a second option. Aintree is a long odds choice to finally turn those 2’s into a win.
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