A real cracker of a Sprinters’ Cup in the offing at Guindy

Stayers’ Cup could see a replay of 2021 as Invitation Cup weekend is all set to get underway

TextEditorThe Zavaray S. Poonawalla Sprinters’ Cup will be the first of the Invitational Races scheduled to be run on Saturday (March 4). The 7-year-old bay gelding Multifaceted could well become the seventh horse to win two Sprinters’ Cups back to back. Winner of 12 races from 19 starts, he’s unbeaten in his last five essays and has an outstanding chance. Standing between him and history, will be Corfe Castle, who lost to the former narrowly the last time they met, in this very race in December, 2021. A month later he showed the ability and courage of a champion to win the Kakatiya Million. However Ashwa Bravo, the horse he beat by a neck, was conceding two kilos to him that afternoon. This time they meet on level terms and that definitely brings Ashwa Bravo into the reckoning. And then, there could well be a riddle that needs to be answered in the form of a 5-year-old mare named Enigma. The Sprinters’ Cup promises to be a real cracker, but for me it’s the Darius Byramji-trained Multifaceted. Later, as the sun begins to go down on the Guindy racecourse, 12 horses participating in the Farmfields Stayers Cup will be lining up to face the starter to compete in the 42nd running of a race to be decided over 3000m. On paper, it seems to boil down to a veritable replay of the 2021 race which was run in Mumbai last December. A mere neck was all that separated the B. Suresh-trained 6-year-old My Opinion from the Shroff-trained 4-year-old Theon, who was just having the fifth start of his life. He has subsequently come out and waltzed away with the Indian St. Leger, in a smart timing. My Opinion has won two of his last three starts (South India St. Leger and Stayers Trial Stakes in Chennai). Both seem to be at the top of their form, with My Opinion having the home advantage while Theon has age on his side. Though it promises to be an engaging battle between the duo, there are ten others who will be pushing them, as they aren’t there for a joyride around the Guindy track.