Tought for food

To know how our jockeys react to food before and after retirement, check this article out:

Butter chicken as pension

Jock Talk

I spoke to three top jockyes in the Derby line up in the last half hour, and this is what they had to say about the race and their horses:

C Rajendra (Polish Patriot): My horse has class. He has won a nine-furlong race in only his second start. So he has the temperament also. No, at the moment I don't know what our stategy is going to be, I haven't spoken to the trainer. But whatever the instructions, a lot will depend on how the race unfolds, it's important to stay out of trouble in this type of crowded field.

Malesh Narredu (Jacqueline): [When I called Malesh he was busy walking and jogging. The reason? He has to lose one kilo before race time! This is what he said in one breath:] Jacqueline is the best horse trained by the best trainer and owned by a good owner. I will try to do justice to her talent. Neither my filly nor anyone else in the line up has gone the trip, and it's a very tight field, so the luck of the race will matter a lot. My filly has won well over a mile, and two furlongs extra is well within her compass.

YS Srinath (Sprint Star): I have never seen a race like this in my life. I think this is one of the most unpredictable contests. In fact, since yesterday I am just trying to figure out how it may actually be run. And the more I think, more I am convinced the immediate positioning could turn out to be crucial--the race may be decided at the first turn itself!

I also feel sure the pace will definitely pick up after the 1,000-meter marker, and when that happens in such a tightly-packed field, a jockey is prone to either make his move too quickly or too late. That makes the result all the more unpredictable.

I think there are four or five horses better than the rest. Jacqueline is the one everyone will have to beat. Gypsy Magic will run a good race. I don't rate Classerville very highly, however. Polish Patriot is another good horse. The dark horse I think is Sans Pareil, she should run a good race.

I frankly don't know if my horse will stay the trip, I just want to make sure I make all the right calls if he has it in him.