SIR CECIL MAINTAINS UNBEATEN RECORD…BY A HEAD

Sir Cecil holds off the challenge of Star Superior in the Colts Championship Stakes, Gr.1

The Brar Brothers, Harsimran, Tegbir & Karanbir leading in Sir Cecil with trainer S Padmanabhan

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]e was unbeaten over 6f & 7f in his three earlier starts and this was the first time that Sir Cecil (Win Legend-Elusive Trust) was to travel over the mile, his winning margins, particularly his last, indicating that there was little between him and victory in the Colts Championship Stakes, Gr.1. That was till Star Superior came on the scene after winning the Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders Juvenile Colts Championship, Gr.3 in a smart timing of 1:35.77secs. His warm up in Bangalore saw him prep well with victory over 7f. There was an air of confidence in the Narredu camp that this colt has it in him to offer stiff competition and that is exactly what he did. With the Poonawalla brothers paying a hefty price for a share in the horse, the build up to the race just got a little hotter.
Sir Cecil almost set sail in the race as his illustrious sister Hall Of Famer was known to do, keen to get on with it and his jockey Neeraj Rawal had to hold him in check, to also get out of troubles way from the leader Barnabas. He travelled well up with the pace and turning for home was set in motion without much fuss. It was only when Star Superior came with a strong challenge on his outside that he was urged to stretch and an interesting battle ensued with both relentless till the line with Sir Cecil maintaining his advantage to win by a head in 1:38.47ses, a better timing than the fillies equivalent. Rikki Tikki Tavi was in third, 6¼ lengths behind with Van Dyke a length away in fourth. One can imagine a fiery rematch of these two stalwarts in the Derby next month.

The presentation