Calcutta: The Indian horse racing has come to an abrupt halt since March 13, thanks to Carona pandemic, but the wheel of fortune keeps spinning for one Gaurav Rmapal, an International bloodstock consultant. Rampal’s horse, Authentic, won the richest race in the world, the Kentucky Derby, in the wee hours of Sunday.
Rampal, an Indian, is in syndicate ownership of the winner, a 8/1 shot, who literally made it a start-to-finish affair over the 2,000m Derby trip, taking an easy measure of the 6/10 hot favourite, Tiz The Law. “The race was originally billed for May 2 and I was a non-starter from the very start because of the International travel restrictions; said Rampal over the phone from his Mumbai residence.
The bloodstock specialists, normally don’t own horses but Authentic was an exception;” added Rampal. The horse was trained by Bob Baffert, his record sixth win in the Derby. The deadly combination was provided by jockey John Velazquez who also boasts of his third win in the prized event.
Asked Rampal, if he went to sleep early to catch up with the 4.40am (IST) live broadcast? “No, no I havn’t slept since Saturday. The excitement kept on building from Saturday morning as his trainer, Baffert, sounded hopeful and I believe in his magical abilities.