Indian Maharaja

Last July, at the end of our preview and selections for the July Gold Cup, we included a notebook entry for an Aidan O'Brien horse who had just won his maiden over a mile at Gowran impressively, finishing 6 1/2 lengths ahead of the field and then going for a gallop after the finish line.

Indian Maharaja's breeding is fantastic, by Galileo and out of former Irish 1000 Guineas winner Again. At the time, our hope was that he would go on to contest the Racing Post Trophy over a mile in October, and emulate Camelot's path to the Derby. The only issue we pointed out at the time was that the race he won at Gowran possibly carried no talent and was not solid form.

Unfortunately, it's fair to say that our fears were confirmed with no horse from the race (other than Indian Maharaja) going on to even attempt anything bigger. Although not going on to contest the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy, O'Brien did send Indian Maharaja out again last season - in a listed race over 7f in Tipperary last August. Again, he won, this time by 3l (at an SP of 3/10, he was never a bet for us as his form hadn't been confirmed).

The future form from this race is also disappointing. 3rd on the day, Fly To The Moon, managed to win a 13k handicap at the Curragh last week, and 6th of 6 that day, Boom The Groom, came 3rd in a listed handicap last August. Other than that, there has been no sign that Indian Maharaja has faced any formidable challenges so far in his career.

With this in mind, I'm not interested in bscking him ante-post for the 2000 Guineas or the Derby yet. Paddy Power are the only bookmakers who offer odds on him to win the Guineas, and 16/1 is fairly flattering considering what he's beaten. I'm not convinced that he is a 1m horse and the Derby is more likely to be his Classic, but at 16/1 (20/1 on the exchanges), he's not currently back-able for that either.

Unfortunately, Indian Maharaja won't have too much to beat again today at Leopardstown, despite the opposition being a lot stronger than on his last two outings. He is one of only two listed winners in the race (the other being Shining Emerald, the main danger who will relish the ground and whose stable is in fine form). I would much rather see him in a more competitive race, to give us an idea of where we stand going into the Classics. However, Buonarroti was 5th in the Racing Post Trophy last year and could be a good 3yo this season, so he's not without competition.

Simply focusing on the task in hand, he could be a decent betting prospect today. I'm very confident that he should handle the soft to heavy ground without any trouble, and, although his past form can't be backed up, he simply looks to be the best horse visually in what is not a brilliant Guineas trial.

Aidan O'Brien hasn't had a terrific start to this flat season, with most of his runners tiring towards the end and looking like they need the run. If Indian Maharaja does the same and his odds for the 2000 Guineas or the Derby lengthen greatly, I might have a small each way bet. If he wins today, unless very visually impressive, I wouldn't expect his ante post odds to shorten too much as it's not a very classy field.

If his odds today were similar to the 3/10 on offer prior to his last win, I'd probably be sitting this one out, as although I think he'll win, I don't think that that price represented any value. However, 9/4 is in my opinion a very attractive price and I would suspect that it could be a huge one compared to his SP.

As for the ante post for the Classics, I won't be having a bet yet, but if he does show his class again at Leopardstown against a stronger field, maybe we will have to sit up and take notice. It all remains to be seen...

Back: Indian Maharaja at 9/4 - 3.10 Leopardstown

On a separate note, Ebanoran looked a smart type when winning his debut in the Curragh. One worth keeping an eye on in the coming weeks.

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Update 9.40am Sunday:
Market is good,  he was backed heavily last night. Into 7/4 with most firms, 2/1 Bet365 and BetVictor.