OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2008

By trouncing the field in the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, Gr.1, in July, Set Alight showed she had no peer, from amongst her sex and age group, that could trouble her. The proverbial exception to the rule is of course Autonomy, who has actually finished ahead of her on one occasion (albeit demoted), and it remains to be seen who has made the greater progress when the pair clash this coming  winter.
As compared to Autonomy, whose family has been in the country since 1977, Set Alight’s branch took root just about a dozen years ago, when the Usha Stud purchased Trois Etoiles, a three-year-old filly out of training, and imported her to India in late 1975. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Alysheba from the Blakeney mare Trefoil had been trained in France, where her solitary campaign lasted just five months, during which she scored thrice from six starts for Aylesfield Farms Ltd. All her wins were recorded in the Provinces – at tracks like Lisieux, Le Pin Au Haras and Rouen – and her trainer Dominic Boulard campaigned her exclusively over long distance trips ranging from 1900 m. to 2350 m. Interestingly, in all her victories, she was ridden by amateur or lady riders.
Trois Etoiles, like her first three dams, was bred by Sir Robin McAlpine, who acquired the Hyperion mare Merry Dancer in 1962, in foal to Floribunda, and thus bred Flower Dance, fourth dam of Set Alight. The family is a noted source of quality performers – Flower Dance’s daughter First Bloom (1969 by Primera) became champion 2-y-o filly in France in 1971. In turn, the latter gained fame as the grandam of Jeune (1989 by Kalaglow – Underwood Stakes, Gr.1) and Talinum (1984 by Alydar – Flamingo Stakes, Gr.1). Other good ones descending from her include First Prayer (Grand Prix de Deauville, Gr.2), Beneficial (King Edward VII Stakes, Gr.2), Water Lily (Next Move Handicap, Gr.3), Simeon (Classic Trial Stakes, Gr.3) and Noble Rose (Park Hill Stakes, Gr.3). Stamina is the dominant suit of this family.
The first mate chosen for Trois Etoiles was the Usha resident Steinbeck, and in March 1997 she duly foaled a bay filly, which was named Set Aside. Entering the yard of Rashid Byramji, and sporting the silks of Maj. P.K. Mehra, Set Aside proved more than useful, scoring 7 times at Bangalore, Mysore, Calcutta and Hyderabad, with one noteworthy stakes performance when third to Altimara and Alvarada in the Calcutta 1000 Guineas, Gr.3. She also won the Qutab Shahi Cup over a metric mile and notched up earnings of just over a million rupees.
Trois Etoiles was never returned to Steinbeck thereafter, probably because her second foal was the high-class but fragile Noble Opinion (1998 by Razeen) who annexed the Poonawalla Breeders Million, Gr.1, of 2001 and two other races from an abbreviated career. The classic-placed Our Dynasty (1999) and Allez Indi (2003) are a couple of Noble Opinion’s eight subsequent siblings (all by Razeen) who showed some ability at this level.
Set Aside was retired to her birthplace and her first offspring, My Friend Paul (2004 by China Visit) has scored a couple of times for trainer Neil Darashah, but as every follower of the Indian Turf knows, her second – Set Alight – is in a different league altogether! The inmate of Pesi Shroff’s yard has recorded six consecutive victories, each perhaps more impressive than the one before. As the best three-year-old filly in the land by far, she has only to remain fit and sound to be able to pick up all before her this winter.

- Anil Mukhi