The enduring charm of the Derby
The Bangalore Derby has the status of a national Derby as the best three-year old horses take part in this glamorous event. The Derby is coveted by every race horse owner in the country and the dream of winning this race is the reason why crores of rupees are spent each year by big race horse owners in order to get a slice of history. Of the 1000-odd yearlings sold each year, most of them are bought in the hope that they may turn out to be the elusive champion.
Pedigree plays a crucial role in the selection of horses but quite often, the best argued theories go for a toss and performance then becomes proof of pedigree! There is no guarantee that big money can ensure success in a Derby though the leading owners do buy horses in big quantities at exorbitant prices. It is the passion for winning this race which has kept the interest alive for people like Dr M A M Ramaswamy, Dr Vijay Mallya and many others. They know better than others what it is to win a Derby.
Interestingly, Lord Derby from little known Epsom in England has been immortalized by the naming of the most important race of every country as the Derby. History has it that in 1779, Lord Derby and his friends decided to have a race over a mile and half for colts and fillies. The name of the race was decided between Lord Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury by the toss of a coin. Seldom has a toss been of such historical significance. As Lord Rosbury was quoted to have said a century later: ``A roistering party at a country house founded two races and named them gratefully after the host and his house. Seldom has a carouse had a more permanent effect.’’
Racing in India is a colonial legacy and as such, all the classics in the country are named after the prestigious races of England.
The Bangalore Derby was first run in 1962. It took sometime before Derby overshadowed the Maharaja’s Cup in Bangalore. The Maharaja’s Cup was marked by pomp and pageantry. The Maharaja would drive in state from the Bangalore Palace in an open landau drawn by four horses on a newly laid out sand path. The horses too were stabled at the Palace and nearby areas. They would reach the race course in a procession. With the passing away of Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the Derby became the Blue Riband event of Bangalore races. Though Maharaja’s Cup lost its traditional importance, the race continues to hold its own fascination and many of the old timers still make it a point to come on the Maharaja’s Cup race day.
The Bangalore Derby has a fascinating history with its share of near misses and exceptional achievements against all odds. The race has charmed generations of race goers. Today Derby has become a lifestyle event since the advent of sponsorship in the year 1988 when the UB Group began to sponsor this race. The sponsorship has also brought in glamour and glitz. Derby day is also a day to make a fashion statement for many especially the fair sex.
The inaugural Derby, run in 1962, was called the Kunigal Derby. The race was run over a distance of a mile. The next year, the name was changed as Bangalore Derby and the distance was increased to 2000 meters. A quarter century later, the advent of sponsorship saw the Derby being named after the sponsor. The winner of the inaugural Derby took home Rs.25,570 while this year’s winner will take home in excess of Rs 75 lakhs. The sponsorship has helped bring more people to the Derby, what with the sponsors having committed to spending a fabulous amount on promoting the event.
There have been sensational finishes in the Derby. The first ever recorded dead heat in a Derby anywhere in the World was in the year 1974 when Skyline and Mauritius Pearl dead heated in the Derby. What is interesting is the fact that Mauritius Pearl’s first win happened to be in the Derby and it was a rare case of a maiden winning the biggest race of the season.
The Derby which was re-christened as Kingfisher Derby in the year 1988 saw a thriller in the first year itself as three horses, Treasure Girl, Nine Carat and Lucky Shrike finished in a line. Nine Carat lost the race by a whisker. The notable feature of the race was a remarkable piece of riding by India’s best jockey ever Vasant Shinde. Nine Carat stumbled at the start and came down on her knees but the jockey managed to stay in the saddle, gathered the horse and then rode a brilliant race only to lose by the proverbial hair’s breadth. It was an awesome performance by the horse and the jockey and if ever a losing horse and jockey got as much ovation as the winner, it was this pair.
Upsets have been par for this race. The race has quite often proved to be a graveyard for favorites. Destiny has played its role in denying many the honor of winning the Derby either through injury, last minute denial of opportunity or near miss. This year, Irfan Ghatala trained Sun Kingdom bids to win the race as an overwhelming favorite. Sun Kingdom has done everything that a champion should. Interestingly, horses starting with the alphabet `S’ dominated the race for four successive years in the last decade, with Santorini Star, Star Supreme, Supervite and Smart Chieftain being the champions. The sequence was broken by Allaire who beat Six Speed by the shortest of margins. Set Alight who is one of the all time great horses won this event two years ago. Last year, the race was won by Aboline, he too winning by a whisker over Jacqueline who went on to create history in Indian racing by winning four Indian classics in a row. Last year’s Derby saw a line up of a maximum permissible number of 18 runners in the fray but this year, there are just 10 contestants.
While Sun Kingdom looks set to get his trainer Irfan Ghatla the first ever success in this race, there is an immense threat from owner mate Moonlight Romance who will be ridden by champion jockey Richard Hughes who is specially flown in from England to ride in this race. Richard Hughes is in monstrous form and his exceptional skills can tilt the race in favour of Moonlight Romance. The ``Amavasya’’ effect notwithstanding, Sun Kingdom will be the prime favourite to win the coveted race of the Bangalore Summer Season.
With the High Court mandated deadline of September 22 for Bangalore Turf Club to vacate its fast approaching, there is fear in racing circles that this may be the last Derby at the Bangalore Race Course where racing has been held for a century.
Pedigree plays a crucial role in the selection of horses but quite often, the best argued theories go for a toss and performance then becomes proof of pedigree! There is no guarantee that big money can ensure success in a Derby though the leading owners do buy horses in big quantities at exorbitant prices. It is the passion for winning this race which has kept the interest alive for people like Dr M A M Ramaswamy, Dr Vijay Mallya and many others. They know better than others what it is to win a Derby.
Interestingly, Lord Derby from little known Epsom in England has been immortalized by the naming of the most important race of every country as the Derby. History has it that in 1779, Lord Derby and his friends decided to have a race over a mile and half for colts and fillies. The name of the race was decided between Lord Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury by the toss of a coin. Seldom has a toss been of such historical significance. As Lord Rosbury was quoted to have said a century later: ``A roistering party at a country house founded two races and named them gratefully after the host and his house. Seldom has a carouse had a more permanent effect.’’
Racing in India is a colonial legacy and as such, all the classics in the country are named after the prestigious races of England.
The Bangalore Derby was first run in 1962. It took sometime before Derby overshadowed the Maharaja’s Cup in Bangalore. The Maharaja’s Cup was marked by pomp and pageantry. The Maharaja would drive in state from the Bangalore Palace in an open landau drawn by four horses on a newly laid out sand path. The horses too were stabled at the Palace and nearby areas. They would reach the race course in a procession. With the passing away of Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, the Derby became the Blue Riband event of Bangalore races. Though Maharaja’s Cup lost its traditional importance, the race continues to hold its own fascination and many of the old timers still make it a point to come on the Maharaja’s Cup race day.
The Bangalore Derby has a fascinating history with its share of near misses and exceptional achievements against all odds. The race has charmed generations of race goers. Today Derby has become a lifestyle event since the advent of sponsorship in the year 1988 when the UB Group began to sponsor this race. The sponsorship has also brought in glamour and glitz. Derby day is also a day to make a fashion statement for many especially the fair sex.
The inaugural Derby, run in 1962, was called the Kunigal Derby. The race was run over a distance of a mile. The next year, the name was changed as Bangalore Derby and the distance was increased to 2000 meters. A quarter century later, the advent of sponsorship saw the Derby being named after the sponsor. The winner of the inaugural Derby took home Rs.25,570 while this year’s winner will take home in excess of Rs 75 lakhs. The sponsorship has helped bring more people to the Derby, what with the sponsors having committed to spending a fabulous amount on promoting the event.
There have been sensational finishes in the Derby. The first ever recorded dead heat in a Derby anywhere in the World was in the year 1974 when Skyline and Mauritius Pearl dead heated in the Derby. What is interesting is the fact that Mauritius Pearl’s first win happened to be in the Derby and it was a rare case of a maiden winning the biggest race of the season.
The Derby which was re-christened as Kingfisher Derby in the year 1988 saw a thriller in the first year itself as three horses, Treasure Girl, Nine Carat and Lucky Shrike finished in a line. Nine Carat lost the race by a whisker. The notable feature of the race was a remarkable piece of riding by India’s best jockey ever Vasant Shinde. Nine Carat stumbled at the start and came down on her knees but the jockey managed to stay in the saddle, gathered the horse and then rode a brilliant race only to lose by the proverbial hair’s breadth. It was an awesome performance by the horse and the jockey and if ever a losing horse and jockey got as much ovation as the winner, it was this pair.
Upsets have been par for this race. The race has quite often proved to be a graveyard for favorites. Destiny has played its role in denying many the honor of winning the Derby either through injury, last minute denial of opportunity or near miss. This year, Irfan Ghatala trained Sun Kingdom bids to win the race as an overwhelming favorite. Sun Kingdom has done everything that a champion should. Interestingly, horses starting with the alphabet `S’ dominated the race for four successive years in the last decade, with Santorini Star, Star Supreme, Supervite and Smart Chieftain being the champions. The sequence was broken by Allaire who beat Six Speed by the shortest of margins. Set Alight who is one of the all time great horses won this event two years ago. Last year, the race was won by Aboline, he too winning by a whisker over Jacqueline who went on to create history in Indian racing by winning four Indian classics in a row. Last year’s Derby saw a line up of a maximum permissible number of 18 runners in the fray but this year, there are just 10 contestants.
While Sun Kingdom looks set to get his trainer Irfan Ghatla the first ever success in this race, there is an immense threat from owner mate Moonlight Romance who will be ridden by champion jockey Richard Hughes who is specially flown in from England to ride in this race. Richard Hughes is in monstrous form and his exceptional skills can tilt the race in favour of Moonlight Romance. The ``Amavasya’’ effect notwithstanding, Sun Kingdom will be the prime favourite to win the coveted race of the Bangalore Summer Season.
With the High Court mandated deadline of September 22 for Bangalore Turf Club to vacate its fast approaching, there is fear in racing circles that this may be the last Derby at the Bangalore Race Course where racing has been held for a century.
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