Lack of professionalism is a concern, says Wally
Wally Swinburn who rode in India for a number of years with remarkable success is back on a `nostalgic’ visit to India. He attended the Indian Derby, the auction sale at Pune and was at Bangalore for last week’s races. Wally’s association with Bangalore’s champion trainer R M Puttanna in the `60s was legendary. Wally rode at Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore and was known to be an excellent judge of horses and a brilliant rider who understood the psyche of the horse.
Wally’s son Walter also rode in India and was a hugely successful jockey in England. Walter Swinburne rode Epsom Derby winners on Shergar (1981), Shahrastani (1986), and Lammtarra (1995). Walter also rode the winner of Arc de Triomphe All Along. Wally has continued his association with racing by setting up a stud farm and has been running a successful operation for the last two and half decades. Incidentally, Wally also bred Gaswar who has proved to be a highly successful stallion in India.
``I am due to visit Anne Wright’s stud farm to have a look at Gaswar who has proved to be such a hit with limited number of opportunities that he has had,’’ said Wally in a chat with this writer at the conclusion of Saturday’s races at Bangalore.
Wally fondly recollected the seasons he spent in India and particularly his association with trainer R M Puttanna. When asked him about his impressions of the present day Indian jockeys, he said that he was saddened by ``absence of professionalism’’. India has had good jockeys but I am surprised that the present lot of jockeys don’t have the same commitment. For them, their job seems to end at getting on to a horse and ride in a race. They don’t seem to be involved in the way a professional should. I am not sure if they know that the horse has a mind of its own. Understanding the horse is the key to good riding, ‘’ he said.
Wally felt that the turf clubs could have helped by setting up schools for budding jockeys and putting them through a hard grind like in Ireland, under the care of senior jockeys to teach them the nuances of the sport. ``In the absence of such a system, it is a hit and miss game. In the Indian Derby almost all the horses were ridden by foreign jockeys. This is because of the lacunae created by dearth of good jockeys due to inadequate training. I was pretty impressed by jockey B Prakash among the current lot I saw,’’ he said.
Wally rode several classic winners in India and he was also astride Columbia which won the Indian Turf Invitation Cup. ``As a jockey you learn all the time. If you think you have learnt enough, then you cease to grow. Even at the time of retiring I felt that I had much more to learn.’’
Trainer Padmanabhan said that Wally was a top class jockey who rarely relied on the use of the whip. ``He was persuasive on a horse and rode hands and heels with remarkable effect. He had great understanding of a horse and trainers with whom he was associated, benefitted immensely by his insight.’’
Wally Swinburn rode his first winner at Warwick in 1953. Wally rode full time in Ireland, England, and France and in India during the winter months. In 1977, he became the first jockey in Ireland to record tally of 101 winners for the season. He won a couple of champion jockey titles at Ireland. He rode three Irish Classic winners; two 1,000 Guineas (Pidget 1972 and Princes Polly 1982) and an Irish Oaks (Blue Wind 1981). Wally retired in 1982 and now owns the 125-acre Genesis Green Stud in Newmarket. His son Walter Swinburn, who retired in April 2000, has won every British and Irish Classic barring the Leger and was an accomplished big race jockey.
The Bangalore Turf Club felicitated the veteran in the paddock on Saturday. The Jockeys Association of India could well have utilised his presence by making him give pep talk to the present jockeys and also explain the dos and don’t to be successful. Unfortunately they did not.
Wally’s son Walter also rode in India and was a hugely successful jockey in England. Walter Swinburne rode Epsom Derby winners on Shergar (1981), Shahrastani (1986), and Lammtarra (1995). Walter also rode the winner of Arc de Triomphe All Along. Wally has continued his association with racing by setting up a stud farm and has been running a successful operation for the last two and half decades. Incidentally, Wally also bred Gaswar who has proved to be a highly successful stallion in India.
``I am due to visit Anne Wright’s stud farm to have a look at Gaswar who has proved to be such a hit with limited number of opportunities that he has had,’’ said Wally in a chat with this writer at the conclusion of Saturday’s races at Bangalore.
Wally fondly recollected the seasons he spent in India and particularly his association with trainer R M Puttanna. When asked him about his impressions of the present day Indian jockeys, he said that he was saddened by ``absence of professionalism’’. India has had good jockeys but I am surprised that the present lot of jockeys don’t have the same commitment. For them, their job seems to end at getting on to a horse and ride in a race. They don’t seem to be involved in the way a professional should. I am not sure if they know that the horse has a mind of its own. Understanding the horse is the key to good riding, ‘’ he said.
Wally felt that the turf clubs could have helped by setting up schools for budding jockeys and putting them through a hard grind like in Ireland, under the care of senior jockeys to teach them the nuances of the sport. ``In the absence of such a system, it is a hit and miss game. In the Indian Derby almost all the horses were ridden by foreign jockeys. This is because of the lacunae created by dearth of good jockeys due to inadequate training. I was pretty impressed by jockey B Prakash among the current lot I saw,’’ he said.
Wally rode several classic winners in India and he was also astride Columbia which won the Indian Turf Invitation Cup. ``As a jockey you learn all the time. If you think you have learnt enough, then you cease to grow. Even at the time of retiring I felt that I had much more to learn.’’
Trainer Padmanabhan said that Wally was a top class jockey who rarely relied on the use of the whip. ``He was persuasive on a horse and rode hands and heels with remarkable effect. He had great understanding of a horse and trainers with whom he was associated, benefitted immensely by his insight.’’
Wally Swinburn rode his first winner at Warwick in 1953. Wally rode full time in Ireland, England, and France and in India during the winter months. In 1977, he became the first jockey in Ireland to record tally of 101 winners for the season. He won a couple of champion jockey titles at Ireland. He rode three Irish Classic winners; two 1,000 Guineas (Pidget 1972 and Princes Polly 1982) and an Irish Oaks (Blue Wind 1981). Wally retired in 1982 and now owns the 125-acre Genesis Green Stud in Newmarket. His son Walter Swinburn, who retired in April 2000, has won every British and Irish Classic barring the Leger and was an accomplished big race jockey.
The Bangalore Turf Club felicitated the veteran in the paddock on Saturday. The Jockeys Association of India could well have utilised his presence by making him give pep talk to the present jockeys and also explain the dos and don’t to be successful. Unfortunately they did not.
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