The enduring charm of the Bangalore Derby

I never thought that I would become a full-time racing writer when I set out as a journalist in the year 1980. My passion for cricket was what drove me to become a sports journalist. If there are many converts like me in the field of horse racing, you can blame it on the enduring charm of the Derby. Most people come to the Derby because they hear so much about it. Many of them stay back and I was one of them.

 

The first time I attended any race day was the running of the 1984 Derby. Eddy Cracknell trained Lively Empery was one of the highest priced runners in the fray. The horse reportedly was for sale much before the Derby. Luckily for the trainer it remained unsold and the horse went on to win the Summer Derby as well as the Winter Derby in the hands of Alan Mercer. It won the Derby at odds of 100 to 1.

 

Legend has it that the current leading trainer Padmanabhan told one of his owners to buy the horse and that he would win the Derby with this horse. The owner was not too enthusiastic and the rest is history. Padmanabhan had to wait for two decades as a subsequent winner Littleover which belonged to his stable was sold to a leading owner and the horse changed stables. The trainer concerned had to wait for a long while before Holding Court helped him to enter the Wall of Fame. The same goes for Mumbai based trainer Imtiaz Sait who brought Flirting Vision to race in the summer classics who had the mortification of seeing the horse being sold and winning the Derby for some other stable!

 

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, many 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 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. And that is also the reason why they have more Derby wins than any other.

 

ORIGIN OF THE 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.`’ It is not without reason that people have said that in wine there is wisdom and in water there is bacteria!

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 for the fair sex.

 

SPONSORSHIP

The inaugural Derby, run in 1962, was called the Kunigal Derby. The race was run over a distance of a mile. Mohd Lahori trained Mount Everest won the race in the hands of J Mcgaffin. 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.  The sponsorship has helped bring more people to the Derby, enhance the prize money, what with the sponsors committing to spend 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 racing administrators were very conservative about taking sponsorship for the Derby. In fact, the first sponsorship of the Summer Derby which was re-christened as Kingfisher Derby, Bangalore was in the year 1988. The then Chairman of the Club P G Belliappa was very keen to have a sponsor. The committee was against the sponsorship. Finally the issue had to be resolved through a vote. The committee voted to have a sponsor after much debate and reservations. Thus the unbroken partnership with Kingfisher brand with the Derby started.

 

Racing was going through a slump with the interest from the public at low ebb. The sponsorship helped revive racing as the sponsors promoted the event in a big way, making it as the talk of the town. The UB Group which was the biggest and continuous sponsors of horse racing in India completely brought about a sea change making the Derby as a mega social event.

 

SENSATIONAL FINISHES

The first 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 literally chewed the grass at the start as she stumbled 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.

 

Jockey Srinath has had dual success in the race and both have been last stride thrilling wins. Srinath who is the only jockey to have ridden more than 20 winners at Macau was summoned to ride Darius Byramji trained Allaire as the original jockey Aslam Kader was injured. Srinath brought Allaire with a late dash and the power-packed riding enabled the filly to snatch a sensational win from Six Speed who faltered in the final stride.  

 

Two horses who have had the widest draw in an 18-horse field namely Arjun Mangalorkar trained Aboline and Imtiaz Sait trained Pronto Pronto. The first named won start to finish and the second named won from the last position by the proverbial whisker, the vanquished being Sevarsthal and Jacqueline. While the former did not win any race after a glorious defeat in the Derby, the Pesi Shroff trained Jacqueline went on to create history winning the Indian 1000 Guineas, Indian 2000 Guineas and the Indian Derby before losing the Invitation Cup to Padmanabhan trained Bangalore Winter Derby winner Becket.

 

The running of last year’s Derby was no exception. English jockey David Allan who has won more classics in India than any other foreign jockey drove out Padmanabhan trained Well Connected to pull off one of the most exciting wins at the expense of Arjun Mangalorkar trained Impavid. The Derby may not be all about form but who is prepared for the game and who wants to battle.

 

 

UPSETS PAR FOR THE RACE

Upsets have been par for this race. The race has quite often proved to be a graveyard for favorites. While Lively Empery remains the highest priced winner of this race ever, long shots like Borsalino and Glorious Colours are the names that come readily to the mind. 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. The importance of the Derby is such that the picture of the winners leading in has been put on the wall along the steps leading to members’ enclosure. It is the desire of every trainer and jockey to have his picture on the Wall of Fame. Many a trainer and jockey who missed out winning due to bad luck of their horses missing the race or in sensational finishes never got another chance to win the Derby.

 

Jockey N H Remedios won this coveted race on Madhav Mangalorkar trained Buckpasser in fortuitous circumstances. Pandhu Khade was originally retained to ride the horse but he met with an accident and was rendered hors de combat. Remedios who had come to the racecourse to bid adieu to his fellow professionals as he was booked to leave for Kolkata was asked by Khade to stay back as he could get to ride Buckpasser. The rest as they say is history.

 

In recent years, jockey Warren Singh could have been the possible winner on Haskell David trained Romantic Dancer but the jockey could not wriggle out of a commitment to ride some other horse. Bajrang Singh who got the chance ride got his name printed in the history books. The closest that Warren Singh came to winning was on Lucky Shrike which he lost in a three horse finish. Incidentally, the eventual winner Treasure Girl could have been his ride but he chose to go with the colt.

 

 

NATIONAL DERBY

 

The Bangalore Summer Derby is the first Derby in the country to be run for three-year-olds over a distance of 2000 metres. Since the summer season attracts the best horses from all over the country, the form of the Derby has a bearing on that of the classics that follow in the monsoon and winter season culminating with the running of the Indian Derby on the first Sunday of February.

 

There are many horses winners of the Bangalore Summer Derby going on to win the Indian Derby like Smart Chieftain, Star Supreme, Moonlight Romance, Alaindair besides the Indian Turf Invitation Cup. And then there are others who missed out by the proverbial whisker like Jacqueline emerging as the best horse of her generation by winning three Indian classics including the Indian Derby. Last year, Prasanna Kumar trained War Hammer missed the Derby because of an injury but recovered remarkably to win not only the Winter Derby but also the most coveted Indian Derby in the hands of jockey Suraj Narredu.

 

We can trace the history of Indian racing through the footprints of the Bangalore Derby.

 

STRIKES AND DISRUPTIONS

 

The Derby is a social event which attracts all sections of the society for the glamour, glitz and a thrill associated with the event. Derby gets the widest coverage and it has also served as a platform for redressing grievances in the form of threat of disrupting the event. The event has also been used on occasions to draw attention to the problems of those in the sport and outside as well.

 

In 2011, the Bangalore Derby had to be postponed by a week due to a strike by syces who struck work in support of their long standing demands. The BTC had made elaborate arrangements to have the event telecast live on television channels. The presenters from abroad had come and the producers had spent a fortune for setting up the infrastructure needed for such an exercise. Epsom Derby winning Martyn Dwyer was summoned to ride Six Speed.  The race held a week later was avoid of all these embellishments though the event itself won by Imtiaz Sait trained Pronto Pronto in a thrilling finish. The original favourite for the race Speed Six was not in the lineup as he had suffered a setback during the postponement.

 

The 2011 event being affected by a strike is not the only one in the history of the Bangalore Summer Derby. In 1977, the jockeys went on strike demanding recognition of the Jockeys Association of India. The event was gone through availing the services of apprentice jockeys, with the long full-fledged jockey riding in the race being Smith who was a visiting Englishman.

 

The race was won by Rashid Byramji trained Manitou who had the services of apprentice Bhosle. His son the late B Prakash later rode with tremendous success in this event for the Dr M A M Ramaswamy and S Ganapathy combination. The strike resulted in the office-bearers of Jockeys Association of India namely the high profile M A Chidambaram and R R Reddy being warned off from the club premises. Subsequently the club relented and the Jockeys Association of India got official recognition.

 

The Derby has figured more than once in British history for reasons other than its running. The most dramatic event took place in 1913, when a woman called Emily Davison ran out in front of the King’s horse and tried to grab it. The horse and rider and Emily all fell to the ground. Emily was killed in the accident. Emily was a ``Suffragate’’, a militant campaigning for women’s votes. In those days, only men were allowed to vote in the elections in Britain. Emily did not die in vain. Though the First World War delayed things by a few years, some women got the vote in 1921, and complete voting equality with men was achieved in 1928.

 

RAINS AND DERBY

 

Rains have always been an integral part of the Derby. The Derby day has more often than not been held in pouring rain in soft or heavy underfoot conditions. The Rain God has been considerate in the last few years. The 1989 running of the Derby had to be postponed because of unrelenting rains which pounded the city for week’s altogether. Despite the postponement, rains were not relenting and it had to be gone through in heavy underfoot conditions. Robin Corner rode Aris David trained Ministrella to a decisive win on a track which looked like a paddy field.

 

In recent years, trainer Padmanabhan has won this event on three occasions through Holding Court, Borsalino and Well Connected, the last one by the most successful foreign jockey of all times David Allan.  All these races were held in soft to heavy conditions. David Allan has won more classics in India than any other jockey, the second best performance coming for Sandy Barclay.

 

Multiple English champion jockey Richard Hughes has had success through Mumbai challenger trained by C D Katrak. Moonlight Romance who was ridden to victory by Hughes went on to win the Indian Derby and the Indian Turf Invitation Cup. Trainer Rashid Byramji is the most successful trainer while Vasant Shinde and Pesi Shroff have more winners of this race than any other jockey. The leading owner has been Dr M A M Ramaswamy closely followed by Dr Vijay Mallya.

 

Robin Corner, who later became a successful racing official, had many winners in this race. Young Rajput, Star Contender and Ministrella being the horses to provide him the Derby wins. Lawrence Fownes who became a hugely successful trainer at Hong Kong was reportedly told by Robin Corner to take a parting gift in the form of a bet on Young Rajput in the Bangalore Derby. Lawrence Fownes also had a winner in this race through Mauritius Pearl who had dead-heated with B K Gujadhur trained Skyline.

 

The normally reticent Corner had told Fownes that he will not only win the race but will do so in record time. The Jaggy Dhariwal trained Young Rajput won in record time. The recent was recently bettered by Pesi Shroff trained Set Alight. Dhariwal had two more winners of this race through Chaitanya Chakram and Classical Act, the latter winning the big event after making his debut over seven furlongs only a fortnight earlier. Chaitanya Chakram was a galloping machine who killed everyone with his amazing front-running in the hands of jockey Lloyd Marshall. Chaitanya Chakram went on to win many more Derbys including the Indian Derby and the Invitation Cup.

 

LEGENDARY HORSES

 

The Summer Derby has rarely been won by an inferior horse. Barring an odd horse, every winner of this race has gone on to win many more Derbys including the coveted Indian Derby. Prince Khartoum, Comanche, Manitou, Own Opinion, Everynsky, Track Lightning, Camino, Lively Emprey, Divine Light, Littleover, Star Sureme, Supervite, Soputhern Empire, Holding Court, Set Alight, Moonlight Romance Alaindair, Be Safe, Angel Dust (winner of both summer and winter Derby), Sergeant At Arms, and Sir Cecil have achieved legendary status by their achievements.

 

 Sulaiman Attaollahi had the unique distinction of recording a hat-trick of Derby wins through Angel Dust who won both the summer and winter Derby and the next year’s Summer Derby through Sergeant At Arms.

 

Among the horses which had a run in the summer season but did not participate in the Derby but achieved greatness include Elusive Pimpernel, Mystical, Running Flame, In The Spotlight and War Hammer. Rajesh Narredu trained Star Superior who emerged second best to Sir Cecil in the Summer Derby subsequently achieved fame through remarkable success in the Indian Derby.

 

DERBY DOUBLES AS JOCKEY AND TRAINERS

 

Several outstanding jockeys who rode the winners of the Summer Derby also went on to win the race after becoming trainers post their retirement. The affable Jim Foley was the first to achieve this feat. Jim Foley rode F Black trained Tudor Jet to victory for M A M Muthaiah and Dr M A M R Ramaswamy won this event many times as a trainer with his first success coming through Flirting Vision in the year 1991. Pesi Shroff who won the Derby many times as a jockey achieved the unique double in 2008 through Set Alight who won the event in a new record time which is still to be bettered. Pesi’s other winner in this race was Manifold. Malesh Narredu is another to achieve the feat. He won thrice as a jockey through Star Supreme, Smart Chieftain and Set Alight. As a trainer, he led in a winner through Be Safe.

 

WINTER DERBY

 

The Bangalore Winter Derby may not have the aura of the Summer Derby but it is no less important. Originally run as Arc De Triophe over a mile and half distance, the name of the race was changed as Bangalore Derby in the year 1989.

 

Arc De Triomphe is one of the most famours races in the world. It is run on the first Sunday of October at Longchamp Racecourse with worldwide participation. This is a weight for age race for horses four-year-olds and over without penalties whereas the Bangalore Winter Derby race was only for four-year-olds. As such, the nomenclature of the race underwent a change after much debate. The Bangalore Winter Derby is traditionally run on the Republic Day which is January 26. On odd occasions, on the request of the sponsors, it has been advanced.

 

Many serious followers of racing believe that the date of the winter Derby should be brought forward to ensure that the race does not lose any of its importance in the national calendar. Since the best horses are targeted for the Indian Derby, many good horses have skipped this race as the owners and trainers take their wards to Mumbai. If the date is advanced by two weeks, the best will say back for this Derby and then travel to Mumbai. But there has been resistance to change.

 

 Despite the handicap, many horses have been raced successfully in both the winter Derby and Indian Derby with success in a week’s time. Saddle Up did this but lost the Indian Derby due to breach of medication rules. Cordon Bleu achieved the Derby double and this year, War Hammer accomplished what is considered a difficult feat. Summer Dust and Becket failed narrowly.  Horses like Satish Narredu trained Super Storm which failed to win the winter Derby showed remarkable recovery to win the Indian Derby.

 

The one discordant note in the running of the Winter Derby was in the year 2008. Following the refusal of trainers to put entries for the Derby day in support of their demands, the authorities were so upset that they took the unprecedented decision of cancelling the Derby itself without even making an attempt at having a conciliatory meeting.  This is the only unfortunate instance in India when a Derby had to be cancelled because the stakeholders themselves sabotaged the event.