B R Sharan Kumar

  Pesi Shroff redefines winning Derbys as a way of life   By Sharan Kumar   Show me the Derby, and I’ll take it home” might as well be engraved on Pesi Shroff’s coat of arms—if he ever needed one. Winning Derbies at every racing centre isn’t just a habit for Shroff; it’s practically a reflex. He doesn’t just win them; he collects them like stamps, except instead of sticking them in a book, he puts them on his trophy shelf with the casual ease of someone rearranging furniture.   As a jockey, Shroff won more Derbies than most riders could even dream of participating in. Now, as a trainer, he’s proving that excellence doesn’t just fade with time—it evolves. With total dedication bordering on obsession (he might as well live in the stable), and armed with a battalion of blue-blooded horses, Shroff has turned Derby-winning into a boringly predictable routine. His results? Monotonously brilliant, year after year. It’s the kind of monotony everyone dreams of hav...

  BTC masters Art of Drifting; Racing spirals into chaos   By Sharan Kumar The Bangalore Turf Club seems to have perfected the fine art of drifting—drifting so far, in fact, that it’s becoming a spectator sport in itself. The committee, a delightful mix of elected members and those coopted (especially since the previous committee was forced to quit in disgrace, with the license to conduct racing operations hanging by a thread after countless allegations of “unexpected happenings”, appears to be spectacularly allergic to decisive action. If racing governance were a race, this lot would stumble at the starting gate, adjust their binoculars, and then engage in a heated debate about who left the gates open, all while the sport gallops headlong into chaos.   Each week, the Stipes churn out reports as predictable as a B-grade soap opera: “Explanations noted for future reference.” Future reference? Is there some mythical archive of notes collecting dust in a secret chamb...

  Knotty Legend battles pain, drama, Rodey to clinch Derby   By Sharan Kumar   Knotty Legend’s victory in the Gr 1 HPSL South India Derby may have been predictable, but the drama surrounding it was anything but. The gritty colt, who returned to the track with what turned out to be a career-ending injury, displayed the heart of a champion, battling discomfort with the determination of a soldier marching into battle. Knotty Legend held off the late but ultimately futile challenge of final entry Rodney to claim the crown jewel of Chennai racing on Tuesday. But, as they say, no good story is complete without a dose of controversy.   The “huge team” behind Knotty Legend had to endure an agonizing wait as the Stewards poured over an objection lodged by Rodney’s rider, Alex Rozario. The rookie jockey, backed by trainer Irfan Ghatala, fought tooth and nail to snatch the race in the Stewards’ room after failing to do so on the track. Spirited arguments flew, tempe...

  Psychic Star dazzles as Usha Stud rewrites the rulebook   By Sharan Kumar   The Indian Oaks, Usha Stud Farm, and trainer Pesi Shroff—horse racing’s most overplayed anthem—struck yet another chord of predictability, as Psychic Star cruised to victory in the Gr 1 Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks, the third classic of the season at Mahalakshmi on Sunday. This annual spectacle of dominance is less a competition and more a recurring episode in the long-running series titled Pesi’ s Unstoppable Winning Streak . Swap out the horse, rinse, repeat. The race? A mere formality—like checking the box on inevitability.   The 2024 edition brought us Psychic Star, a filly with a pedigree that practically demands a trophy room. Her dam, Psychic Light, had already gifted racing royalty in Immortality, a dual crown winner who snatched both the Indian Oaks and the Indian Derby. Psychic Star, clearly not content living in anyone’s shadow, has already added the Indian 1000 Guineas and th...

  Racing is drifting from a straight track     By Sharan Kumar     Horse racing in Bangalore has become as unpredictable as a weather forecast made by someone staring at the sky and guessing. Whether it’s by sheer genius or absolute lack of talent (leaning towards the latter), professionals seem to be turning the sport into a comedy of errors—though punters would argue it’s more of a tragedy. The in-and-out running of horses has become a circus act, and unless someone steps up to play the ringmaster, loyal punters will soon exit stage left, leaving the show to an audience of crickets and tumbleweeds.     Form? Out the window. Betting trends? As helpful as a broken compass. Method? Madness. It’s as if the sport has adopted chaos as its guiding principle. But don’t worry, folks—there are reasons for this decline, though they’re about as palatable as a stale sandwich.     Let’s start with the glaring spectacle of profess...