Leo: The Master Who Ruled Hyderabad Racing

 

By Sharan Kumar

 

Hyderabad racing has lost one of its towering architects. Leo D’Silva (66), was a rare talent who excelled both as a jockey and later as a trainer—passed away on Sunday in his sleep after bravely battling a kidney ailment for four years. A record-smashing number of times as a  champion trainer with over 1,800 winners, he dominated the Hyderabad turf like few ever have. His sudden passing comes at a time when the sport is already reeling: Glanders has halted Hyderabad racing, Chennai’s season has been frozen mid-stream, and stalwarts are departing one after another. After the recent losses of former champion jockey Aslam Kader, master trainer S Padmanabhan, and renowned breeder Sultan Singh, the death of Leo D’Silva feels like yet another painful blow to an already bruised and grieving racing fraternity.

 

Leo D’Silva was that rare breed who mastered both sides of the saddle. First as a jockey, beginning his career in the 70s, he became a dominant force at Hyderabad. Championships rolled in with comforting regularity and soon “Leo” became less a name and more an institution. His smooth transition to training in 1991 only amplified the legend. What followed was an astonishing, unmatched run: 25 championship titles, a record that may well stand untouched for generations. More than 1,800 winners, several classic performers, and a long line of horses whose careers he elevated through sheer horsemanship and instinct.

 

He was shrewd, sharp, and uncannily skilled at bringing out the best in his wards; whether it was engineering a well-timed gamble or coaxing a modest horse into punching far above its weight. For two decades, his dominance at Malakpet was absolute. He won the Gr 1 Poonawalla Multi-Million and the Gr 1 Sprinters Cup with the brilliant Corfe Castle, a testament to his ability to prepare a horse to the minute. He even completed the rare double by sending out the winners of both the Guines through Livermore and Huntingdon just two years ago. One of his horses Coral Gables was a prolific performer with 32 career wins. He saddled about 40 classic and graded race winners.

 

 

Leo: The Master Who Ruled Hyderabad Racing

 

By Sharan Kumar

 

Hyderabad racing has lost one of its towering architects. Leo D’Silva (66), was a rare talent who excelled both as a jockey and later as a trainer—passed away on Sunday in his sleep after bravely battling a kidney ailment for four years. A record-smashing number of times as a  champion trainer with over 1,800 winners, he dominated the Hyderabad turf like few ever have. His sudden passing comes at a time when the sport is already reeling: Glanders has halted Hyderabad racing, Chennai’s season has been frozen mid-stream, and stalwarts are departing one after another. After the recent losses of former champion jockey Aslam Kader, master trainer S Padmanabhan, and renowned breeder Sultan Singh, the death of Leo D’Silva feels like yet another painful blow to an already bruised and grieving racing fraternity.

 

Leo D’Silva was that rare breed who mastered both sides of the saddle. First as a jockey, beginning his career in the 70s, he became a dominant force at Hyderabad. Championships rolled in with comforting regularity and soon “Leo” became less a name and more an institution. His smooth transition to training in 1991 only amplified the legend. What followed was an astonishing, unmatched run: 25 championship titles, a record that may well stand untouched for generations. More than 1,800 winners, several classic performers, and a long line of horses whose careers he elevated through sheer horsemanship and instinct.

 

He was shrewd, sharp, and uncannily skilled at bringing out the best in his wards; whether it was engineering a well-timed gamble or coaxing a modest horse into punching far above its weight. For two decades, his dominance at Malakpet was absolute. He won the Gr 1 Poonawalla Multi-Million and the Gr 1 Sprinters Cup with the brilliant Corfe Castle, a testament to his ability to prepare a horse to the minute. He even completed the rare double by sending out the winners of both the Guines through Livermore and Huntingdon just two years ago. One of his horses Coral Gables was a prolific performer with 32 career wins. He saddled about 40 classic and graded race winners.

 

Despite battling a kidney ailment for four years, Leo never allowed adversity to blunt his competitive edge. Only last monsoon, he was still sending out winners with his trademark precision. Hyderabad commentator Shiva Prasad recalled that barely a day before his passing, Leo had spoken cheerfully of visiting Vailankanni, famous for Lady of Good Health Church, a trip he was genuinely looking forward to. He had also attended the recent auction sales, proving yet again that he remained, till the very end, ever the horseman and ever committed to his craft.

 

His sudden passing due to cardiac arrest has left the racing fraternity stunned.

 

In his younger days in Mumbai, Leo was a sportsman who loved hockey before turning his passion fully towards racing. In Bangalore’s summer seasons he was a familiar, friendly presence, quietly sharpening his string before returning to Hyderabad to unleash them with devastating effect during the monsoon and winter campaigns.

 

Trainer Anant Vatsalya summed it up simply and perfectly: “Leo D’Silva enjoyed a legendary status for his achievements both as a jockey and a trainer. His death is a big loss to the industry. He was truly a legend.”

 

Indeed, Hyderabad racing will miss his towering presence, his craft, his discipline, and the quiet confidence with which he ruled its turf for half a century.

 

A champion in the saddle.
A champion with the saddle.
And, most of all, a champion in spirit.

 

 

His sudden passing due to cardiac arrest has left the racing fraternity stunned.

 

In his younger days in Mumbai, Leo was a sportsman who loved hockey before turning his passion fully towards racing. In Bangalore’s summer seasons he was a familiar, friendly presence, quietly sharpening his string before returning to Hyderabad to unleash them with devastating effect during the monsoon and winter campaigns.

 

Trainer Anant Vatsalya summed it up simply and perfectly: “Leo D’Silva enjoyed a legendary status for his achievements both as a jockey and a trainer. His death is a big loss to the industry. He was truly a legend.”

 

Indeed, Hyderabad racing will miss his towering presence, his craft, his discipline, and the quiet confidence with which he ruled its turf for half a century.

 

A champion in the saddle.
A champion with the saddle.
And, most of all, a champion in spirit.

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 n...
Read more

Rajan Bala, one of a rare kind

Image
One of the finest cricketer writers that India has seen, Rajan Bala, passed away in Bangalore on Friday (October 9) after brief illness. He was truly an inspirational journalist for a generation of sports writers in the country in a career spanning about four decades. I began my career as a sports journalist in Deccan Herald of which he was the Sports Editor. I worked under him later in Indian Express as well though at that time he was stationed in Chennai. He then moved to Mumbai and also had a stint with an eveninger. He returned to Bangalore in the last decade with the intention of retiring from active journalism and keep himself occupied by writing columns for newspapers. But he soon landed another job, this time as the Resident Editor of Bangalore edition of Asian Age and he made me write a column on horse racing. He later became a columnist for Bangalore Mirror and joined a TV company as a consultant editor and yet again, he made me participate in a panel discussion on horse rac...
Read more
Are the British government betting restrictions on the money?   By Rolf Johnson   I’m jumping the gun. The Government’s Gambling Review  might  publish its findings on 17 April but as deadlines for its publication have come and gone over three yawning years, I don’t think there’s need to hold one’s breath long enough to asphyxiate oneself. The delay has nothing to do, we are assured, with the £378,000 that fifty-seven Members of Parliament have received since the last election in hospitality, gifts, donations and wages from bookmakers. The integrity of that largesse has been “checked” though whether as rigorously as it is intended the public’s betting habits are going to be, we’ll have to be patient – until April 17 at least. Theatre audiences continue to attend playwright Samuel Beckett’s 1981 masterpiece ‘Waiting for Godot’ whose message is that repeated nonsensical actions demonstrate man’s inability to give meaning to life. Heavy stuff: but the Gambling Commissio...
Read more