City-based stud farms perfect the art of breeding horses - By Neha Madaan I TNN
Posted on - 09 Oct 2011
City-based stud farms perfect the art of breeding horses
Winning At Home And Abroad Brings Laurels For Community Here
By Neha Madaan TNN
Pune: Creating champions on race tracks comes through an innate skill — judging a horse for its ability after having chosen the right blend of modern breeding management and technologies to groom it to perfection. Pune seems to have this skill in abundance, its rich history in horse breeding and a prosperous set of well-endowed stud farms bearing testimony to this.
Kelly Kotwal, director, marketing, Poonawalla Stud Farms, said, “Mumbai is the main centre where all the classic horse races take place. So it is not astonishing to see many state-of-the-art stud farms in Pune, given its close proximity to the metro. Pune being less expensive than Mumbai, numerous horse owners and breeders in Western India prefer breeding horses here.”
Kotwal said that there were eight to nine stud farms in Pune, unparalleled in their line of work. Take for instance the Poonawalla stud farm. Established as the Poona Stud Farm in 1946 by the late Soli A Poonawalla with approximately a dozen mares and one stallion, it only breeds thoroughbreds. The horses bred here are sold to major horse racing hubs like Bangalore, Mumbai, Calcutta and Hyderabad. “We have had horses that have raced and won abroad, such as Astonish who won in Hong Kong, and Mystical who won two races in the Dubai Carnival. These historic victories put India on the international racing map,” added Kotwal.
The stud farm has to its credit 10 ‘Champion Breeders’ Awards’, four of which it received in successive years since the awards’ inception 14 years ago. The farm bred 319 Classic winners (all India) till February 2011, including winners of eight Indian Derbies and 65 Indian Classics.
Another contender in the list of envious stud farms in the city is the Nanoli Stud Farm, set up in the precincts surrounding the banks of the Indrayani river. A few years back, the farm’s produce won 20 out of an All-India total of 94 graded races in one year. Set up in 1994 by Khushroo Dhunjibhoy, the ultra-modern farm occupies a shade over 100 hectares on the banks of this river. “I have been a horse enthusiast since childhood. Starting a stud farm was a life-long dream and I have built one up from a mere 50 acres to the current 325 acres. We have a total of 180 thoroughbreds, including an American breed Appaloosa — a breed originally used by Native Americans. Horses of this breed are good for amateur racing, and the farm has had three Appaloosa foals in six years,” he said.
But Dhunjibhoy said that horse breeding involves meticulous planning and immaculate technique. “One has to pay a lot of attention to detail in proper feeding and grooming of the horse. The entire system is run on a computerised basis, with inputs on monthly growth rates of the horses. We change the feeding pattern according to the way these horses are growing, which results in success,” added Dhunjibhoy.
He feels that it is the affluence in Pune that has made it a major competitor in horse breeding. “Traditionally, horses have always been a part of the Maharashtrian culture, right from Chhatrapati Shivaji’s era. In addition, the city is endowed with a climate that suits the practice of horse breeding. The weather here is more temperate, without great extremes. It has a relatively dry climate, which horses prefer; they are averse to humid climates,” added Dhunjibhoy.
Manjri Stud Farm, one of the oldest stud farms in the country, is located about 10 km from the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) race course in Pune. Originally set up by Sir Sultan Chinoy and his partners, the stud farm then passed on to the late Madhavrao Scindia and since the mid-1980s it is in the hands of Shapoor Mistry. Horses bred here, such as Secret Memory and Gobelin, have provided historic successes in the Pune Derby. Secret Memory not only won the Pune Derby, but a host of other graded races, including the Gr 1 Super Mile.
The stud farm currently stands four stallions. Major Impact (Roberto) and Senure (Nureyev) have already produced a number of champions. Two new stallions, Phoenix Tower (Chester House) and Arabian Gulf (Saddler’s Wells) will have their crop racing next year. The farm has carefully planned its mare selection, with a good collection of mares bought from abroad. Today, the stud farm has about 140 mares.
Vivek Jain, chairman, RWITC, added, “Pune has some of the most famous and successful stud farms in the country. It has been home to several champion horses which were bred in the Pune region. The stud farms here continue to play a very important role in the Indian breeding industry. As the RWITC is running races in Pune and Mumbai, a lot of horses bred in the Pune region are usually bought by Western Indiabased horse owners.”
Pune Derby today The Nanoli Stud Pune Derby will take place on Sunday. The Pune Derby goes back to 1984, when it was first run on October 7 as the ‘Splendor Deluxe Pune Derby’. The inaugural run was won by ‘Prudential Champ’ owned by Poonawalla family. Nanoli Stud Farm has been associated with the Derby since 1996, making this the 16th successive year of Nanoli’s sponsorship for the Pune Derby.
