In India, Horse racing is not just a sport but a tradition that has been cherished since 1777. This is the time when this esteemed sport commenced its journey, galloping down to various cities in India- starting from Madras (now Chennai) and then reaching to other cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad etc.
As the sport made its way to these cities, laying down the foundation of race courses, the excitement for horse racing magnified- by the end of the 18th century all these locations started to organise major racing events on a regional level. Even though the tradition of horse racing began from Madras, it was not the place to have the very first classic horse races in India.
The first base of British power and the hub of horse racing in India was Calcutta. Therefore, by 1899 it became the governing body for 52 race courses of Burma and all the race courses of British India, except for those under the jurisdiction of then known as Bombay’s Western India Turf Club- including Bombay, Poona , Karachi and Khalapur (now Kolhapur).
In the year 1842, Calcutta introduced India to one of the major classic horse races known as the Calcutta Derby Stakes. The race was restricted to maiden Arabs with over a distance of 2 miles and a whopping prize of Rs. 5000 , which had a significant value in those times. Soon after Calcutta organised the very first Derby race in India, all the other race courses began organising the Derby on a localised level.
However, the year 1943 was a turning point for Indian horse racing as it was the first time Indian classic races were run on the grounds of Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai beginning with the Indian 1000 Guineas (Gr. 1) on 1st of January Followed by the Indian 2000 Guineas (Gr.1) on 16th of January and The Indian Derby on 30th January. Later in the following year, The Indian Oaks and St. Ledger also took place.
The Five Indian Classic Races
The Indian 1000 Guineas takes place on the second Sunday of December and is restricted to three year old fillies carrying level weights over a distance of 1600 meters. “Princess Beautiful” trained by M.C. Patel, ridden by Jockey E.Britt and owned by HH Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda claimed victory in the inaugural running of this race.
The 2000 Guineas is also run in the month of December, followed by The Indian 1000 Guineas. The race includes 3 year old colts and fillies, running with level weights over a distance of a mile. The Inaugural running for this race was also won by “Princess Beautiful”.
Restricted to 4 year old thoroughbred fillies to run over a distance of 2,414 meters, the third classic race known as the Indian Oaks (Gr.1) takes place in the month of January. It was only twice when the race took place in the month of February. The first ever winner of the Indian Oaks (Gr.1) was “Same Again”, trained by V V Powar and ridden by FJ Marrs.
The classic race which is considered to be the most prestigious race, as it holds the highest stakes among all the five major races is the Indian Derby. Every year, the race takes place on the first Sunday of February for thoroughbreds running over a distance of 2,400 meters. With exceptional skills and remarkable performance, “ Princess Beautiful” also clinched first position in the inaugural race of The Indian Derby.
The last and the longest among the five Indian classic races is The Indian St. Ledger (Gr.1), contested in September. The race was referred to as “The Governor-General’s Cup”, from 1944-1949. After which it was changed to “The Indian St. Ledger”. The race is for 4 year olds over a distance of 2800 meters. Initially, Geldings were not allowed to participate in this race, until the year 1965 and a few years in between. The first ever winner of this race was ch c “ROYAL WINDSOR” owned by HH Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda, trained by M. C. Patel and ridden by E. Britt.
Three of the five major Indian classics- The Indian 2000 Guineas, The Indian Derby and The Indian St. Ledger are the three legs of the prestigious Indian Triple Crown. It is a title given to the horse who manages to win all of these three races.
The horses who have won the Indian Triple Crown till date are 1953/54 “Commoner”, 1961/62 “Loyal Manzar” , 1963/64 “Prince Pradeep”, 1967/68 “Our Select”, 1976/77 “Squanderer”, 1981/82 “Almanac”, 1991/92 “Astonish”, 1996/97 “Indictment”, and 1999/2000 “Smart Chieftan”
