Kaleem Shah owned Bayern, trained by Bob Baffert was given a gritty ride by Martin Garcia to cling on to the G1 Breeders Cup Classic in a nail biting finish.

 Kaleem Shah who is of Indian origin is the son of S Majid Shah, a veteran Indian trainer who has won the Indian Triple Crown with two of his horses. Kaleem left to the US with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Bangalore University. Having completed his masters in computer engineering from Clemson University and an MBA from George Washington University, Mr.Shah is now a successful entrepreneur in America.

Kaleem Shah who was always infatuated with horses from his younger days was forbidden by his father to get into his shoes. Shah pursued his passion as an owner in the US and his red, white and blue silks has risen to great heights, the latest being the US $ 5 million G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic with Bayern.

The 3 year old son of Offlee Wild whose capability to get the ten furlongs trip was a matter of debate before the race had to prove his worth on the track first and then get the result approved by the Stewards following an enquiry that was necessitated after a chaotic start.

Bayern jumped off well from draw seven and shifted left therby bumping hard with Shared Belief, who then passed it on to Moreno. In a chain reaction that ensued, V.E.Day was the one affected most. Bayern soon headed the field, a style he relishes most, with Toast of New York and California Chrome tracking on the outer. With a furlong and a half left from home Toast of New York closed all the way till the winning post but just missed out by a nose. California Chrome also stayed on under pressure but couldn’t squeeze that extra and finished third a neck away. Shared Belief was third 3 ½ lengths adrift.

"It’s an amazing feeling, a dream come true," said trained Baffert who tasted his first Classic success. "To compete in these races, especially this day, is a big thing for everyone. In this situation, you don’t take away when a horse likes to run on the lead. We let him run, and if anything happens, you make adjustments. In this race, he broke really good and I took advantage." Commenting on the inquiry, he added, "I was pretty sure that I didn’t do anything. In racing, these things happen."

Image Courtesy http://www.breederscup.com