Dr MAM Ramaswamy has remained the doyen of Indian racing for nearly half a century! He is the supreme emperor and has dominated the Indian turf for decades. The man with the most number of Indian Classic trophies on his mantle! His impressive scale of success is a result that has come from sincere and unmatched personal involvement. From touring around to stud farms and selecting young foals, to keeping a pulse on day to day activities on each of his long string of horses, Dr MAM’s racing chores begin long before the first ray of the Sun descends from the horizon.  Pick any pro that has trained for MAM and he will vouch that ‘Boss’ knows as much, if not more, about each of his horses than they themselves knew! Such was his eye for detail with memory to match.

Dr MAM has the uncanny knack of picking up not just good but great horses, his eye for quality juveniles is simply outstanding. Age has hardly slowed him down. He may not travel as much as he would like to, however, the mind is ever-so-sharp and his memory bank overflowing with tales of successes and how they came about.

Indiarace correspondent Madhukar Bhagawan, met the warm-hearted business tycoon at his home, the ‘Chettinad House’ in Chennai and found Dr MAM Ramaswamy was as enthusiastic and delighted as ever, to spare his time and chat about his racing and the new star in his pool of horses, Be Safe.

Madhukar Bhagawan: What is the significance of the Invitation Cup to the racing fraternity? 

Dr.M.A.M.Ramaswamy: Significance of the Invitation Cup is …, they all say that the best horse will win the Invitation Cup, but it’s not all about the best horse winning the Cup. There is a lot more that happens during the weekend that also spills over a day or two after the Cup day. All of the racing fraternity meet, they exchange views and it’s more of a racing mega event. Lot of things about racing is discussed during the meetings and conferences and valuable advice is thought and received by experienced and retired racing officials of various Clubs. It is a very significant event for racing. 

MB: What is it to win a race as big as the Invitation Cup for an owner like you? 

Dr.MAM: I have won the Invitation Cup eleven times, Madhukar. There is nothing that excites me more than in winning the Invitation Cup. All said and done it is a big event and every owner would like to win the Invitation Cup and you can put me on the list of those chasing that ambition of winning another Invitation Cup. 

MB: What do you feel about the recent change in the format of this race? 

Dr.MAM: I have already expressed my opinion in the Turf Authorities’ meeting that it is not correct. The Invitation Cup should be for the corresponding year. By the new way you bring a 7 year old, 5 year old or a 4year old, penalty is there 2 to 4 kilos or 5 kilos and a very good horse can carry the 5 kilos and defy the penalty. I feel and I’ll stick to it saying that the present format of Invitation Cup is not ideal, I don’t approve it. 

MB: You have won this race eleven times and that is indeed a record. Which is the victory that comes readily to memory? 

Dr.MAM: Southern Empire at Kolkata. It was not just a good horse but a very very good horse. The exciting one and a memorable one if you want to know was Own Opinion beating Royal Tern. 

MB: I have often heard that there is a story behind Own Opinion’s victory. I would want you to share it with our readers. 

Dr.MAM: To be honest with you, the man is alive, his name is S.M.Shah. He retired long ago and is in Bangalore. When I got beat in the Derby at Bangalore he told me that I would win the Invitation but he would give me an advice and I should listen to it. He told me how the race had to be run. Another person who gave me the same advice was Christie Roche who told me on how to run the race. I engaged Sinclair Marshall on Philanderer to go to the front and I engaged McKeown on Red Chieftan to take over the running from the mile. Red Chieftan was no ordinary horse; he had won the South India Derby beating Own Opinion. So when a jockey sees a Derby winner going to the front, you can expect him to go after in chase on impulse. It was in no way bad riding by Karl Umrigar. I would say he fell for it and as most would, he went after Red Chieftan. Doing so, he had got himself in front by the 1000 meters. Entering the straight he was out of gas and I won by three quarters of a length with Own Opinion. That was the most exciting moment of my racing career.  

MB: Many racing experts consider Be Safe to be the best race horse India has ever seen. What’s your take on that? 

Dr.MAM: I have not seen the horse yet, he has won nine races. I have not seen him but the little bit that I have seen of him on Television, makes me believe that he is a great horse. 

MB: What are the comments or feedback that you have received on Be Safe. 

DR.MAM: Malesh has been saying that it is a different class of a horse, an international type of a horse and Suraj Narredu is all excited saying that this horse should not race in India at all. He would do well against international horses. So far I have got only this much feedback. 

MB: Are you planning to take him out of the country after the Invitation? 

Dr.MAM: After the Invitation, God willing let’s hope we win. Then let us see what both the trainer and jockey say about it and most importantly we have to wait and see how the horse takes the race. After that we will decide. 

MB: Several from the racing fraternity and all your admirers were expecting to see you at the Indian Derby. Why did you change your plans in the last minute?

 Dr.MAM: My legs were giving me little trouble and I had to change my mind. I am going through treatment and even if I am slightly better, I’ll be there for the Invitation. 

MB: It’s Madras Race Club’s turn to host the Invitation Cup next year. Is it going to be as grand an affair as it used to be in the past? 

Dr.MAM: Yes, we are hosting it in 2016 and we’ll try to make it as grand as it was always and hope to live up to the aspirations of all racing fraternity and keep up to the tradition of Madras Race Club and see that it is a grand success. 

I will require the support of all the other Turf Authorities. Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mysore, each centre is very important. If the five Turf Authorities can help us I’ll be very very grateful to them. I am not asking for financial help, but I am just asking for moral support and if they can send some senior people to help us out and give us suggestions to incorporate into whatever we do, I’ll be very grateful. 

We have one year more to go and I have plenty of time. As soon as I return from Mumbai I’ll start working hard, harder and harder and I’ll give you an assurance that the Invitation Cup Weekend at Chennai will be a great show.   

MB: There are a large number of people who are concerned about your health and well-being and also about the extent of your passion for racing as of today. What’s your message to them? 

Dr.MAM: Health and wealth is alright, passion for racing will never go away. This is my only passion. Even today I get up at 5 in the morning and I would have finished speaking to all my trainers by 7 a.m. That has been a routine for many years now. I know all my horses, where they are, how they work and how they feed. That has been the way my day begins. Many people may have several passions, but for me racing and racing alone is my passion. I will never give it up as long as I am alive.