The Annual Breeding Statistics for 2014-15 have been published by the Stud Book Authority of India and as seemed most likely at the end of the Third Quarter, Hazara Stud overhauled the leader Chettinad/Sholavaram, rather easily in the end and claimed the crown.  The final standings were:-

The ranking is based on a points structure adopted by the Turf Authorities of India. Thirty points are awarded for winning a Gr.1 race, twenty for a Gr.2 event while a Gr.3 win gets ten points. There are points for placing second and third in graded races. An ordinary race gets one point and there are bonus points for some Gr.1 races like the Indian Derby, Invitation Cup and others and also for ordinary races where the stake money is more than Rs. 5 lakhs. There are anomalies in the point system adopted for it favours quantity over quality. For instance, only one race in 33 races run can be a graded race so if an ordinary race gets one point, a graded race must get at least 30 points. However, so far the system has worked and in the last five years a stud farm collecting the highest number of black-type points has generally come out on the top. It is for the breeders themselves to usher in a fairer system but they seem unwilling to bestir themselves towards it. Incidentally, the number of runners, stakes earned and AE Index are not part of the table published by S.B.A.I. but have been added to provide a better overall picture.

The top five breeding establishments this year were also in top five in the previous two years but the positions have kept changing.

Hazara Stud broke into the top five for the first time in 2011-12. The following year, in 2012-13, it became the Champion Stud Farm. It was displaced by Usha Stud in 2013-14 but has bounced back immediately to claim the honours this year. As in 2012-13, Hazara Stud is indebted to the exploits of its 'got-abroads' for its position. This year, Quasar and Be Safe have between them amassed almost fifty percent of its black-type points. For it to remain consistently in the high echelon, Hazara Stud's produce, conceived and born in India, like Shivalik Showers, has to play its part. There is no reason why it cannot do so for its land holding is much bigger than any other rival. Hazara Stud initially started on a small scale at Mohra near Ambala but has more or less shifted its entire operation now to Belgarh in Yamunanagar District. Vast acreage, virgin land and an equable climate throughout the year in the lower reaches on the Shivaliks give Hazara Stud a decided edge over its contemporaries. Loss of its two stallions, Rebuttal and Dancing Forever at a young age in 2013, however, is a serious setback.   

For the moment, though, Mr. Nirmal Singh and his team can justifiably bask in the limelight. For so long, the Indian breeding scene was dominated by Poonawalla Farms with Usha Stud breaking the dominance every now and then. It is nice to see a third establishment come into the picture and two Championships in three years have been thoroughly deserved. At his best - as in the Indian Derby - Be Safe looked as if he belonged to a different league. The relentless galloper Quasar proved himself to be a tough, durable sort and in winning seven Classics in his career including three Derbies and three St. Legers, he gave ample proof of his prowess. That places him on par with Almanac, Queen of the Hills and Southern Empire. Only Chaitanya Chakram (10), Aristocrat, Own Opinion, Birthday Girl, Nicolette (9 each) and Fair Haven (8) have won more Classics. He is off to stud (as of the moment the 2016 Indian Turf Invitation Cup looked at his mercy) and we do not know the future of Be Safe. The standard bearer for Hazara Stud next year will hence be Shivalik Showers. This half-brother to Excelebration, an excellent miler in  Europe and now a stallion at Coolmore, came into his own in the latter half of the year and contributed substantially to Hazara Stud's black-type points. 

Chettinad/ Sholavaram is regularly in the top five, making the most of its advantage of being able to gather its booty in the private preserve that is the racing in the state of Tamil Nadu. How many of its 697 points have been won outside the state ? Nobody has the time, or the desire, to actually check. If the Turf Authorities of India had any gumption, they would have de-recognized Classics where horses win a 2400 m. race in a time over 2.45.

Usha Stud was toppled from its perch and just about held on in taking the podium place, totaling 304 points less than in 2013-14 when it had finished on top. Every year is not a vintage year and in a sport fraught with uncertainties, such changes of fortunes are not uncommon. The most worrying aspect from the establishment's point of view is that on current form it does not have front line contenders for the Winter Classics. The Winter Classics have usually been Usha Stud's happy hunting ground for its runners seem at their best over the cold weather period. That, may be, gives it a sliver of hope; otherwise, its 2013 crop will have to be markedly superior to its 2012 counterpart. to vie for top honours.

In the last eight years, Kunigal Stud has featured consistently in the top quintet, just missing out once in 2011-12. Last year, it had finished third which is its best finishing position. It fell short repeating that feat by just 13 points this year  and in racing terms it is akin to losing by a head if not a short-head. It had an excellent last quarter during which it made good ground to go past the Poonawalla Farms. Amazing Grace was nowhere as dominating as in the previous year but still contributed usefully but it was the monsoon victories of Desert God, New Alliance and Captain Cook which gave momentum to the late surge. In siring the unbeaten Admiralty, Captain Cook and Cameron, to mention just three, Admiralofthefleet had made a most promising start to his stud career. His health problems meant that he has only four foals in his third and last crop. The reliable and consistent Burden of Proof, who is not getting any younger,  will hence have to bear the load in the coming year.

The first Champion Stud award was made at Bangalore in 1978 during the Invitation Cup week-end. Since then Poonawalla Farms have been crowned the Champion Stud Farm on twelve occasions, their last seven awards coming in successive years. In 2011-12, the year of In The Spotlight, they were Champions with a tally of highest ever 1081 points. In the last three years they have slipped to lower rungs, being fourth in 2012-13 and 2013-14 while in the year under review they are fifth, their lowest ever position, bagging 557 points. A descending sequence of 1081 points followed by 643, 606 and 557 is indicative of a trend that could not have been envisaged some years ago. They have excellent facilities, rely on high-tech methods and are backed by years of experience. The descent is partially explained by the very limited success that Ace achieved as a stallion. Predictably, Ace covered no mares in 2014. His successor Arazan has begun marginally better than Ace and it will be up to him to improve and reverse the slide for the progeny of former Coolmore stallion Excellent Art does not start racing till the next year. A big ask, that.

A good year for Phoenix Tower meant that Manjri made an upward move while Sohna and Nanoli marked time in their accustoumed places. Dashmesh/Hargobind and Pratap Stud followed next in that order. In the table where the stud farms are ranked according to the stakes won, only nine std farms with an AE Index of more than 1 were listed. The average earnings of a runner during 2014-15 were around Rs. 4.4 lakhs and that corresponds to an AE Index of 1. Other than the four farms in the top five, stud farms which had a 1+ AE Index were Manjri, Dashmesh, Country, Lumbini and Bishan.

PAST THE POST

Since the top five farms have occupied dominated the top spots for the last three years, it is interesting to see their annual average points tally over the same period. Hazara heads the list with 754 followed by Usha at 724, Chettinad/Sholavarm chalking up 691, Poonawalla Farms 602 and Kunigal 573. They are covered by a gap of less than 200 points and two good horses of the Be Safe, Quasar, Alaindair or Amazing Grace can make a decisive swing. Each stud farm will be susceptible to the year to year variation except Chettinad/Sholavaram which can be counted upon to rake in 600+ points. Problems of the the four stud farms other than Chettinad/Sholavaram have been mentioned above. For a radical shift from the average score, a stud farm needs an increment by the way of infrastructure inputs or infusion of new blood and none of these stud farms have it.

It will be a keen affair next year and while some may consider it a travesty of justice, it may just be that Chettinad/Sholavaram comes out on the top. No one can question Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy finishing every year as the Leading Owner because he has an all-India presence. The same, however, cannot be said of his trainer Robert Foley or the Chettinad Stud stallion Always A Rainbow claiming the top honours. Their exploits are confined to a private preserve. Chettinad/Sholavaram has never won the Chamipon Stud Farm title and might just do so next year.