Family-wise statistics were first compiled by the Stud Book Department in the year 1993-94. No other publication - to the best of my knowledge gives family-wise statistics and so it was an innovation. That year, Simon's Shoes family headed the table. Since then, the Pretty Polly and Schiaparelli families have dominated except the odd years when Kasbah, Simon Shoes, Athasi and Admiration families stepped in to break the monotony. Admiration, it needs to be added, is the dam of Pretty Polly.A new name gets added to the list with the Mumtaz Mahal family emerging at the top of the table this year and the first six standings were:-

The May Flower family's high standing owes principally to Quasar. It is a fairly obscure family in India and so unlikely to be in top rungs in the future. It was good to see Wenonah in the limelight once again. Most runners from this family trace back to the tap-root through the Yeravada Stud matron Stella Marina. The Stella Marina family was once  on the top of the tree and is still the No. 1 Indian family. Mumtaz Mahal family took the top slot by a narrow margin and it was the closest finish this year for the premier honours. They were gained through a consistent performance of its members because the family had only one stand-out runner in Angel Dust, the winner of Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1.

When the Aga Khan III - grandfather of the present one - shifted his interest to the English turf, he spent time in first studying the racing scene there. When he ventured into it, he wanted Hon. George Lambton to train for him. Lambton was a private trainer to Lord Derby and so he declined. However, Lambton agreed to buy yearlings for the Aga Khan and the first batch was purchased at the 1921 sales. In the second batch, was a grey filly by The Tetrarch out of Lady Josephine, bred by Lady Sykes at Sledmere Stud, which Lambton acquired for 9,100 Guineas, an eye-brow raising price at the time. " I thought her one of the best animals I ever saw in my life", said Lambton. That grey filly was named Mumtaz Mahal and sent to Richard Dawson to train at Whatcombe.

Mumtaz Mahal won her first five races as a 2YO with such ridiculous ease that she quickly became the darling of East London. The Cockneys called her "Mumty" while the racing press referred to her as "The Flying Filly". She would have remained unbeaten in the first year of her racing but she was a bit off-colour when she lined up for the Imperial Produce Stakes at Kempton. Dawson was aware of her condition but thought that she was so superior that she could still win. It rained on the day of the race, the going was extremely heavy and Arcade, receiving seven pounds, wore her down in the final run-in. Mumtaz Mahal had scintillating speed but had clear stamina limitations. She was beaten in the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket and the Coronation Stakes at Ascot. However, she finished her career in style on reverting to sprinting and won the King George Stakes at Goodwood and Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

In an effort to add stamina to her blinding speed, Mumtaz Mahal was mated with stoutly bred stallions and the results were disappointing. The amalgam was speed and stamina was, however, latent in her daughters and it was expressed in the very next genration starting with Mahmoud (out of her daughter Mah Mahal by Gainsborough) who won the 1936 Derby in record time and after that there was no looking back. Her descendants have excelled worldwide, on the track as well as at stud, and are so many in number that that it is difficult make a short-list of the best of them. Nasrullah, Royal Charger, Migoli, Petite Etoile, Shergar, Shernazar, Risen Star, Octogonal, Eight Carat and Alamshar are just some of them.  

In the 1930s, the Aga Khan was still racing in India. Some of the horses that he wanted to cull from his string in England, often found their way to India and one of the most notable of them was Bashir. He was purchased by Maharaja of Baroda and renamed Golden Fawn (gr 1937 Bahram - Mah Mahal) and thus a three-parts brother to Mahmoud. Golden Fawn won the Eclipse Stakes of India in consecutive years. He was retired as a stallion but died soon due to a heat-stroke. Then came Marlborough, a full-brother to Mahmoud, who was imported as a stallion by the Renala Stud. After the Partition of India, Renala Stud became part of Pakistan and the services of Marlborough were lost to Indian breeders. Prince Pradeep, an Indian Triple Crown winner and Champion Sire in his own right, was sired by the Arc winner Migoli who was a grandson of Mumtaz Mahal. The only direct son of Nasrullah (another grandson of Mumtaz Mahal) to come to India was Golestan. Golestan's daughter Hovercraft beat Prince Pradeep in the 1964 Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1 at Calcutta. The Nasrullah male-line held sway in India through stallions like Grey Gaston, Royal Gleam and Riyahi till the advent of Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector line sires.  

As far as memory can be trusted, the first broodmare descending from Mumtaz Mahal to come to India was Pharsa in 1972. She came to a most unlikely breeding establishment, the Panvel Stud. Pharsa died after dropping the foal she was carrying and that foal, named Shehzor, had an undistinguished racing career. Since then, the flood-gates haven't exactly opened but the numbers have swelled steadily. In the last Indian Stud Book published in 2010, 125 mares tracing to Mumtaz Mahal were listed. Only Pretty Polly (160) and Simon's Shoes (131) were better represented numerically.

Over a period of time, a stud farm develops its own sub-families but from time to time, when it replenishes its stock, it is necessary to get mares which trace to established  "blue hens". At least one stud farm in the top five this year has no mare tracing to Mumtaz Mahal.

PAST THE POST

So far, 22 Classic winners have won 30 Classics in India. The list of Classic winners is as follows:-

It is a remarkable coincidence that the first and the last Classic winner so far descending from Mumtaz Mahal raced in the colors of Dr. Vijay Mallya !