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DAM GOOD !

By Major Srinivas Nargolkar (Retd.) | 22 Oct 2019 |


Early next month, the Stud Book Authority of India (SBAI)  will publish the annual breeding statistics for the year 2018-19 and bestow the awards in various categories. Most of the categories are stallion oriented, as they are all over the world. The SBAI, however, also publishes a table of leading families and this, most probably, is the only one its kind compiled.

Recently, a discussion among friends turned into a debate and ended up in a bet. The point was which mare has produced more Classic winners in India. Tosca or Stunning ? There is no reference manual available and I volunteered to rake up the records. It turned out to be an infructuous  chore because when it was over, it was found that both Tosca and Stunning had produced four Classic winners each. The bet was neither won nor lost but the two parties were magnanimous enough to stand everyone a round of drinks. Maybe pointless, but the work had been interesting and was carried out in greater detail, embracing more categories. The results of that work are given below and it is hoped that there are at least some people who will find it of interest.

MARE WHOSE PROGENY HAS WON MOST STAKES

RUNNING FLAME (b 1995-2016 Steinbeck - Stomata by Storm Bird - tracing to AFFECTION)

Bred at Usha Stud, Running Flame was a very fine race mare. She was initially owned by Mr. S.P. Khetan, who withdrew from racing and Running Flame then passed into the ownership of the Padmanabhans, husband and wife. Over three years of racing, Running Flame won 10 races. Rs. 1,16,84,418 including the Wills Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr.1, President of India Gold Cup, Gr.1, Castrol Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1, Kingfisher Indian Oaks, Gr.1,  Golconda 1000 Guineas, Gr.2, Golconda St. Leger, Gr.2 and Nizam's Gold Cup, Gr.2-NTR. She also placed 2nd in the McDowell Indian Derby, Gr.1, McDowell Indian St. Leger, Gr.1, 3rd in the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore, Gr.1 and 4th in the President of India Gold Cup. Her average winning distance was 1980 m. She then was sent to U.S.A. and raced mostly on the West Coast. She did not place in her seven starts abroad.

In 2002, she was covered by Silver Hawk in Kentucky and moved to England. In her six years at stud abroad, she produced five foals of which two -- Jhansi Ki Rani and Maratha Warrior -- won in the French Provinces. In foal to Choisir, Running Flame returned to India in 2009. Initially boarded at Kunigal Stud she was later moved to Poonawalla Farms where she died in 2016. In India, she produced a foal every year  and seven of her eight foals are winners, only Desert Empire, her last foal, failing to win a race so far. Her seven winners include Classic winners Desert God, Borsalino, Sur La Tete [bred at Kunigal Stud] and Indian Pharaoh. Between them, the seven winners have won 30 races and amassed Rs. 13,04,53,329 -- in India only and including Desert Empire's place earnings --in stakes to place her on the top.

MARE WHO HAS PRODUCED MOST CLASSIC WINNERS

STAR WITNESS  (late Court Star) ( ch 1956  Star Signal - Court Case by Court Martial -- tracing to STELLA)

Star Witness was born in England. After winning a race in the country of her birth, she came to India and was based in Western India in the stables of the ace Arab schooler A.L.J. Talib. She won 6 races including the Aga Khan's Spring Cup, Mathradas Goculdas Cup and Baroda Cup. Her best racing performance was in twice placing in the Eclipse Stakes of India, then the premier race for older horses. In 1961, she was third behind the Gwalior pair of Lough Ine and Gul Mohar. The following year, Star Witness was just half a length shy of the winner Ali Baba to whom she was giving a stone and six pounds.

A prominent owner in Talib's stable then was Mr. Suresh Mahindra who had just pulled off a sensational coup and acquired the late Maharajadhiraj of Jammu and Kashmir's Jammu Stud; lock stock and barrel. In hindsight, one can say that getting Star Witness to join his broodmare band was a feat of equal enterprise. Star Witness* moved to the newly established Greenacres Stud in time for the 1962 covering season. Why the flop stallion Daneshill was chosen as her first mate is not known but thereafter she visited Flower Dust twice, Rock of Gibraltar nine times and Paddykin once. She produced nine foals out of which a Rock of Gibraltar filly died young. The other eight all raced and won. In the mid-1970s, no returns were submitted for her and she was struck off. She was the dam of FIVE Classic winners:-

FAIR COURT (ch c 1966 by Rock of Gibraltar)
STAR HAVEN (ch f 1968 by Rock of Gibraltar)
ROCK WITNESS (ch f 1969 by Rock of Gibraltar)
FIRE HAVEN (ch f 1970 by Paddykin)
REPUBLICAN (ch c 1972 by Rock of Gibraltar)

The number of mares who have produced four Classic winners -- including Tosca, Stunning and Running Flame mentioned above -- runs into double figures. Star Witness trumps them all ! It is such a pity that among the nearly 2000 mares listed in the 2018 Return of Mares there is not a single mare tracing to the Greenacres Blue Hen.

MARE WHOSE  PROGENY HAS WON MOST RACES

MENORAH (ch 1984 Gombos - Scalaris by Lord Gayle - tracing to BENDLET)

Menorah, who was bred at the Poonawalla Farms, won 6 races at 3 to 5 (1200 m. to 2800 m.), Rs. 7,71,164 incl. Indian St. Leger, Gr.1 and placed 2nd in the Indian 1000 Guineas, Gr.1, etc. She was owned by Mrs. Mozelle Kelly and M/s. Solomon S. Sopher & Cyrus S. Poonawalla and trained by Uttam Singh.

After her racing days were over, Menorah returned to the place of her birth to commence her stud innings. In a long career, she produced 13 named foals of which one did not race and one did not place. The other 11 were all winners and between them they notched up a tally of 92 wins:-

FLYING WILD (b g 1990 by Malvado). 6 wins.
AROMA (ch f 1992 by Riyahi). 5 wins.
AVAGLOW (b c 1993 by Riyahi). 7 wins.
ASTREUS (ch f 1994 by Riyahi). 3 wins.
PAS DE MEMORIES (ch f 1996 by Exhilaration). 2 wins.
MENORCA (b g 1997 by Placerville). 3 wins.
STAR PRIDE (ch f 1998 by Alnasr Alwasheek). 7 wins.
ROMANTIC HEIGHTS (ch f 1999 by Diffident). 5 wins.
MOON EMPEROR (ch g 2001 by Placerville). 50 wins.
SILENT PRESENCE (ch g 2002 by Greensmith). 3 wins.
ADMIRALS QUEST (b g 2006 by Placerville). 1 win.

[The mare was put out of stud in 2008.]

Produce of no mare in India has so far reached the century. Menorah came closest to it.   

MARE WHO PRODUCED MOST WINNERS

CEDAR POINT (br 1981 Persian Bold - Margery by Cadmus II - tracing to MACKWILLER)

Mares usually go to stud when they are four. With the average life span of a mare limited to 15-16 years, most of them are lucky to produce about eight foals to race. As such, it is quite uncommon for a mare to produce 14 winners. One such mare is Cedar Point who was bred in Ireland by Mr. Sean Collins. In her brief racing career she placed fourth once on her home turf. She came to India in 1985 to Usha Stud and was covered by Treasure Leaf. Over the next 16 years, she was mated regularly without a break and produced 15 foals of which her 1999 colt by Razeen died early. She was twice barren; once to her only  visit to Steinbeck in 1994 and once to Razeen. All her 14 foals to reach the racecourse came under colours and all were winners. She was put out of stud in 2002 at the age of 21. The winners she produced are:-

TREASURE POINT (b g 1986 by Treasure Leaf). 7 wins.
CHEROKEE PRINCESS (b f 1987 by Treasure Leaf). 2 wins.
SENTOUKI (b c 1988 by Treasure Leaf). 12 wins. Classic winner.
ALILITA (b f 1989 by Treasure Leaf). 3 wins.
LITTLE PRECIOUS (b f 1990 by Treasure Leaf). 5 wins. Black-type placed.
PATRON IN CHIEF (dk b/br g 1991 by Common Land). 4 wins. Black-type winner.
BELLE ISLE (b f 1992 by Treasure Leaf). 4 wins. Black-type placed.
CEDAR ROSE (b f 1993 by Razeen). 6 wins.Black-type placed.
CEDARZEEN (b f 1994 by Razeen). 1 win.
BAYWOOD (b c 1996 by Razeen). 6 wins.
COOL QUEST (b g 1997 by Razeen). 5 wins.
AUCHINBLAE (b g 1998 by Razeen). 5 wins.
MAKE A WISH (b f 2001 by Razeen). 1 win. Black-type placed.
MAGICAL ROMANCE (b f 2002 by Razeen). 1 win.

PAST THE POST

It was only from Vol. XII that the Indian Stud Book started showing the racing performances of the mare and her progeny. That and all subsequent volumes were perused. I was aided in this task by a couple of good friends -- many thanks to them -- and due diligence was applied. However, it was essentially a manual exercise and hence subject to errors and omissions. It is felt that generally speaking, mares at stud in India from 1980 onwards have been included. It was not possible, given time constraints, to go further back though some outstanding cases -- like  Star Witness and Tosca -- have been considered. Racing in India prior to 1980 was on a much smaller scale in terms of races run and prize money on offer and it is doubtful if many old mares can better the records of their later counterparts. If any readers have spotted any omissions and errors, I may please be informed and they will be acknowledged gratefully.

Only statistics gleaned from a computer exercise can confirm a record and with this in mind, the mares highlighted here have only been termed as "noteworthy". While the table of leading families is unique to India, most countries have an annual award for "The Broodmare of Year". We could certainly do with one in India.