When the 1964 New Year's day dawned in Bombay, as it was then called, the city was experiencing mild, pleasant weather. Sports loving Bombayites were agog with the anticipation of two major events; The Indian Derby on the 19th and the Second Test match against the M.J.K. Smith led English cricketers. Much before the English cricketers had arrived in the India, the English jockeys like Joe Mercer, Stan Smith and Geoff Lewis were  plying their trade at Mahalakshmi. Mercer had endeared himself to the local railbirds, winning the Indian 1000 Guineas astride My Smita and the Indian 2000 Guineas atop Prince Pradeep, both trained by Aziz Mahmoud for Mr. & Mrs. T G Gaokar.

The Babbanio filly My Smita was being readied for the Indian Oaks when, after one of her workouts, she lashed out and broke Mercer's arm. That put the jockey on the sidelines for the rest of the season. It was on the jockey's recommendation that his father-in-law, the Queen's jockey Harry Carr was summoned. Putting aside the festivities, Carr flew out and was on My Smita for the Indian Oaks on 5 January for which Talib's filly Shipshape was the favourite. Gwalior's trainer Maj. V M Lad pulled a rabbit out of the bag as Gwalior Lass held the favourite by a short-head with My Smita five lengths away in third. The consolation that day for the stable and Carr came through Baraloy who won the Eclipse Stakes of India stylishly.

With a fortnight to go for the Indian Derby, Carr now set about getting to know Prince Pradeep. He had already been alerted by Mercer about the colt's headstrong front running and Carr had come prepared with a special bit which he felt would make Prince Pradeep more amenable to restraint. Prince Pradeep had been purchased in the ring for Rs. 50,000, a big price in those days for a two year old. Ridden by Con Morsillo, Prince Pradeep had made a winning debut at 2 over the scurry. In February, he picked up the Chief Minister's Cup under Shamu Chavan. He had won both races very easily as a raging favourite. Then, rather brazenly, he was pitted against older horses in the graded A C Ardeshir Trophy. Two years earlier, the future Triple Crown winner Loyal Manzar had failed to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes which was only a Class IV race. Prince Pradeep was beaten by the Talib-trained Ethics II who gave Chavan's mount 7.5 kgs. and spared a length and a half at the finish. Ethics II had gone into the race following a good win and he completed a noteworthy hat-trick in about a fortnight when he came out the following Sunday to win the Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia Cup beating Glasgow Courser and Rishikesh.

In Poona, Prince Pradeep raced just once, bagging the Monsoon Stakes with Raghunath in the saddle. Rocklie won the Rajaram Chhatrapati Cup the same day so a Derby winner and a future Derby winner were on view that day.  At the start of his second year's racing, Prince Pradeep won the C H Malone Plate under Khade and then, as mentioned earlier, ridden by Joe Mercer, won the Maharaja of Morvi Cup (by three lengths from Shipshape) and the Indian 2000 Guineas (by two and a half lengths from Zindabad).

The Race

Prince Pradeep had started as the favourite in all his seven races before the Derby and he was an odds on chance when Carr was given the leg-up on 19 January. Only one Indian Derby has been run at an earlier date; that was in 1953 when it was run on 18 January and Kashmir's Regal Domain had obliged as the favourite.

The story of Prince Pradeep's Derby is simply told. It was the last Derby to be started from the Carradini Gate (Tape Start – as how races used to be started before the introduction of Starting Gates.) When the tapes went up, Prince Pradeep shot into the lead, opened up a gap and won as he liked, coming home well clear of the Gwalior grey Zindabad. Next day, the noted scribe Bobby Taleyarkhan claimed in his column that he should have been paid the Forecast dividend since he was shouting "Prince Pradeep Zindabad" even before the field had come opposite the stands ! Prince Pradeep was the first Indian Derby winner to win by more than five lengths and his winning margin of six lengths stood as a record till it was broken by Manitou in 1978.

1964 INDIAN DERBY
Bombay, Sunday, 19 January, 1964

A Gold Trophy value Rs. 3,000. Sweepstakes of Rs. 800 with Rs. 55,000

added from the Fund. Winner, the Trophy and Rs. 65,792.50; second, Rs.19,454;

third, Rs. 12,183.50; Rs. 5,130 to the Breeder of the winner. For Indian Colts and

Fillies four year old only (foaled in 1960). Colts 57.0 kgs., Fillies 55.5 kgs. 2400 m.

1. PRINCE PRADEEP  (W H Carr) (4/10, fav)
(b c Migoli - Driving* by Watling Street)
Mr & Mrs T G Gaokar

2. Zindabad (S Chavan) (7/2)
(gr c Zinosca* - Eastern Fanfare* by Easter Lyric)
H H The Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia of Gwalior

3. Gwalior Lass (G Lewis) (7/2)
(b f Star of Gwalior - Tudor Lass* by Tudor Minstrel)
H H The Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia of Gwalior

4. Mansab (Purtu Singh) (9/1)
(Zinsoca* - Princess Vasundhara by Hyder Ali*)
M/s. D F Karaka & S C Seth and Mrs A L J Talib

Also ran: My Smita (K Raghunath), Shipshape (S Smith), Venividivici (D Keith) Kingsley ( P Khade), Mrag Lochnee (W J Stevens) and Armin (M J Rajoo). 10 ran.

Trained by Aziz  Mahmoud

Verdict:  6, 5, 1/2  Time: 2.42.2

Tote: Rs. 14 for win and Rs. 14, Rs. 27 and Rs. 17 for places  Forecast: Rs. 56

This was the last Indian Derby for which tape start was used.

Remaining Career

On the first Sunday of February, Prince Pradeep became India's third Triple Crown winner, following Commoner and Loyal Manzar. It was again a bloodless victory but by now Carr had instilled some restraint in Prince Pradeep and the verdict over Zindabad was just a length and a half in the Indian St. Leger. Prince Pradeep and Zindabad finished 1-2 in all the Triple Crown races; the feat was matched by Squanderer and Wild Blossom in 1976-77.

By the time Prince Pradeep went to Calcutta for the Invitation Cup, Harry Carr had returned home. The ride went to Raghunath who lost a stirrup iron soon after the start and Prince Pradeep, racing in front without control for much of the race, was beaten by his former stud mate Hovercraft close home. The connections all had compensation later; Raghunath won the Triple Crown and the Invitation Cup on Red Rufus; owner Mr. Gaokar had the satisfaction of leading in Mother's Boy; Prince Pradeep himself sired an Invitation Cup winner in Bright Hanovar. Trainer Aziz Mahmoud himself never trained an Invitation Cup winner but his assistant Imtiaz Sait saddled three.

In his final year's racing, Prince Pradeep had four starts. He started promisingly, winning the A C Ardeshir Cup, a race he had lost two years earlier. Then, he was beaten a neck by Rishikesh in the Eclipse Stakes of India and was unplaced in the C N Wadia Gold Cup. In these three races he was piloted by Mercer. He was last seen under colours on 2 April 1965 in the P D Bolton Cup over 1400 m. For the first time in his 14 starts, he was not the favourite. That distinction went to the Gwalior filly Lauretta who won the race. Prince Pradeep, on whom Khade had to fill his saddle bags with lumps of lead to make 66.0 kgs., finished fourth.

A winner of 9 races from 2 to 5 (1000 m. to 2800 m.), he also placed thrice and earned Rs. 2,60,730 in stakes.

The Pedigree

PRINCE PRADEEP, (First Foal), b c 9 Feb 1960 - 8 Feb 1976

Bred by Yeravada Stud & Agricultural Farm
Bred at Yeravada Stud, Poona (Maharashtra)

Dosage Profile: 7-0-9-12-4  Dosage Index: 0.56

Not many people will know that Mr. F D Wadia owned Meath Paddocks, a stud farm in Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland. Driving, the dam of Prince Pradeep, had been purchased by him for a consignment of Prince Aly Khan's horses in training for a mere 55 gns. Driving, who had placed at 2, was covered by Migoli, came to India in 1960. After foaling Prince Pradeep, she was barren for four consecutive years before producing Daring Princess (by Golestan) and following it up with Belmont's Prince (by Hervine). She was then barren to the Nearco horse Roccamare and died. Daring Princess had a colt but died young so the line came to an abrupt end.

Neither Snow Line nor Winter Sport won a race but the latter was a full sister to Hydroplane, the dam of the American Triple Crown winner Citation who was also the first horse to win over a million dollars in stakes. Winter Sport was the last foal of Lord Derby's own-bred Epsom Oaks winner Toboggan. Hence, there were excellent international credentials in the immediate family of Driving.

The Aga Khan's Migoli, the sire of Prince Pradeep, was an impeccably bred grey horse. By an Epsom Derby winner, out of a three-parts sister to Epsom Derby winner Mahmoud. Bahram was an unbeaten winner of the English Triple Crown while Gainsborough, The Tetrarch and Spearmint were sires of Classic winners. Migoli lived up to his pedigree, his nine wins including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in record time. However, Migoli was only moderately successful as a sire whether in Ireland or California where he had moved later. He did, though, sire a very good horse in Gallant Man, a winner of the Belmont Stakes and later a chef de race of the Brilliant/Intermediate category. In India, Prince Pradeep's success kept Yeravada Stud in the limelight while Migoli's grey son Red Indian brought the Fosters' Byerly Stud to national prominence.

Prince Pradeep At Yeravada Stud

Prince Pradeep retired as a stallion to the place of his birth, the Yeravada Stud which had been established by Mr. F D Wadia in 1939. From the outset, the farm was in the headlines. The 1944 Indian 1000 Guineas winner Chand Bibi was foaled there. Yeravada had also produced the great filly Her Majesty and two winners of the Indian Derby before Driving had arrived. About a fortnight after Prince Pradeep had won his debut race as a two year old, Time Machine, also a Yervada-born, won the Calcutta 2000 Guineas. That gave Yeravada Stud its 23rd Classic winner and took the nursery to the top of the tree, displacing Bhopal and Manjri who had 22. Yeravada Stud was to remain at the pinnacle for the next 27 years.

The son of Migoli was the only Indian-bred stallion to stand at Yeravada. By the time the Prince Pradeep filly Royal Challenge won the Calcutta 1000 Guineas, the farm's tally had gone up to 43. Yeravada was to win 49 more Classics and Prince Pradeep contributed 33 of them. Royal Challenge went on to win all the five Classics at Calcutta and became the first filly to achieve that distinction. The filly Elegance and the colt Bright Hanovar, both sired by Prince Pradeep, also won all the five Indian Classics that year on the track but Bright Hanovar was demoted in the Stewards' Room after he had won the Indian 2000 Guineas by two lengths. That decision, debated hotly to this day, deprived Prince Pradeep from becoming the only Triple Crown winner from siring another Triple Crown  winner and also denied him the unique distinction of becoming the only stallion to sire winners of all the five Indian Classics in one year.  

Royal Challenge, Elegance and Bright Hanovar were from Prince Pradeep's first crop. The young stallion had a spectacular start and he duly built on it.  From ten crops, he had 95 starters and 18 individual Classic winners. That gives him a classic winners to starters percentage of 18.95 and it is second only to Grey Gaston among the Hall of Fame stallions. His progeny won each of the five Indian classics through five different runners, a litmus test passed only by the very best. His progeny won 15 Indian Classics and that places him behind only Razeen, Placerville and Multidimensional. However, his feat of siring six winners of Indian 1000 Guineas is an unmatched record. Apart from the horses already mentioned, some of his notable "gets" were Heliantha, Noor-E-Shiraz, Reprint, Ghazab and Prince Blossom. His overall record makes him the all time best Indian-bred stallion.

Nine of Prince Pradeep's Classic winners were fillies but he was only moderately successful as a Classic broodmare sire, being the damsire of only five Classic winners.. His daughter Monica, who had been second in the Indian 1000 Guineas, was the dam of Revelation -- first filly to win the Indian Derby and the Indian Turf Invitation Cup -- and My Pet, a winner of four winter Classics down south.

Prince Pradeep had a touch of laminitis even in training and he suffered from it at stud. It was the excellent management of Yeravada's well known vet Dr. C S Balakrishnan which kept him going. A fall which damaged his back meant that he could not be properly exercised causing the laminitis to flare. He was put down on 8 February 1976, a week after Mr. F D Wadia had passed away in Bombay. Before that season ended, two of his notable contemporaries -- Star of Gwalior and Rock of Gibraltar -- also died. It was a bleak year for Indian breeding.

Mr. T G Gaokar

At the 1962 RWITC, Ltd. Annual Auction Sale, the former Customs Officer Mr. T G Gaokar made quite a splash, splurging nearly Rs. 2 lakhs to buy five two year olds including Prince Pradeep. Prince Pradeep was not the ‘Sale Topper’, that distinction going to another 'got-abroad' -- a Preciptic - Delphinium colt who was sold under the hammer for Rs. 65,000 and was later named Royalist -- from Yeravada Stud. Mr. Gaonkar also bought the older Al Bashir from the Wadias. By the end of his career, Prince Pradeep alone had won more in stakes to recoup the purchase price of six horses.

In his very first year on the track, Mr. Gaokar won four of the five Indian classics. The following year, after he had shifted his string to Dara Pandole's yard, Sun-Deep won him the Indian 2000 Guineas. Then, the tide turned. In 1966, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence carried out raids across Bombay and a huge quantity of contraband gold was seized including from Mr. Gaokar's residence and he was convicted. His wife passed away. He won the Indian Turf Invitation Cup at Madras with Mother's Boy on 3 March 1968. Five days later, he lost his appeal in the Supreme Court and was jailed.

He was like a comet, streaking brightly across the racing sky. He always wore dark glasses and his colours were dark green, white maltese cross. Someone else may have had a maltese cross in his colours earlier but it was Prince Pradeep who gave it prominence and soon the maltese cross became quite popular.

Aziz Mahmoud

A full blooded Arab, Aziz Mahmoud had his first runner -- Samra Layalli trained by Mohammed Jamoor -- during the Poona season of 1933. He started training shortly afterwards and towards the end of that decade had the charge of the Gwalior horses. He saddled the great Finalist to win one of his four Viceroy's Cup.

He was a good trainer who had a long innings. One of the few  Western India handlers who regularly went to Bangalore during the summer, he won the Fillies' Trial Stakes there with Multigem but his other nine were all Indian Classics and he has the distinction of winning each of the five Indian Classics with a different horse.  He trained for several prominent owners but never had a long association with any of them. Champion trainer at Bombay in Prince Pradeep's Classic year, he also finished on top at Bangalore exactly ten years later. His legacy to Indian breeding was a boy from Matheran named Vasant Shinde who served his apprenticeship as a jockey under him.

PAST THE POST

The crowd for Prince Pradeep's Indian Derby, estimated to be over 35,000, was augmented by the presence of a few English cricketers. They had a profitable day because of Harry Carr who had told them that the stable expected to have a double on Prince Pradeep and the Rajpipla Gold Cup winner Baraloy who was the mount of Raghunath. It is not known if Carr ventured to Brabourne Stadium to watch the English team draw the Second Test which started on Tuesday.

William Harry Carr was the son of R W Armstrong's  travelling head lad and was born at Penrith in North of England in 1916. He started as an apprentice with Armstrong and came to India in early 1930s as a part of a batch of English jockeys brought over R.C.T.C. He was later to win the King-Emperor's Cup on El Obro, the Viceroy's Cup atop Good Business II and the Calcutta Derby astride Glasgow Courser. During the war, he served in a cavalry regiment.

A dependable jockey, he rode for King George VI as well as Queen Elizabeth II and notched over a 1000 winners in his career.  He won the Fillies Triple Crown on Meld, the Epsom Derby on Parthia beating his son-in-law and the St. Leger on Alcide as well as Hethersett. He had several nasty racing accidents during his career, was troubled by his kidneys and planned to retire at the end of 1964 season but hung up his boots in July itself on doctor's advice.. He passed away in 1985.

Harry Carr was the first jockey to win the Epsom Derby and the Indian Derby. He was 47 when he won on Prince Pradeep. Stan Smith was 49 when he had won on Rocklie the previous year.  By a remarkable coincidence, both Smith and Carr were among the fallers in Larkspur's Epsom Derby of 1962.

One final thought. In January of 1964, you could buy 10 tolas of gold for Rs. 63.25 and an American Dollar for Rs. 4.76 !