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Back to listsVasant Shinde — Most Naturally Gifted And Complete Jockey
By S C Sharma | 27-Aug-2020The Indian derby in horse racing is — what Wimbledon is to tennis, richness, tradition, ambiance and the highest and best take part, mega lifestyle event is one of the Mumbai’s social landmark events with a record crowd. A heritage race having been run since 1943 and has a great tradition. The first Indian derby in 1943 was won by a filly named Princess Beautiful owned by Maharajah of Baroda and ridden by Australian jockey Edgar Britt. The filly was trained by M C Patel.
It is the lifetime ambition of every jockey, trainer and owner to win this prestigious race. It is like conquering the Everest. Even a owner like late MAM Ramaswamy had to wait for well for two decades to get a Indian derby winner in his own colour on Amazing Bay in 1996 ridden by Satish Narredu and trained by J H Foley. No derby matches the glamour, glitz and enchantment of Indian derby.
It became a tradition for trainer and owners to invite foreign jockeys for this most prestigious derby event but Kheem Singh became the first Indian jockey to break this tradition and monopoly, when he won this race on a colt named Balam in 1949 trained by A L J Talib. Than in 1970’s and after that M Jagdish ( won 2 before and 2 after 70’s ), than Vasant Shinde, Aslam Kader and P Shroff came in picture and they too started outshining foreign riders and combination of all above four jockeys won as many as 17 Indian derbies. After independence total 73 Indian derbies held from 1948 to 2020 and out of which Indian jockeys won 39 and 34 won by foreign jockeys.
I submit a list of Indian and foreign jockeys who won this derby from 1948 to till date. The number in brackets denotes the number of Indian derby wins.
W A Rickaby (2), Kheem Singh, Pandu Khade (4), B T Duffy, K A Gethin, W T Evans, S Chavan, E Eldin, J Egan, M Jagdish (4), J McGaffin, S Smith (2), W H Carr, F Durr, K Raghunath, E J Cracknell, B Taylor, J Wilson, G McGrath, W Swinburn (2), N Reuben, E Johnson, Vasant Shinde (2), Karl Umrigar, A Barclay, G Baxter, P Shroff (8), Aslam Kader (3), Satish Narredu, M Narredu, J Fortune (2), C Ruzzan, R Hughes (2), B Prakash (2), P Belose, P Kamlesh, Colm O’ Donoghue, M J Kinane (3), , L Marshall, S A De Sousa, David Allan (3), M Dwyer, Y S Srinath, C S Jodha and Suraj Narredu (3). ( P Shroff won record number of 8 Indian derbies defeating top Indian and foreign jockeys and he attained a world class stature).
VASANT SHINDE RATED AS BEST IN THE SADDLE:
But the fact is despite witnessing so many good jockeys ( Indian and foreign ) Indian horse racing cannot forget its best ever and most complete jockey Vasant Shinde. Those who saw his riding ( both Indian and foreign jockeys ) appreciated him openly as the best they ever saw in the saddle.
Vasant Shinde rated as the legendary champion jockey, one of the greatest and most naturally gifted champion rider. On present racing, once he commented in media chat that — “the quality of racing is not the same. We don’t have that class of riding any more. In our time jockeys were more dedicated and sincere on track work and use to spend more time with trainers and owners at stable to understand the horses.” He points that the understanding and rapport between jockeys, trainers and owners was far better during his era.
BYRAMJI AND VASANT SHINDE :
R R Byramji, the all time great training icon and racing legend was the first one to offer retainer-ship to Vasant Shinde when in early 70’s he rode his first ever winner. There were his only two wins when Rashid engaged him to ride Mr. D K Das’s “King’s Hussar” in mid-February of 1972. As I read in media Vasant Shinde’s first win at Mumbai was ‘Royal Touch’. From there he never looked back and crossed more than 1800 wins, including more than 110 classics. If health and knee injuries would not have effected on his riding, he would have been the first Indian jockey to cross 2000 wins in Indian racing history. Now B Prakash and Suraj Narredu are ahead to his wins tally. VS quit racing in 1994. ( some unconfirmed reports in media quotes he rode upto march, ‘96 ).
R R Byramji remembers VS with particular affection. “ There were so many races when I knew for a fact that the horse stood no chance but then there was Vasant Shinde in the saddle and some how he knew how to get the best out of his runners.” In 1977-78 at Bangaluru, trainer’s championship was a close run affair between Rashid Byramji and Zareer Darashah and both tied, as were the Jockeys — Shinde and Umrigar, down to last race of the season. As Shinde was given a leg-up on “Fork Lightning” a cocky Shinde told Rashid Byramji “ Baba, don’t worry, we are champions “ and Fork Lightning won end to end.
Rashid recollects many such memories of Shinde - on another occasion a english tutor, a lady hired to teach english to VS . She commented “ it is impossible for me to teach that man english, because the only things he speaks about horses and racing.”
ANIMALS ARE FAITHFUL AND LOYAL:
According to Vasant Shinde “ horses are God’s gift to mankind. They may not talk to you but they understand exactly what you need for them. “ I as a owner and having some experience in racing field, would like to add further - We (owners) have to understand the nature of horses and talk to them, while visiting stables, sometimes pat them on their neck or back and offer some carrot pieces which they like very much and give them with love. Animals are faithful and loyal. They know the love and affection of their bosses, who cares them well.
HORSE - POWER:
I was told a unique speciality about horses that they remain standing for whole of their life and very rare they sits or lay down on ground like other animals and they never put their foot on any object, instead they prefer to jump but some times in running of the race and in some racing incidents it not happened, may be due to unknowingly or unwillingly, while in full of running rythem. For this inherent and born gifted quality of horses, their power known as horse - power and they loved and respected all over the world.
VASANT SHINDE’S STORY OF STRUGGLE TO RISE :
The early days of Vasant Shinde were nothing but a struggle. He grew up riding his fathers horses in Matheran. He use to take tourists on pleasure ride. After a few odd jobs he tried his luck on the advice of Captain Soli as a rider in Pune Gymkhana races and very first year he won five races and bagged the best jockey award. Than he joined course at apprentice jockeys school at Pune. Vasant Shinde’s first notable winner with Byramji was I think ‘Round Off’ when he won Bangaluru St. leger a Gr. 3 race in March, 1976 and last one, major notable winner with Byramji was ‘Astronomic’ winner of Bangaluru St. leger again a Gr. 3 race in July, 1993. He was lucky to have riding tips, guidance from a racing legend like Byramji and his blessings. Byramji honed the technique and skills of riding to many top jockeys but his relation with VS was something special and different. Their chemistry worked extraordinarily well and VS won about 80 percent of his classic races from Byramji’s stable ( May be 89/114 ).
VS RATED ASLAM KADER AS BEST:
Among his Indian contemporaries Vasant Shinde picks Aslam Kader as the best. AK had style and grace and just unbeatable.
PROUD TO WIN INDIAN DERBY, INVITATION CUP RACES :
VS feels proud to win Indian derby in 1978 on Manitou under R R Byramji and 1983 on Nelson under C A Kutappa . ( C A Kutappa’s name is mentioned in some media reports, to be rechecked ). He won two Indian Turf Invitation Cup races also under Byramji in 1977 with Squanderer, and in 1978 with Manitou. He won Indian St leger on Squanderer in 1977, on Capricorn ( trainer B Chenoy ) in 1987, on Classic Story in 1990 and on Adler in 1993 .
WON MANY TIMES BANGALURU DERBY AND ST. LEGER:
Vasant Shinde won prestigious Bangaluru derby nine times — with Everynsky in 1979 and again in 1980, one in summer and the other one in winter, with Sovereign Crown in 1981, with Camino in 1982, with Caminetto in 1983, with Premium Spirit in Jan 1987, with Divine Light in July 1987, with Gordon Bleu in 1988 and with Classic Story in 1990. He also won Bangaluru St. leger nine times — on Round Off in 1976, on Reflect in 1978, on Darado in 1981, on Abide in 1982, on Scintillating in 1985, on Premium Spirit in 1987, on Armagnac in 1989, on Classic Story in 1990 and on Astronomic in 1993.
He won many derby races at other racing centres of our country too and won many classic races including 1000 guineas, 2000 guineas, Fillies and Colt Trial stakes, Oaks and St leger like big and notable races. I included his most of the winners from RWITC and BTC, which were his first and base preference centres for riding
SQUANDERER RATED AS A FAVOURITE TOP HORSE:
Vasant Shinde rates Squanderer as the top horse that he ever rode, though Squanderer, tone of one of the all time great Indian horse, ridden many times by M Jagdish also. Squanderer won 18 out of 19 races he ran, and lost only once to Red Satin in Bangaluru Colt’s Trial Stakes in 1976 when Red Satin broke away from the field just before the bend and won. Squanderer was kept too far and finished third, three lengths and a neck behind the winner and of King of Seers. May be Jagdish was over confident and made the move little late, as reported in media. R R Byramji was convinced that though a battle had been lost, the campaign remained on course. Vasant Shinde rode Squanderer in Indian Turf Invitation Cup and in Indian St. leger in 1977. In his final year, as a five year old, Squanderer won all five races. Two at Mumbai, one at Bangaluru and two at Hyderabad ( The Nizam’s Cup and The Present of India Gold Cup ).
OTHER NOTABLE WINNERS OF VASANT SHINDE:
Some of Vasant Shinde’s other top notable winners includes — Night Crown, Reflect, Niagara, Self Reliance, Track Lightning, Look of Eagles, Darado, Sovereign Crown, Abide, Artaius, Scintillating, Flights of Fantasy, Loving Spirit, Nine Carat, Treasure Land, Wind Song, Citi Girl, Wild Rumour, Captain Eo, King Rama, Excalibur’s Star, Summer Dust, Adler, Winning Spirit, Ruby Lights, Classic Spirit, Southern Girl, Southern Wind, Nikita, Kir Royale, Maraschino, Stellar Role, Paradis, Delorean, Cointreau, Bianca, Parfait Amour, Armagnac, Wild Passion, Bizzarini, King Air, Wild Dancer, Wild Passion, Cordon Rouge, Caran D’Ache, Davidoff, Delage, Cisitalia, Pininfarina, Stingray, Galiceno, Boodles, Asian Lady, Imposing, Born to Dance, Bay of Biscay, Palace Music, Escapade, Imperial Seal, Sir Dickson and Albertini. ( VS won more than 1800 races and 110 classic races, so you may find few names of notable winners missing too ).
WON RACES AT HONG KONG :
Vasant Shinde won two races at Hong Kong in 1978 - one “Small Parcel” and another “Crown Jubilee “.
THE DIFFERENCE IN RIDING IS EASILY NOTICEABLE:
Jockeys have to make instant decisions and the better jockey make fewer mistakes. Vasant Shinde use to avail the narrow gaps available between horses and take some risks to cover less distance but not all jockeys would be willing to take that risk. Good jockeys develops relationships with trainer, owner and individual horses too. They knows the strengths and weaknesses of the animal. They do home work and research for the competition. Often watch review videos of other horses and read the daily racing form for updates on their performances that then inform strategy. They know how to keep them calm and composed in tense situation. They read the track and pace of the race very well, and accordingly position their horses for final assault. A good jockey can win races that poor jockeys lose.
ADOPT CHANGING CONDITIONS FOR SUCCESS:
The winning punter is not the man who holds the proper set of dogmatic beliefs, but the one who can observe and adapt to the ever-changing conditions of the game. Off course luck is a essential ingredient along with patience and talent. But a winning punter who has the experience and honesty to sense when he is about to lose can save himself a lot of money. If one remains over confident in racing than , he is horribly misdirected if he looks for it at the racetrack.
I still feel, I might have missed something more about Vasant Shinde, a entire book is not sufficient to write about him. You all are welcome and join me to cover the uncovered memories and incidents from your past memories and share the same.
Be happy, don’t panic, be careful....be safe. Be a warrior we’ll fight together this corona pandemic crisis situation and overcome and win soon. Good luck and God bless you all.
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