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Horse racing in India is over 200 years old. The first racecourse in the country was set up in Madras in 1777. [1] Today, India has a very well established horse racing and breeding industry, and the sport is conducted on nine racetracks by six racing authorities.
Racing is restricted to Indian-bred racehorses, and India has a well established breeding industry with stallions imported from all over the world. The Indian Stud Book maintains records of all thoroughbred breeding activity in India.
India has a mixture of both pool betting and traditional bookmakers.
All Race Clubs mentioned above conduct their individual set of Classic races. Classic races include The Derby, The Oaks, The St Leger, The 1000 & 2000 Guineas etc...
India has five 'Classic' races which parallel the original British classic races. The Indian 1,000 Guineas & the Indian 2,000 Guineas are run in December. Only three-year-old fillies can run the 1,000 Guineas race, while both fillies and colts can run the 2,000 Guineas race. [2] The Indian Oaks is run at the end of January. The Indian Derby is run on the first Sunday of February and carries a purse of over ₹ 30,000,000. Lastly, the Indian St. Leger is run in September. [3] They are all run in the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, Mumbai, apart from the St. Leger which is run at Pune.
The Invitation Weekend which rotates between the various turf authorities is held on the first weekend of March. This features a Group 1 race each for sprinters over 1200 metres, a race over a mile and a 3000-metre race for stayers. The best horses are invited from all over the country for these races. The showpiece event is open to Indian horses which are 4 years old and over, invited from all the turf authorities, and carries a winners prize of ₹ 10,000,000. The Bangalore Derby is held on the second Sunday of July in the Bangalore Turf Club,Bangalore every year. It was sponsored by Kingfisher until the 2020 season. The Invitation cup and associated races (i.e. The Sprinters'Cup, The Stayers' Cup, The Super Mile Cup) are rotational between the various race courses spread across the country, is run over 2400 meters ,only the 4years old horses were eligible but from 2014 onwards it has been changed to elder horses also.
Elusive Pimpernel (22 of 23 starts) [4] [5] and Squanderer (18 of 19 starts) [6] are considered the greatest horses to have raced on Indian Turf. [7] Both horses were trained by Rashid Byramji.
Indian Racing have witnessed champion horses in the recent history in the name of Desert God, Quasar, Alaindair, Be Safe, In the Spotlight etc...While Desert God(Burden Of Proof - Running Flame By Steinbeck) is the highest stakes earner of Indian Racing till date , In the Spotlight(Alnasr Alwasheek - Radiate) is the highest stakes earning filly in Indian Racing till date. Both trained by multiple Classic winning trainer Mr. S Padmanabhan. Desert God is also the highest Black type winner in India. In fact, Desert God was owned & bred by Mr. S Padmanabhan.[ citation needed ]
Indian horses have made their mark on the international scene. Mystical(Alnasr Alwasheek - Mystic Memory) won two races at the Dubai Racing Carnival.[ citation needed ] Saddle Up was the best horse in training on the Malayasia/Singapore circuit and won the Tunku Gold Cup as well as running second in the Singapore International Cup.[ citation needed ] Others to perform well have been Southern Regent, who won twice in England when way past his prime at the age of 9.[ citation needed ] Beat It Dude was one of the highest rated horses in South Korea in 2008. Astonish was a Class 1 winner in Hong Kong.[ citation needed ] Quarantine restrictions and apathy on the part of the Indian Government have kept these opportunities to race abroad very minimal.[ citation needed ] Own opinion who represented India in the Japan cup in 1980 as 7 old and although he finished 13th he beat his own record despite the race track being anti-clockwise.[ citation needed ]
Famous trainers over the years have been; Rashid Byramji, S.S.Attaollahi, J S Dhariwal, Pesi Shroff, S.M. Shah, S Padmanabhan, Imtiaz Sait, Dallas Todywalla, S Ganapathy, Madhav Mangalorkar, Arjun Mangalorkar, Vijay Singh, LVR Deshmukh, James Mckeown, Darius Byramji, S.S. Shah, Vinayak, D. Adenwala, ALJ Talib, A.B. David, Haskell David, Lawrence Fownes, Prasanna Kumar, Bezan Chenoy
Famous Indian jockeys include Pesi Shroff, Vasant Shinde, Pandu Khade, Shamu Chavan, Kheem Singh, Aslam Kader, B Prakash, Sinclair Marshall, Robin Corner, Warren Singh, C Rajendra, Lloyd Marshall, Mohammed Dastagir(chinna), M Narredu, Richard Alford, E Alford, C Alford, B Sreekanth, K P G Appu, Suraj Narredu, P S Chouhan, A Sandesh, Trevor Patel, Akshay Kumar, S.John, C.S.Jodha Y S Srinath, Karl Umrigar [8] During the winter season, many foreign jockeys also come to India. In recent years this has included the likes of David Allan, Sandy Barclay, Christophe Lemaire, Johnny Murtagh, Seamus Heffernan, Jim Crowley, Frankie Dettori, Pat Eddery, Richard Hughes, Stéphane Pasquier, Martin Dwyer, Colm O'Donoghue, Joseph O'Brien, Chris Hayes, Lester Piggott, Johnny Murtagh, Joe Mercer, Mick Kinane, Walter Swinburn, David Egan, Leigh Roche, Nicky Mackay and numerous others have ridden in India.
Prominent owners over the years include; HH Maharaja Sir Harisinghji of Kashmir, HH Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia, Vijayasinhji Chhatrasinhji, M. A. M. Ramaswamy, Vijay Mallya, Suresh Mahindra, Major PK Mehra, Marthand Mahindra, The Thomas Family (AV Thomas Group), The Brar family of Muktsar, The Goculdas Family, Ranjit V. Bhat, The Khaitan Family (McNeil & Magor Group), The Poonawalla Family, KN Dhunjibhoy, Shapoor Mistry, Vijay Shirke, Ameeta Mehra, S Rangarajan, Sunit Khatau of the Khatau family.
The process of betting is heavily prohibited in India, except for online betting at sites that are based outside of India (known as "offshore sites") and allow players to deposit and withdraw Indian rupees. However, horse racing and lotteries are legal in both land-based and online betting houses. [2] The Supreme Court in the case of Dr. KR Lakshmanan v. State of Tamil Nadu (AIR 1996 SC 1153), stated that horse racing is not based on luck alone but it is also based on skills. [9] Several states have enacted statutes that specifically allow licensed bookmakers. Currently betting is low key after the GST regime came into being as it is heavily taxed by the Indian Govt. This has led to the sport suffering heavy loss of revenue [10]
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment in Thoroughbred racing. The term originated in mid-19th-century England and nations where Thoroughbred racing is popular each have their own Triple Crown series.
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
Thoroughbred horse racing is a spectator sport in Australia, and gambling on horse races is a very popular pastime with A$14.3 billion wagered in 2009/10 with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). The two forms of Thoroughbred horseracing in Australia are flat racing, and races over fences or hurdles in Victoria and South Australia. Thoroughbred racing is the third most attended spectator sport in Australia, behind Australian rules football and rugby league, with almost two million admissions to 360 registered racecourses throughout Australia in 2009/10. Horseracing commenced soon after European settlement, and is now well-appointed with automatic totalizators, starting gates and photo finish cameras on nearly all Australian racecourses.
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile, and it is scheduled to take place each year in late April or early May on the Sunday following the 2000 Guineas Stakes.
Doncaster Racecourse is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.
Miesque was a champion Thoroughbred racemare. At age three, she was a dual Classic winner in France and Britain, then went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile in America. Her four-year-old campaign was highlighted by another win in the Mile, making her the first horse to win two consecutive Breeders' Cup races. She was a Group One/Grade I (G1) winner at two, three and four-years-old, for a total of 10 G1 wins. She was inducted into the American Racing Hall of Fame in 1999.
Wertheimer et Frère is a Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding business partnership between brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer of France.
The Flying Dutchman (1846–1870) was an English Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He raced for four seasons between 1848 and 1851, winning all but one of his fifteen races, including The Derby and the St Leger. On his final racecourse appearance he defeated Voltigeur in what was probably the most celebrated match race in the history of British thoroughbred racing, known as The Great Match. He went on to be a success at stud both in Britain and France, where he died in 1870. The Flying Dutchman was regarded by experts as one of the greatest British racehorses of the nineteenth century.
Royal Western India Turf Club Ltd. (RWITC) is an exclusive Indian sports club for horse racing, established in 1800. Which runs the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai and the Pune Race Course.
The Indian Derby is an annual Thoroughbred horse race. It is run over 2,400-metres and held on the first Sunday of February at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai.
Surplice (1845–1871) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from July 1847 to October 1849 he ran thirteen times and won nine races. He was the leading colt of his generation in England at both two and three years old, with his wins including The Derby and the St Leger in 1848: he was the first horse for forty-eight years to win both of these Classics. His later career was less successful and he was retired to stud in 1850. Surplice had limited success as a sire of winners and died in 1871.
Virago (1851–1869) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a career which lasted from November 1853 to July 1855 she ran sixteen times and won eleven races. All but one of her victories came as a three-year-old in 1854, a year in which she dominated British racing, winning major events at distances ranging from one mile to three miles. Her wins included the classic 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Nassau Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks against her own age and sex. More notable were her successes in open competition, including the Goodwood and Doncaster Cups and three of the season's most valuable handicap races. She was regarded by many British experts as one of the greatest racehorses of the 19th century.
Garden Path was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who won the classic 2000 Guineas in 1944. In a racing career conducted entirely at Newmarket Racecourse the filly ran six times and won three races. She was one of the best British two-year-olds of 1943, when she won one race and was placed in both the Middle Park Stakes and the Cheveley Park Stakes. After winning on her first appearance of 1944 she became the first filly since 1902 to win the 2000 Guineas against colts. On her only subsequent race she was injured when finishing unplaced in the Derby. She was retired from racing at the end of the season and had some success as a broodmare.
The Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) is a horse racing organisation which was founded in 1847 in Calcutta, British India. Horse events and sports were initially organised for the British cavalry at Akra before they were moved to the Maidan. The RCTC became the foremost horse-racing organization in India during the British Raj. At one time it was the governing body for nearly all racecourses in the subcontinent, defining and applying the rules governing the sport. During its heyday, RCTC-organised races were among the most important social events of the bigwigs' calendar and were opened by the Viceroy of India. Still a private club, the RCTC operates Kolkata Race Course in the Maidan.
Kingsway was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1943. After being bought for 1,000 guineas in 1941 he showed promise by winning two of his three races as a two-year-old in 1942. Following a change of trainer he won on his debut in 1943 and then recorded an upset win over a strong field in the 2000 Guineas. He was beaten when tried over longer distances in the New Derby and the New St Leger before finishing second to Nasrullah in the Champion Stakes. He won four times as a four-year-old before being retired to stud. He had little success as a breeding stallion in Europe but sired two major winners in the United States.
Y. S. Srinath is a champion jockey from Bangalore who has ridden over 1250 winners, of which 94 graded races. He was the first Indian Jockey to win more than 25 races outside of India and has won many important classics.
Snow Marten was a British thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1914 when she won once and finished second three times from six starts. In the following year she finished unplaced in the 1000 Guineas but then recorded an upset win in the Oaks Stakes. She was placed in wartime substitute races for the Ascot Gold Cup and the St Leger and ended her racing career by finishing third in the Cesarewitch. As a broodmare, she had her biggest influence through her daughter Martha Snow who was exported to the United States.
Clarissimus was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was highly rated as a juvenile and showed promise by winning the Clearwell Stakes on the second of his two starts. He recorded his biggest when winning the 2000 Guineas on his debut as a three-year-old. Clarissimus went on to finish second in the Newmarket Stakes and a substitute St Leger before winning the Champion Stakes on his final appearance. After his retirement from racing he became a breeding stallion and had considerable influence as a sire of broodmares.
Rashid Byramji was an Indian horse trainer. He was popularly known as the "horse whisperer" of Indian horse racing. In a career spanning over six decades, Byramji held the records for 3,170 wins including 230 classics. He was the only trainer to have had 10 Indian Derby winners and 12 Indian Invitation Cup winners.
The 2022 Breeders' Cup World Championships was the 39th edition of the premier event of the North American Thoroughbred horse racing year. The 14 races, all of which were Grade I, took place on November 4 and 5 at Keeneland racetrack in Lexington, Kentucky. In the United States, the races were telecast on Friday and early Saturday by USA Network and FanDuel TV, with NBC covering the last three races on Saturday. In the United Kingdom, ITV broadcast all the races live, with day 1 on ITV3 and day 2 on ITV4.