ANOTHER “ROYAL” SUCCESS

Perhaps the best horse bred in recent times by the Pune-based Equus Stud is Democraticus, a four-year-old by the stud’s resident stallion Royal Kingdom from Mea Culpa. Winner of the Harvins Bangalore 2000 Guineas last December, he gave a good fight to leading 4-y-o Mystical in the Dawn Ramniwas Ramnarain Ruia Trophy at Mahalakshmi on January 7th and is on course to tackle the 2006 McDowell Indian Derby. Interestingly, he hails from one of the oldest lines acquired by the stud’s principal, Mr. Shyam Ruia, that tracing to the imported broodmare Elgin Marbles (Phideas – Marie d’Ecosse).

In fact, Mr. Ruia, along with his partner Mr. Radha Sigtia, created a sensation back on 31st January 1967 when they bid and bought the very first offering from the family in India. This was the “got-abroad” dark bay or brown filly by Tyrone out of Elgin Marbles, catalogued as Lot No. 70 at the RWITC Auction Sale at Bombay. The price of Rs.1,05,000 was a record, at the time, for a two-year-old in India.

Elgin Marbles then had a filly by Golestan, which – named Arcadia – was retained by her breeders, the Yeravada Stud & Agricultural Farm; a year later came another daughter, this time by Prince Pradeep, who was sold to the late Mr. Madhavrao Scindia, then the owner of the Manjri Stud. Trained by Major V.M. Lad, Elegance was a talented runner and annexed the Indian 1000 Guineas and Indian Oaks of her year, but died before producing any progeny.

The daughter of the well-bred, but not very influential, Phideas had one more significant string to her bow – her 1970 bay filly by Prince Pradeep, own-sister to Elegance. The home-bred Heliantha, as she was known, ran up a string of seven consecutive victories, culminating in the Indian 1000 Guineas/Indian Oaks double, and her dismal failure in the Indian Derby of 1974, won by Topmost, came as a big shock to racegoers.

Occasional disappointments apart, the descendants of Elgin Marbles had become hot property and Mr. Ruia was always on the lookout for another filly tracing to her even while his favourite Venus De Milo was establishing a tribe of her own. Almost a decade later, one such prospect turned up when Heliantha obliged with her third filly, Fait Accompli (her first was the Valoroso filly Luminary, retained by the stud, while her second was Sterling Lass, sold to the Mistrys of Manjri Stud for whom she was to breed McDowell Indian Derby heroine Littleover, thereby adding additional lustre to her tribe. In turn, Littleover has come up with Camarioca).

A daughter of the Yeravada resident, Escapologist, Fait Accompli (1982) was acquired by Mr. Ruia as a yearling but failed to yield the desired result initially. Her racing career was modest, with only a couple of minor victories to her credit by the time she was retired in 1987. Her stud career was not too exalted either, as she had just two foals before her untimely death in September 1989. Fortunately, both were fillies – Equation (Red Rocket) and Mea Culpa (by Brave Owen), the latter being the heroine of this piece.

Taking Equation first, the speedy filly raced for Dr. Vijay Mallya and won the inaugural running of the Kunigal Juvenile Million, but had only a solitary offspring, the gelded Self Made, so that her branch is no longer in production. On the other hand, Mea Culpa was retained and although apparently fragile – she raced but thrice, for a single victory – has clearly had the last laugh. Mea Culpa’s very first foal, Mandolin, showed she could transmit ability – he scored four times, including in the Damodar Ropeways Calcutta Colts Trial Stakes, and placed 2nd in the Kalyani Black Label Million, Gr.3, in a dozen starts, all at Calcutta. Her other winners Modesto and Sauternes Beauty were not quite as good.

However, the moment Mea Culpa received the genes carrying the talent innate in the extremely promising Royal Kingdom, she came up with something far exceeding her previous get! Proving yet again that it just needs a key, like a prepotent stallion, to unlock the treasures inherent in some of Indian breeding’s foundation families……