(June - July 2004)

Sir Victor Sassoon, whose contribution to Indian racing was immense, owned Star of Italy who begged the GrandTreble - the Viceroy’s Cup, the King-Emperor's Cup and the Eclipse Stakes of India - in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Maj S. Nargolkar (Retd.) recounts the glorious days of the 'Cup Horse’ and the exploits of Star of Italy, encompassing the two principal centres of racing those days, Calcutta and Bombay

Over a period of time - and especially after the institution of Indian Classics - the pattern of racing in India has slowly but surely crystallised. It is possible today to evaluate horses of different periods by perusing the lists of races they have won. Before 1943, however, things were very much different. Kolkata was the seat of racing power in those days and the “Cup Horse” ruled the roost. For a long time, the King-Emperor’s Cup and Viceroy’s Cup at Kolkata constituted the ultimate yardstick by which the calibre of a horse was measured. Then, in 1924, the Eclipse Stakes of India was first run in Mumbai. The Eclipse Stakes of India didn’t reduce the importance of the two Kolkata races. Rather, it added to it and horses began to flit more often between Kolkata and Mumbai to race in these premier events.

Horses of that period were hardier and raced at the top-end till they were very long indeed in the tooth. Satelitte*, Kingcraft* and Myall King* won the Viceroy’s Cup thrice each in the nineteenth century when there no King-Emperor’s Cup - or Trial Stakes as it was called in its earlier days - and they were denied the chance of a “Cup Double”. Orange William* won the King-Emperor’s Cup four times and the Viceroy’s Cup thrice. The Eclipse Stakes of India, which had just been instituted, had yet not caught the imagination and Mr. E.A. Ephraums’s champion didn’t journey to Mumbai; Mayfowl* won the Viceroy’s Cup four times - once dead-heating with Brogue* - but had no victory in the King-Emperor’s Cup.

One horse who did bag the “Grand Treble” was Sir Victor Sassoon’s Star of Italy*. In fact, he won three Viceroy’s Cups, two King-Emperor’s Cup and won the Eclipse Stakes of India twice to give seven “Cup wins” - the same number as Orange William* - to his owner and since his exploits encompassed the two principal centres in India, he has a slight edge in terms of statistical achievement if not calibre.

Star of Italy* was bred in England by Sir Victor Sassoon who raced under the nom de course of Mr. Eve. He was by Mr. Mathradas Goculdas’s St. Leger winner Caligula - the first English Classic winner to be owned by an Indian - who was purchased by Sir Victor for stallion duties. Star of Italy* won a race in England at 2 and then came to India. His elder Roubaix half-brother, called Star of France*, was already in India. Star of France*, trained by Jennings, won three races for Mr. Eve at Lucknow, Pune and Mumbai.

The younger Star of Italy*, who had been cut like his half-brother, was trained throughout his long career by Alf Hoyt. The trainer gave the gelding plenty of time to get acclimatised and brought him out in Pune in 1928 over two six furlong races to give a feel of racing. Star of Italy* finished just a length behind Mr. C.N. Wadia’s Cul de Sac* in his second race to signal that he was ready for better things.

Hoyt took him to Kolkata and he hoisted his maiden victory in India in his first start at Hastings, winning the Warwick Plate over 6 furlongs with Mr. Shantidas Askuran’s Quick Toy* placing second. The favourite for the race was the Aga Khan’s Mario* who had split Colorado and Coronach in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown before coming to India. Hoyt, however, did not stay on at Kolkata. Star of Italy* was taken back to Mumbai and on his first run at Mahalakshmi he was fourth in Yerowada Plate over 6 furlongs. Aryavardha* and Charmaine* dead-heated for the first place with Newark* a neck behind in third, just a short-head in front of Star of Italy*. It had been a extremely tight finish and C. Hoyt, who was astride Star of Italy*, was fined Rs. 50 for failing to weigh-in.

On first Saturday in February of 1929, C. Hoyt scored an easy two and a half lengths victory in the Eclipse Stakes of India beating Lowmoor*, Deltos* and Thaxted*. Deltos*, who had finished three lengths adrift, was giving the winner 4 lbs. The following Saturday, Deltos* was getting 12 lbs from Star of Italy* in the Grand Western Handicap over the Eclipse distance and even with Sibbritt overcarrying a pound on Mr. P.B. Avasia’s horse, the result was a foregone conclusion. Deltos* beat Star of Italy* by a length and a half with Thaxted* third the same distance behind.

Trainer Hoyt gave his ward a well deserved holiday and the gallant gelding repaid him in full by winning four races on the trot after coming back including the “Grand Treble”. On 7th of December 1929, Star of Italy* won the Wellesley Plate over 10 furlongs at the odds of 7 to 2 beating the favourite Nightjar* by a neck. Seven days later, he was the 7 to 4 favourite for the King- Emperor’s Cup which he won comfortably by a length and a half from the rank outsider Willow Stream* with Nightjar* a head behind. Then, on the Boxing Day, he won the Viceroy’s Cup, starting a well backed even money public choice, easily accounting for Nightjar* who finished two lengths behind. Star of Italy* came back to Mumbai and duly won his second Eclipse Stakes of India beating Acumen*, Shipshape* and Long Reign* and thus becoming the first winner of the Grand Treble. A fortnight later, Acumen* turned the tables in the C.N. Wadia Gold Cup with Sibbritt u p. Once again, it was a case of u n f a vourable weights. Acumen* was better off in the latter race by 10 lbs. for finishing three parts of length behind in the Eclipse and E.S. Godfrey’s ward won easily by two lengths.

Well rested yet again, Star of Italy* remained unbeaten in his five starts in 1930-31 winning the same three races - Wellesley Plate, the King-Emperor’s Cup and the Viceroy’s Cup - at Kolkata, returning to Mumbai and then taking the Rajpipla Gold Cup over a mile and C.N. Wadia Gold Cup over a mile and a half. He did not run the Eclipse Stakes of India which was won by his owner’s other runner, Some Bridge*. The reason why Alf Hoyt had been giving long rests to Star of Italy* was the gelding’s foot problems. Despite being sparingly raced, given periodic and long intervals of rest and being worked with utmost care, Star of Italy*’s

problems found no solution and he was off the race course for the whole of 1931-32 racing year.

Almost two years elapsed before Hoyt was finally able to get his ward back under colours in the Chief of Kagal Plate in January 1933. There were sixteen runners and the trainer’s explicit instructions to his son - and the jockey of Star of Italy* - was not to put undue pressure on the gelding. Alf Hoyt was therefore pleased as punch when Star of Italy came in a good third behind Tel Asur* ridden by ‘Togo’ Johnstone and Ootman*. Next weekend Star of Italy* was a half-money favourite as the whole of Mumbai went nap on him in the Hughes Memorial Plate and he won by a length from Bray Beau* and Tel Asur*.

The trainer was not sure how long the gelding would remain sound and connections reckoned that it was best to make hay while the sun shone. The very next week-end was the Grand Western Handicap and though Star of Italy* had to carry the top-weight, he went into the race an even money favourite in a large field of sixteen runners. Rajpipla’s Spinners Cottage*, getting almost three stones from Star of Italy* exploited the feather-weight to score by three parts of a length from Glenalmond*; a shorthead behind was Grand Wazir* and just another shorthead to Star of Italy*. Within seven days, Star of Italy* again came under the Starter’s orders in the C.N. Wadia Gold Cup and ran a fine race to finish third to Bray Beau* and Masked Jester*. Within a space of 21 days, Star of Italy* had run four times and earned enough to pay his corn bills for the previous year when he did not race and also for the next year.

Hoyt gave Star of Italy* two easy outings in Pune and then took him to Kolkata where he won the Hilliard Plate over seven furlongs at the odds of 30 to 1 and then bagged his third Viceroy’s Cup at 11 to 2. Favourite in both the races was Mr. Edward Esmond’s Sans Ame* who dropped dead after running third in the latter race. Back to his home base, Star of Italy* was second in Carmichael Cup to Pougatchev*, ran fourth in the Rajpipla Gold Cup, won the C.N. Wadia Gold Cup beating Ethics* and finished off for the year with a fourth in Byculla Club Cup.

In 1934-35, Star of Italy* had six starts, three at Kolkata and three at Pune while he was not seen at Mahalakshmi. He did not make the frame in any one of them. In his final year, he ran third in Wellesley Plate and was a 8 to 1 fancy in Viceroy’s Cup. As the field was being gathered before the start, one of the runners kicked him badly. He left the barrier slowly, broke down in front of the stands and put down on humane grounds. It was indeed a sad end to a glorious career. A gamer horse never put his head through the bridle and if truth be told, the gelding himself would have wished for a “death in action”, in full sight of his countless admirers who would gladly have stood to attention had the last post been sounded as he was laid to rest.

Star - Belle was sold by Sir Victor to Mr. Edward Esmond a year after she had dropped Star of Italy*. Mr. Edward Esmond raced and bred in a big way in France. He had business interests in India and was an enthusiastic owner alongwith his brother-in-law Sir David Ezra. His white, dark blue sleeves, yellow cap colours were carried in India by - among others - Sans Ame* who, too, had died in action in the same race a year earlier after having won the Viceroy’s Cup, the King-Emperor’s Cup, twice and the Eclipse Stakes of India; Tetrazone*, who won

The Metropolitan ridden by Charlie Smirke; and Fastnet*, winner of the Viceroy’s Cup and later an influential sire in France. While Star-Belle was with the Esmonds, she went to some of the best stallions standing in France like Teddy, Epinard, Asterus and Bruleur without producing anything of note. Her Diophon daughter Starlight was the dam of the Prix d’Arenberg winner Shrew and ancestress of two good German winners in Caracol and Comprida.

It was fitting that a horse with a record as imposing as that of Star of Italy* showed have been owned by a man whose contribution to Indian racing was immense. A member of a Jewish banking family that migrated to India from Bagdad in 1830, he was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. An accident during the First World War when he was serving with the Royal Flying Corps left him lame for life and he was confined to a wheelchair in his later years. Despite the physical handicap, he raced on a big scale in India and England, took an active part in the running of the Royal Western India Turf Club and founded the Eve Bloodstock Scheme for the improvement of the Indian Thoroughbred.

Though he won his first Classic in England with Exhibitionist in the 1930s, his grandest racing expoits were reserved for the last decade of his life when he won four Epsom Derbys with Pinza, Crepello, Hard Ridden and St. Paddy. His colours, in England as well as in India were peacock blue, old gold sleeves and cap.