THIRD TIME LUCKY

In his third stint as a trainer after being out for thirteen years, Shezad Abbas has turned the spotlight firmly on him by sending Man Of The Match out to win the The Hindu Deccan Derby (Gr.1).

Shezad has been involved with horses from childhood and is an accomplished polo player. He and Mir Hyder Ali Khan, Man Of The Match's owner, have known each a long time, and as Shezad says we both work on the same wave length and decisions are made after discussing all the options.

“When I gave up my licence for the second time I involved myself in running the Deccan Stud that Mir and I had started. Apart from this, I was playing polo and was involved with the A.P. Riding School.” Today, due in a large part to the efforts of Shezad and Mir Hyder, Hyderabad boasts of a hugely successful polo season which has now become part of the Indian polo circuit.

Man Of The Match was picked at the 2005 Pune Auction Sales when both Shezad and Mir Hyder had gone to buy some two-year-olds. Rolling in the Nakul Stud lot, Man Of The Match caught the eye. He was a beautifully conformed horse. Strong and attractive with clean legs. We didn't even bargain on the price, explains Shezad.

I knew I had something special when I took over the responsibility of breaking him in, after my staff found him a handful. Col. S. L. Reddy kindly allowed me the use of the Apprentice Jockey School premises to lunge the horse. Man Of The Match immediately gave me a different kind of feel and I knew I was on to something.

Mir Hyder, who had won all the classics in Hyderabad as a trainer, barring the Derby, says that the experience of finally scaling the ultimate classic success was a huge thrill of a lifetime.

The thrills may get bigger as the two lifelong friends plan Man Of The Match's winter schedule with the Golconda Derby (Gr.1) as the focal point.