Racing World India - India's Only Horse Racing Magazine - FAROUQ RATTONSEY

We had a horse... but not a jockey! - Farouq Rattonsey The dilemma before the Indian Derby and the joy thereafter.
“I have been in racing for over three decades now and my breeding operations lasted for almost 25 years. Undeniably passionate about both, I discovered I was living a nightmare as far as my stud farm, Kehlan was concerned. My mares were aborting and dying like nine-pins and I was getting no returns at the end of the day. So I decided to shut down operations and shift 28 of my mares to Nanoli Stud Farm and continue breeding there. I came to the conclusion that if I were to close down or withdraw from racing, no one would even miss my presence, no one would even know I’ve been around for so long”, reminisced Farouq Rattonsey sadly. That’s when destiny played her hand. “I strongly believe that everything is pre-destined, that nothing is in our hands. There is a super-power above us, controlling our being. We are just pawns in his hands, he makes the moves”. That’s Farouq’s way of looking at life. The reward for persisting with his stud farm through rough waters and though competition, came in the form of nothing more satisfying, than an Indian Derby winner. In February 2008, a Glory of Dancer progeny, from the last crop bred at Kehlan, aptly named Hotstepper made his dream come true. For those still trying, it’s a way of saying ‘Never give up’. “It was the fulfillment of my dream…I always wanted it…I couldn’t ask for anything more, ending on a high note,” said Farouq. His sigh of happiness must have resounded loud enough for a young foal at Nanoli to hear it. That young foal was Antonios. On that hot sunny day in April 2009, all eyes were strained on only one filly. She was on the verge of making history. She was the centre of attraction, the undisputed queen of the turf. All the other 15 opponents were running with hope in their hearts knowing full well that with her un-beaten track record it would take more than luck to get the better of her. A strong-hearted opponent, Antonios was destined to take her on. “We had a horse…but we didn’t have a jockey”. Farouq explains about the saga that went into finalizing a rider for the prestigious race. “Our endeavour to find riders for our horses turned into a real nightmare. Initially, Y. S. Srinath was supposed to ride Antonios but as Mr. Shapoor Mistry, owner of Riyasat, decided to run his horse in the Indian Derby, Srinath who is his retained jockey declined Brightour offer. We were stranded a week before the big race.
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I then approached N. G. McCullagh. It was a ‘yes’ first…then a ‘no’. I then contacted the Brazilian jockey S. E. De Sousa, who had ridden Juventus to a very tight finish in the Indian 2000 Guineas, but was determined to partner Antonios in the Indian Derby. As by this time we had finalized with Daniel Grant the ride on Antonios, we had to now switch their mounts. By now we were relieved that we had our riders in place, only, to receive another shocker.” “Two days before the race when I spoke to De Sousa I was shocked out of my wits when I realized that he thought the Derby was to be held a week later than the actual date”, explained Farouq on how De Sousa had got the dates mixed up. “I could only think, Oh God! What’s happening? Where do we go? What do we do?” On hearing that Mark Gallagher was in town they managed to get in touch with him and were happy when he accepted the ride. However, when they applied for his license they were informed by the Stewards that the same could not be granted as he was in the country on a visitor’s visa and not a business visa, and unfortunately obtaining a business visa would take at least five days. “What’s happening…We have a horse but not a jockey”, thought Farouq. Destiny came into play when De Sousa contacted them shortly after and informed them that he was able to obtain permission to leave for India and once again he was back in the saddle. “Those hours and last few days were real hell for trainer S. S. Shah and myself, but I suppose all’s well that ends well”, said a relieved Farouq. It’s always exciting to have a Derby contender and this year was no exception. “Antonios is a late foal, born on 27th May, and he is just getting into his prime. When he came to Shah’s yard he was a little pony, but has now matured into a different horse altogether. With every race he has shown improvement. His dam, Twin Star is an Oaks winner, so he is obviously bred to stay and on the strength of this we were confident that he would get the mile and a half. In contast with the reputation and track record that Set Alight had established, there was very little to go by where Antonios was concerned and there was no form to suggest that he could take on the champion filly. The only apprehension was that we really didn’t know the extent of his improvement from Pune and how good he really was going to be on the big day,” explains Farouq. Well, it sure was a grand way to find out when he triumphed over the champion filly, winning the Indian Derby 2009 in a record breaking performance. There	was overwhelming disappointment that Set Alight who had achieved celebrity status by now, was stopped short from entering equine history as India’s greatest equine star. It was unfortunate that post-race post mortems were more about why Set Alight lost, rather than on how Antonios won. How can you take away the glory from the winner? It was well fought and well deserved. It’s a race after all…and anything can happen. “My initial concentration was on both my runners, Juventus and Antonios. The Derby attracted a large crowd and good horses are always sensitive to the growing excitement that is normal before a big race. A mile and a half race, is a mile and a half, and that extra 200-400metres takes a lot from a horse, you need to be a genuine stayer to be there. Coming into the straight the front runners were packing up, and when you are under pressure the jockey has only a split second to make the right decision. Maybe if the filly had waited, the result would have been different. Who ever thought that Antonios would come and beat her? Consider all the other 14 runners in the race, she has beaten them all. Let’s not take anything away from Set Alight. She is a very talented filly. Exceptionally good…there is no doubt about it”, was Farouq’s observation of the race. “Antonios is the horse that stayed best on that particularly day and even broke the track record…how can you take that away from him?” adds Farouq. “He received a check at around 800metres, at a very crucial stage of the race when he was making his move. Autonomy blocked him, he had to check himself, come out and make his move again. If that had not happened, then again, it could have been a different story. Into the straight Set Alight was 3 ½ lengths clear of Antonios. He not only caught up with her but also went ahead to the wire 1 ½ lengths clear. Another 50 metres or more and the winning distance could have increased considering the way he was traveling”. Can it all boil down to bad riding? “I hope the two horses have an opportunity to race together again. She may beat him. What’s wrong with that? It’s a sport, and I’d be the first one to applaud her. She is a top class and a very special filly”, asserts Farouq. With over three decades of experience in breeding Farouq firmly believes that, “It is the stallion, and nothing but the stallion that counts. 90% of the stallions all over the world have been failures. When it comes to the prime races in India you will observe that the majority of the contestants are from
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the leading stallions, Razeen and Placerville, standing at the two leading farms, and are the ones garnering most success. There are over a hundred stud farms in India, where do the others figure?” Teseio once said, “You give me a good stallion and I will breed you a champion on the streets of France.” A statement that echoes Farouq’s thinking. “I have now been lucky with Glory of Dancer, who himself had won the Dante Stakes, a 10 furlong race and then went into the Epsom Derby as the favourite. Unfortunately he didn’t stay the trip and lost. The dam side has obviously provided my Derby winners with their staying ability, and Twin Star, the dam of Antonios won the Indian Oaks. Twin Star was a Portroe mare which was purchased by Mr. Imtiaz Sait for us, from Manjri Stud Farm, and is now in the process of having her fourth foal. You can purchase the best stallion, but there is no guarantee that he will turn out to be a pre-potent sire, and the success of the farm is basically dependent on his success. The success of a stallion can only be rated on his performance not his expected performance. It is unfortunate that, because of the loss of my top-class mares, Glory of Dancer could not be backed up with the quality of mares he should have got. Now that he is standing at Nanoli, and will be provided with a good band of mares to cover, things should change. He is still considered young at 16 years of age and probably has at least six or seven years more to prove himself further.” All praise and credit is duly given to his trainer S. S. Shah for his meticulous planning, programming and training. Antonios had a lead up race over	1400metres, then a stint in the Indian 2000 Guineas where he came flying into 5th position. The mile obviously did not suit him. We were certain that he would go the Derby distance and it was Shah’s idea to skip the R. R. Ruia Cup and go fresh into the Indian Derby. For a man who was absolutely passionate about racing, was involved behind the scenes for the betterment of racing, he now feels that his passion is definitely ebbing. “Over the last five years I hardly ever went racing. Winning two Indian Derby’s has definitely revived my interest but it can never be be to the same extent. I belong to the old school of thought, and used to enjoy dressing up for an exciting day at the races. I used to even travel to England to buy my racing suits. I took so much pride in it. It is so sad to see the decorum and dress code relaxed to such an extent...” explains Farouq. Racing is a sport, it’s not all about gambling. Fair gambling yes, the idea is to beat the bookie. “I am here as a sporting owner and my horses are here to win races. They have to run on merit. When my favourites lose, it is for us try and find out what went wrong and remedy it,” asserts Farouq. Finding it hard to resist asking him whether a hat-trick of Derbies was possible, he quickly retorted, “Glory of Dancer’s progenies have given me two Derby Wins i.e. The Indian Derby 2008 and 2009 and Phenomenale won the Pune Derby 2008. I’ve already experienced a hat-trick. I am grateful for what we have achieved; one must not lose a sense of balance. This is good enough,” was his humble reply. - LD
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