Setting foot at Mahalakshmi while just in his twenties, Imtiaz Sait started out with dreams, hopes and aspirations and above all a determination to succeed. Walking into a world of severe competition did not deter him as he set out on his long journey of conquests.
      “My very first win was on a horse called Super Money who was a bad starter. He had a problem getting into the gates. It was a challenge I had no intention of giving up easily. I put a lad called Budh Singh on the horse and to my surprise he took a good start and I won the race. This was the beginning for me way back in 1975 when I won this race for my owners Mr S N Marker and Mr D N Vig.”
      His first racing season in Mumbai in 1975/76 saw him victorious in 5 races and that was a stepping stone to increased achievement over the years where he has remained at the top of his game. Having now completed 35 years in this challenging sport he has walked away with 11 Championships winning his first in the 1979/80 Mumbai season and his last in the 2005/06 season.
      He got his first taste of classic success five years later when he won the Mysore Derby in 1980 with a filly called Carnival. That was to be the start of his classic run which today has touched forty five and counting. “There’s more to come says the confident trainer.” Twenty five of these classics have been won in the premier racing centre of Mumbai and a tally of twenty five Indian Classics is truly creditable. He has already been honoured by the Royal Western India Turf Club for winning over 100 Group races.
      Achieving the milestone of crossing 1000 wins in Mumbai alone, places Imtiaz in a league of his own. “We’ve been around for quite while, achieved quite a bit, but I feel that we have not been giving the recognition that we deserve.” In agreement with other professionals who have also scored various such milestones in their racing career he reiterates the need for greater appreciation.

     “Racing is almost cyclical. You can go through a good patch and you can be so sure you will go through a bad one too. You’re a hero one moment and the next you can be considered past your prime. Memory is so short lived. It takes a lot to build a progressively successful career and even more to stay on top. That’s the beauty of the game. You’re in it because you like the challenge.”
      The challenge comes in the form of existing owners and new owners who are sparing no expense with regards to the purchase price and the maintenance of a horse. Buy the best and give them the best. And it’s working. But this is acting as a deterrent to smaller owners who have now begun to think that, that is the only way to succeed.
     “Not true! There is no guarantee that if you buy an expensive horse that you will win the Derby. Everyone who buys an expensive horse can’t believe the same thing. Rejects and write-offs have all come and won the big race. I still can’t believe that I rejected Astonish, who went on to win the Triple Crown. That proved to be someone else’s luck. The last two Indian Derby’s have been won by owners who have a relatively small string.”
     “There is that element of luck involved. In selecting the right horses not the most expensive one, being right at the right time, the right place at the right time. A great deal of hard work and toil goes into the making of a champion and then we have to keep him going.”
     “I have a tremendous sense of job satisfaction, I am committed to the industry that has nurtured me and given me my fair share of success, over 1675 national wins, championships, classics, fabulous horses to train, excellent owners and a driving passion that keeps me going. There’s more to come…”
      As Imtiaz sets his target on crossing the 2000 wins mark he sets out on his daily routine spending as much time surrounded by his equine athletes as he possibly can.