The Derby, like all big events, hides its true magic behind the scenes. While all of us are familiar with the glamour and thrill associated with the Indian racing world's biggest annual event, few know of the underlying elbow grease, with trainers, jockeys, owners, and most of all, the horses, training non-stop.
The Derby is always held on the first Sunday of February at the Royal Western India's Turf Club, Mahalaxmi. While there are nearly 1,500 horses that are of racing age, on an average, only 20 horses are selected as prospective contenders. This year, 13 horses will be competing for a princely sum of Rs 3.2 crore.
"The derby is a race of 2,400 metres and not all horses are long distance racers. One never knows what a horse's inclination will be till he's broken in," said Nirad Karanjawala, a trainer working with the club for the past two decades.
Horses are broken in by the age of 2 and trained till they turn 3, after which the trainer uses his discretion about when a horse may run it's first race. "Usually, the horses come to us by October – November, and we start training them from then onwards. By the time the derby comes around, we have a fair idea of a horse's capabilities. A derby horse is in its prime from the age of 3 till 5," explained Karanjawala.
Karanjawala went on to describe their daily training. "We begin by taking the horses out for a brief trot along the walking rings, where they're warmed up after which jockeys lead them out for a canter along the track. If anything is wrong with the horse, its apparent during the trot so we can treat immediately without causing further harm to the animal."
"The training routine is generally the same for all horses. However there will be a horse who may only trot or may not swim on a particular day. Also an upcoming derby does not mean that horses are pushed harder," said Asad Siddiqui, a fellow trainer with Karanjawala.
In case of any medical emergencies, the Club has an equine hospital. Siddiqui also explains that "dope tests" can be dubious when it comes to horses, "Many a times as a trainer you may give a horse a painkiller or a medicine because the doctor says that it should flush out from its system in some days, however all horses aren't the same and some don't perspire as much, which may leave a certain amount in its system."
A Ashhad Asbar, who has been a jockey for nearly 8 years now said, "I usually ride an average about 50 horses in a year and while there are certain horses that you share a connection with, it's not possible to always jockey for them as someone else may book you."
"Now the idea of gambling has become very strongly associated with racing and that hurts it the most. People should come for the thrill of seeing horses charging towards you as they race to win, not to make money," said Siddiqui.
