Racing's pride and joy

THEY espouse the equine beauty ofthoroughbred fillies and in the same breadth, can be as strong and stubborn asthe last stallion to win the sweepstakes. They need to be like that.After all, working in an atmosphere where male testosterone isalways at its highest ebb is no mean task. Which is why Arti Doctor, IrenePatel, Nina Lalwani and Rasika Reddy command the respect and admiration of theirpeers in the horse racing circuit of India. Now in Pune for themonsoon leg of the racing season, their working day begins at dawn - horses,jockeys, syces and hopefully, a winner on the weekend. Everyone knows ArtiDoctor has been a trainer since August 1988. Had she not been a trainer, shewould have been a graphic designer. She does have a degree from theNational Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. But her love for animals,especially horses, led her to the stables where she began as assistant to UttamSingh in 1983, much against her parents wishes. She was 25 then.“They did not want their daughter to be in a male-dominatedprofession,� recalls Arti, watching her horses go through their trackworkat the Pune race course. “There is no formal training as such here. Youlearn everyday; you observe, you see stuff and fit yourself in to thesurroundings,� she explains. Arti has 45 horses in her care.At the first week-end of racing in Pune her Shahandeh and Oriental Ace hadalready won races. Irene Patel (37), started by assisting her brother RobertD’Mello in 1990 and by 1994, earned her licence to train.“My brother tried to dissuade me, but I am a stubborn girl andwanted to be a trainer like him.� Irene struck gold the very first timeafter she turned pro. “The very first horse I saddled, Ashima,won in July 1994,� she recalls. The youngest of the women trainers is30-year-old Nina Lalwani. She has been in love with horses ever since she rodeone at the age of five. “My family have been horse lovers forages. I never thought of any other profession than being close to horses,�Nina says. An assistant for six years under Nirad Karanjawala and later withIvor Fernandes, Nina got her trainer’s licence in November, 1999.Nina started with 10 horses and has trained over 55 since then, outof which 26 have won races. Her first winner was Clever Talk in September 2000.“This horse is an angel. He had a lot of problems and yet it swept therace,� she recalls. While the trainers are rooted to theground, Rasika Reddy earns her bread sitting in the saddle. Rasika, when she isnot working at the Jappalouppe riding school in Talegaon, is a work rider at therace course. Today, this trained microbiologist works the horses for MaganSingh Jodha and has never had a problem with the rest of her maleriders and jockeys. “I love riding. It would have been nice to get ajockey’s licence, but I still enjoy myself every morning,� saysRaiska.