Be Indian ride foreign

MUMBAI: As another Indian Derby Day dawns thoughts will again revolve on whether an Indian jockey will be on the podium or a foreigner. And the debate will rage on why foreign jockeys proliferate on Indian turf.
Asked this question, Pesi Shroff, ace jockey-turned-trainer, said, "The foreigners are better trained, and stronger in the basics."
Fellow trainer S Padmanabhan says, "There was a time when the likes of Vasant Shinde, Aslam Kader and Pesi Shroff would outshine the foreign riders.We don't have that class of riding any more."
SS Shah, another trainer says, "We had great riders like Pandu Khade, Shammu Chavan, S Jagdish, Shankar. We didn't need to depend on foreigners as we do today."
Another trainer, Imtiaz Sait says, "Today's Indian jockeys don't have the diligence of a Pesi Shroff. When he was my neigbhour, he would borrow videos of races and keep seeing them back and forth and make deep study of the horses and rivals. Today our jockeys spend a few hours at the course in mornings and spend the rest of the day doing what not."
About the foreigners, Sait says, "They have huge experience, they ride five days a week and bring that exposure to their riding here. Our jockeys ride much less. Moreover the communication is important. English is the medium. It isn't easy to get the message across to the Indians, barring a few."
Bezan Chenoy, another trainer, says, "Foreign jockeys are good, that's the end of the matter."
Magan Singh Jodha, another trainer, says, "Foreign jockeys like Jimmy Fortune, Keiren Fallon came here and went back and did well at home. There is also the case of an understudy of Sir Lester Piggott, a bell boy who was advised to race in India and went back to become a leading jockey."
Jaydev Mody, an owner, says, "The foreigners ride 30-40 races a week. Our riders ride four or five, that's the difference. I prefer to bring a foreign jockey when the horse is big or needs a bit of handling."
Old time owner PM Rungta says, "We don't have jockeys of the class of Joe Mercer, Lester Piggott or Jimmy Cooke who have ridden here."
Owner-trainer Narendra Lagad says, "The foreigners are far better. if Indians are chosen it is because of their familiarity with the course and the horse."
Nirad Karanjawala, champion trainer who had a Derby winner, says, "Barring three of four Indians the rest are ordinary. There is no back-up. The jockeys school is no longer exists. There is no feeder line." And even if there was there is a sobering thought from Imtiaz Sait that boys from affluent families won't come to ride because it is high-risk sport. "We have had about eight deaths of jockeys in accidents."
One remembers the late Jimmy Bharucha's training at the ARC's jockey school, how he licked the young riders into shape.
On the flip side, foreign jockeys laud their Indian counterparts. Says Daniel Grant, the leading jockey of the Mumbai season, "Narreddu and Srinath are good."
Nareddu could get a ride at Ascot this UK season and on a favourite if plans to invite jockeys from Asian countries bear fruit. That could be some consolation for the Indian riders as they fight a losing battle with those from foreign fields.
Indian jockeys won the Derby from 2001 to 2006 through Pesi (thrice), Belose, B Prakash and Kamlesh before Colm Donaghue and Mick Kinane won in 2007 and 2008. Can Nareddu win it back for the Indians?
Five reasons why the Indian Derby is the greatest race
The Indian Derby is India's richest race in prize money. This year the prize money of Rs 1.87 crore is an all-time record and it will easily surpass Rs 2 crore next year.
It is a heritage race, having been run since 1943 and has a great tradition. The Derby in most countries is the most prestigious such as the Epsom Derby and the Kentucky Derby in the US.
The Indian Derby is now promoted as a mega lifestyle event and is one of Mumbai's social landmark events with a record crowd.
The Indian Derby is to racing what Wimbledon is to tennis, richness, tradition, ambience and the highest and best take part.
The Indian Derby is India's only sporting event that combines sport with leisure, you can say the country's biggest sportainment event. With McDowells' association it has only got bigger and better and the RWITC also markets and promotes it as the biggest weekend in Indian racing.