Uttam Singh: The fillies' master

MUMBAI: Talking about Indian Oaks and not mentioning Uttam Singh would be a crime. Winning this biggest race for fillies (female horse) a record seven times speaks for the calibre of this great trainer and how well he understood the fairer sex among horses and what they needed to perform at optimum level.
Apart from the success of Lady Madonna (1975), Highland Rule (1980), Potential Champion (1981), Marchetta (1984), Silver Haven (1985), Midnight Madness (1989) and Academic (1993) in the Indian Oaks, Uttam Singh won many other classics with the fairer sex and was aptly nicknamed 'Fillies Master' by the Indian racing fraternity.
What was the secret? "Treating them like your daughters," says the 93-year-old, who gave up training in the late nineties after his son Zadmal Singh had established himself among the trainers' fraternity in India.
"They are very temperamental and you need to have a deep understanding of their mood. You need to show great patience and allow them enough time to grow, both mentally and physically," Uttam Singh told TOI.
Those who had seen him at work are all praise for his hard work. "He is an honest man and knew his fillies well," said Maharaja of Idar Rajendrasinghji, whose father Himmat Singhji had pursued Uttam Singh to start training after he had quit his riding career in 1949.
Uttam Singh was lucky to have some very understanding owners who were ready to allow him his own sweet time that he took in bringing fillies to perform. For these owners, the betting side had no inducement to extend patronage to the turf.
"I was indeed lucky to have such owners," says Uttam Singh.
"He had amazing understanding of the fillies," says Cyrus Poonawalla, the leading breeder in the country today. "He had won many classics for me. Such trainers have become a rare breed now," he added.
Very few would be aware that Uttam Singh was among the first few Indian riders to have graced the turf. In the 30s, only English riders were given license to ride before KM Munshi, the then home minister of Mumbai, objected and asked Royal Western India Turf Club secretary Cullinham to train Indian riders as well.
Cullinham then contacted Jodhpur-based reputed school Choupasini where riding was a compulsory subject. Among 900 students, Uttam Singh and Khim Singh were selected to travel to Mumbai in 1939.