 | ||
The Kingfisher Ultra Indian Derby, or simply the Indian Derby, is an Indian annual Thoroughbred horse race. It is a 2,400-metre race held on the first Sunday of February on the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai and is one of the premier sporting activities in the city.
Contents
The race was first held in 1943 and was won by a filly Princess Beautiful, ridden by Edgar Britt. Pesi Shroff, with eight wins, holds the record for most wins in the race.
Kingfisher ultra indian derby 2016 breakfast with champions
History
Shroff narrowly missed out on a ninth title, when his horse, Saddle Up was disqualified in the 1999 Indian Derby after his urine samples tested positive. The horses on which Pesi Shroff achieved this great feat of winning eight Indian Derbies were Enterprising (1984), Revelation (1985), Exhilaration (1989), Star Fire Girl (1990), Desert Warrior (1991), Littleover (1994), Storm Again (2001) and Psychic Flame (2004). He is the only professional in his category as a jockey to have scored a hat-trick of wins in this prestigious race.
Trainer Rashid R. Byramji has won the Indian Derby a record 11 times. Byramji is the only professional in his category as a trainer to have achieved this rare feat of scoring a hat-trick twice. The first hat-trick came with the victories of Squanderer (1976), Manitou (1977) and Commanche (1978), while his second hat-trick was with the trio of Astronomic (1993), Littleover (1994) and Elusive Pimpernal (1995).