It was a dull and rather damp day in Newmarket, England, when Lot No. 544 entered Tattersalls auction ring at Park Paddocks on Wednesday, 5th December 1956. Sitting in the audience at the time, trying to keep dry and warm in the uncovered enclosure, was the doyen of Indian bloodstock breeders, Mr. Faly D. Wadia, joint owner of the Yeravada Stud & Agricultural Farm in Poona, India, and also of Meath Paddocks (subsequently part of the Juddmonte group`s Ferrans Stud) in Co. Meath in Ireland.

Hailing from the draft of Prince Aly Khan, who coincidentally was a personal friend of Mr. Wadia`s, was a three-year-old filly out of training named Driving. The prospective broodmare was not really a presentable sight – she had both front legs too close together, and was shaggy in appearance to boot. But the product of Lady Delamere`s Hare Park Stud held Mr. Wadia`s interest and he was pleased that it required a bid of a measly 55 guineas to acquire her, the low price reflecting the mare`s appearance, lack of achievement and the depressed market. It must be noted that the average for unmated fillies at that year`s December Sales had fallen to a mere 582 guineas, from 1,105 guineas the previous year, due to uncertainties prevailing with regard to the Suez Canal crisis in the Middle East.


Mr. Wadia`s attraction for Driving was straightforward: it was neither her performances on the track – she was a non-winner – nor her looks which weighed with him; rather, it was her pedigree, particularly the fact that her grandam, Winter Sport, was an own-sister to Evenlode, a mare he owned and which had cost him 6,000 guineas, and to Hydroplane (dam of the great American champion, Citation). And Driving`s third dam was the peerless Toboggan, never headed when scoring in the Epsom Oaks of 1928.

The rather backward Driving was shipped to Meath Paddocks, where she was put away to graze for a year and allowed to mature, so it was only in 1958 that her proposed mate had to be chosen. Mr. Wadia`s Irish breeding operation owned a share in the superbly-bred Migoli, who stood at the Ongar Stud at Clonsilla, in County Dublin. The only English-trained winner of the Prix de l`Arc de Triomphe between 1923 and 1971, the grey had also placed second in the Epsom Derby and third in the St. Leger.

Migoli seemed a worthy enough mate to put some talent into the offspring and accordingly, Driving was sent to him. Although she promptly conceived to her first mating that year, she unfortunately aborted. Returned the following year to Migoli, who was soon to depart across the Atlantic – where his outstanding son Gallant Man had done such a fine job of advertising his sire`s stud prowess – Driving again conceived and then was shipped out to India.

A son of the 1938 Epsom Derby winner Bois Roussel, Migoli was a descendant of one of the Aga Khan`s top families, tracing as he did to the flying filly Mumtaz Mahal. Despite Migoli`s impressive record as a racehorse, he was something of a disappointment at stud and apart from Prince Pradeep in India, he sired the aforementioned Belmont Stakes winner Gallant Man in the United States and the Poule d`Essai des Pouliches victress Yla in France. Excluding these, one can barely recall another really good horse got by Migoli.


Foaled at the Yeravada Stud on April 9th, 1960, the bay Migoli-Driving colt was an excellent foal, taking after his sire in all but colour. He was a substantial individual, full of quality, though not quite the "star of the crop". Moreover, he was high-spirited and rather difficult to manage. At the RWITC Annual Auction Sale at Mahalakshmi in Bombay in February 1962, he showed up as an attractive dark bay colt, if somewhat on the smaller side, but possessed of a taking style of moving which probably appealed to the discerning eye. Attracted also by the fact that his own son Pradeep shared the same April 9th birth date, owner Mr. T.G. Gaokar bid for and bought the Yeravada-consigned colt for Rs. 50,000 and entrusted him to the care of trainer Aziz Mahmoud.

A few words are necessary regarding Mr. Tukaram Gaokar, whose emerald green silks, with the white Maltese cross emblazoned across the middle, ripple in the mind`s eye even at this distance of time. Few owners, probably not the great Maharajas of old or even Mr. Ranjit Bhat, who won 4 Indian Derbies in 5 years, could rival his flair. The prematurely-retired Customs inspector had a career on the turf as an owner that was as brief as it was eventful. He came in with lightning and went out in a thunderclap. Apart from his own exceptional luck on the turf, he was very well advised by his team.



It turned out to be a case of touch-and-go about whether Prince Pradeep would ever race as he developed a touch of laminitis in training. Nevertheless, like most top horses on the Indian Turf, he was relatively early to hand and from the outset revealed that he was a horse of exceptional merit. He made a stunning debut at 2, on Indian 2000 Guineas day, 19th December 1962, over the sharp trip of 1000 metres, cantering home by six lengths. In those days, there were nothing like the opportunities currently available to first-season horses and Prince Pradeep was next seen in public eight weeks later, where he again trounced his contemporaries, this time over 1200 metres.


Migoli`s son was next assigned what in hindsight was an impossible task. He took on seasoned older horses in the A.C. Ardeshir Cup, then run in March over 1400 m., and not surprisingly went under by a length and a half to the high-class Ethics II, while 3 kgs. worse off than the prescribed weight-for-age scale. That ended his Bombay campaign and he did not face the starter again till September at Poona, when he routed his Class IV opponents in a handicap.

While all these exhibitions of superiority were being played out on the track, there was a worrying development in the background, one which the racing public was not privy to. Prince Pradeep had alarmed connections by showing signs of intractability and there was concern he might refuse to race or simply tear away and exhaust himself.

Accordingly, Mr. Gaokar sent for the ace English jockey Joe Mercer, who flew out to India in November 1963, after the conclusion of the Flat season in Britain. By now the classy colt was back at his home base at Mahalakshmi, having been sharpened up for his Classic campaign with an effortless romp in a Class III handicap.

Mercer took the reins on Prince Pradeep for the first time in public in the recognized Classic trial, the 1400 m. Maharaja of Morvi Cup, and duly landed the odds. The Yeravada-bred continued to inflict pain on bookmakers and it was at 100 to 20 on that he started for the Indian 2000 Guineas, which proved to be a mere formality.

It must be mentioned that it was Mercer who taught the colt to settle well, an assignment that involved schooling the headstrong colt the wrong way around the sweeping Mahalakshmi track! Unfortunately, Mercer fractured an arm in a fall before the Indian Derby and his father-in-law, Harry Carr, although comparatively unfit at the height of a cold English winter, was urgently summoned from England and duly won the Indian Derby as also the Indian St. Leger three weeks later.


The race for the Indian Derby is easily described – Prince Pradeep was soon in front, emulating the tactics that had landed victory for his fourth dam Toboggan in the Epsom Oaks, and Carr never faced a moment of anxiety. A lone voice in the grandstand who attempted to galvanize Zindabad with a loud shout of encouragement claims he suddenly saw 10,000 pairs of eyes bearing down on him for indulging in such reckless effrontery! Even a rocket, leave alone a plaintive cry, would not have enabled Zindabad to bridge the gap and Prince Pradeep sauntered home unchallenged.

Sent to Calcutta to contest the Indian Turf Invitation Cup in March, he met with every conceivable misfortune in running, including the fact that his jockey Raghunath Kolse lost his stirrups in the course of the race, whereupon the colt took it upon himself to tear off to a long lead. Not surprisingly, he tired close home and finished an exhausted second (by two lengths) to Hydroplane, another Yeravada-bred.

Interestingly, Carr always maintained that Prince Pradeep was not a true stayer but stayed the mile and three-quarters trip in the Indian St. Leger due to his sheer class.

There was some talk of the R.W.I.T.C. Ltd. buying him as a stallion for their breeding operations, while Miss Perin P. Dalal, partner with her brother-in-law Faly Wadia in the Yeravada Stud & Agricultural Farm, wanted Prince Pradeep to stand back at his birthplace. Despite a degree of uncertainty about the commercial possibilities, Mr. Wadia acquiesced in the decision and negotiated the price with Mr. Gaokar and finally settled the deal at Rs. 45,000 + 2 nominations annually for life. It is believed Mr. Gaokar immediately put the money in a trust fund for his wife, as he was reported to have fallen foul of the Customs authorities soon after the sale, with all his assets being frozen.

It must be mentioned that Dr. C.S. Balakrishna`s expert veterinary attention kept the horse going at stud despite frequent attacks of laminitis. Prince Pradeep was a very good patient. He had virtually been cured of the dreaded disease when he fell and broke a vertebra. During the period of convalescence, his laminitis played up again as he could not be exercised. Finally, he had to be put down on 8th February 1976, exactly one week after Mr. Wadia died of a sudden heart attack at the Mahalakshmi racecourse. It was a devastating double blow for the stud in a short span of time.


When his first crop hit the track in 1969-70, it soon became evident that Prince Pradeep was an exceptional stallion and with each succeeding crop that realization became more and more acute. He was undoubtedly the best Indian-bred stallion in the history of Indian Thoroughbred breeding. One of his sons - Bright Hanovar – emulated him by winning the Indian Derby (in 1971), a race that another son Noor-E-Shiraz might well have won had he been able to participate. While Prince Pradeep threw a host of sons and daughters who were superlative racehorses, only his sons bred on to the extent that they were given an opportunity and it`s puzzling to note the relative lack of success of his daughters as broodmares.

How good was Prince Pradeep really as a racehorse? Overall, it must be admitted that he raced in a year of mediocrity and no colt that finished behind him later distinguished himself on the race track. On the other hand, his Derby rivals did include the Indian 1000 Guineas winner Gwalior Lass, the Indian Oaks winner My Smita, the good class filly Shipshape and the consistent Zindabad, runner-up in all three classics, who would have been hailed as a Triple Crown winner himself had Prince Pradeep not turned up in the same year!

That said, the bay colt could hardly do more than outclass whatever opposition he met and his winning verdict of 6 lengths was the largest margin recorded up to that time in the Indian Derby.

INDIAN DERBY, 1964 (run on Sunday, January 19, 1964)

A Gold Trophy value Rs.3,000. A sweepstakes of Rs.800 with Rs.55,000 from the Fund. Winner, the Trophy and 67-1/2 per cent, of the stakes; second, 20 per cent of the stakes; third 12-1/2 per cent, of the stakes. The Breeder of the winner to receive 5 per cent from the total stakes. For Indian Colts and Fillies, 4 years old only (foaled in 1960). Colts 56 kg. Fillies 54.50 kg. Entries - 96 at Rs.200. 1st Forfeits - 75 at Rs.200, 2nd Forfeits – 53 at Rs.200. Final Forfeits - 14 at Rs.200. Total Stakes Rs.1,02,600. Winner the Trophy and Rs.65,792.25; second Rs.19,494; third Rs.12,183.75. Breeder of the winner Rs.5,130. Distance (About) 2400 metres. (Net Rs.73,122.25).





Won by 6 lengths; 5 lengths between second and third; 1/2 length between third and fourth.
Time - 2 mins. 42-1/5 secs.

Armin and Shipshape slowly away.

Rs.10 Totalizator paid Rs.14 for win and Rs.12, Rs.27 and Rs.17 for places.

BETTING:- 5/2 on Prince Pradeep & My Smitha (coupled), 3/1 Shipshape, 7/2 Zindabad & Gwalior Lass, 9/1 Mansab, 10/1 Kingsley & Armin, 12/1 Venividivici, 15/1 Mrag Lochnee.

Winner trained by Aziz Mahmoud and bred by Yeravada Stud & Agricultural Farm at the Yeravada Stud (Maharashtra)