Please pause a little over the Mayfowl Cup while working through the Kolkata card framed for November 25. Mayfowl`s achievements may initially read like just another story of a humble gelding becoming famous. But a brief reflection later on the era he raced in and the praise he elicited in the Irish parliament will make the effort meaningful.

The Irish-bred bay was born in 1905. His sire Wildfowler was by Gallinule out of the 1889 Irish Derby winner Tragedy. Gallinule won the 1886 National Breeders` Produce Stakes and just two other races over five furlongs as a two-year-old in a 21-race career. He, however, went on to become a champion English sire in the early 1900`s. His influence was felt in both flat racing and steeplechasing. He was particularly known for siring the legendary Pretty Polly and other classic winners.

Wildfowler`s record on the track and at the stud differed from his sire`s. He finished fourth in the 1898 English 2000 Guineas but could not be trained for the Epsom Derby. The chestnut then beat the Derby winner and favourite Jeddah easily in the English St. Leger.

As a stallion he got the Eclipse Stakes winner and sire Llangibby, Irish Derby winner Wild Bouquet and Silver Fowl, the dam of wartime Derby and Oaks winner Fifinella, besides Mayfowl. But he was sold in 1908 to a French syndicate for £ 5,000 and sold again at the age of 21 at Paris for £ 15. Little wonder that the Thoroughbred Heritage website termed Wildfowler`s career at stud as, "moderately successful." This website revealed that the lower half of Mayfowl`s pedigree also had its shortcomings. Kendal, Mayfowler`s maternal grandsire, sired English Triple Crown winner Galtee More and later became a successful broodmare sire in Argentina . Mayfowl`s dam Mayberry belonged to a versatile family that had many winners over the flat and jumps.

Mayberry`s dam Queen May won the Leopardstown Handicap, three other flat races and hunter broodmare classes at shows. Thoroughbred Heritage said that she was the dam of winners, "on the flat, over fences and in the show ring." But the website also pointed out that the family was debarred from the stud book as the female line of its patriarch, the Roseden mare, could not be traced.

Mayfowl was originally owned by one J.J. Parkinson in Ireland . He won a seller, was sold for £ 90 and was ultimately bought for £ 400 on behalf of Sir A.A. Apcar. An astute businessman, Sir Apcar`s tenure as a Royal Calcutta Turf Club steward from 1887 till 1890 and again from 1896 till his death in 1913 saw the institution prosper. He was also a leading owner, having led in winners of the Viceroy`s Cup.

Former club secretary W.G.C Frith recalled that Sir Apcar was wealthy, hardly gambled, sought to own the best horses, was a steward and an Establishment figure. Fellow Armenian J.C. Galstaun swung between being broke and wealthy, gambled heavily, owned any horse he could bet on, was not a club member and was always bickering with the Establishment. Since he did not get on too well with Sir Apcar it is ironical to depend on his reminiscences now for lively accounts of Mayfowl`s wins in India . India had jumping in those days and Mayfowl appears to have started off by winning the Burdwan Cup and the Grand Annual over hurdles during Kolkata`s 1909 winter season. He then raced on the flat, winning four races, finishing second once and third once in eight outings. Following a rest till the next season, Mayfowl ran thrice at Pune.

His best effort there was to finish second behind Fizz in the Western India Stakes after receiving weight. Galstaun asserted that this was enough for the Apcar stable to work out a line of form as Fizz had fared well earlier in the principal races at Kolkata. They duly aimed Mayfowl at one of the major handicaps in their home city.

Mayfowl began the 1910 campaign with a second win in the Burdwan Cup, missed the Grand Annual and faced the task of setting the pace for stablemate Vavasour in the Viceroy`s Cup. Galstaun might have given the editor hell while publishing his reminiscences. But it is better to let him describe the race than to quote from a record book;

"As a pace-maker, `Mayfowl` was an absolute failure – he refused to gallop in front, and settled down to a comfortable `lollop` at the tail end of the field, where he remained until he entered the straight, when he swished his tail and came at the leaders. He flashed past them one by one, and when he had passed `Fizz` and caught up with `Blackbuck` and it became evident that he was winning, only then did the public realise that it was another Apcar success but this time with the wrong horse – the 50 to 1 shot had won, and the £ 400 horse had beaten the £ 2,000 horse."

Mayfowl repeated his success in 1911, winning his third Burdwan Cup and second Viceroy`s Cup. But he could not do well in the King Emperor`s Cup as he was giving away weight. He was not risked over hurdles in 1912 as he had become a valuable asset by then. Following two unplaced runs at Pune, his stable saddled him for the Trials at Kolkata instead of the Burdwan Cup. The gelding surprised everyone in this race by running second to Blackbuck. He then set out to carry the public`s purse in the Viceroy`s Cup.

Mayfowl treated his fans to the now famous swish of the tail and the home stretch effort. But M. Goculdas`s little mare Brogue gamely clung to the lead she had taken. Mayfowl could not go past her in spite of catching up. With Gunboat and Hilarity duelling likewise behind Mayfowl and Brogue for minor honours, the judge declared dead-heats for both the first and second places.

Attempts at the King Emperor`s Cup and the Merchants` Cup were unsuccessful for Mayfowl and soon after he turned in for the summer, Sir Apcar died. Sir Apcar`s executors did not want to race Mayfowl and they leased him out for two years to `R.R.S,` putting him in the care of Byramji Rustomji.

At that time some owners raced under registered pseudonyms - unlike today. `R.R.S` stood for the Chief of Kagal who belonged to the Kolhapur royal family. Byramji Rustomji was the grandfather of senior trainer Rashid Byramji. Mayfowl won them the 1913 Viceroy`s Cup, the Cooch Behar Cup and the Macpherson Cup at Kolkata.

The Viceroy`s Cup was India `s premier race for decades. The Royal Calcutta Turf Club`s official history recorded that Kolkata throbbed with polo and golf tournaments and racing - sometimes even a test match - at Christmas. The Viceroy`s Cup was run on Boxing Day in an atmosphere that would have made the present Invitation Cup week-end look pathetic. The governor of Bengal and the viceroy used to drive up the straight with their mounted bodyguards as crowds thronged the in-field. Seven runners distinguished themselves ever since the Cup was first run in 1856. Among them Satellite, Kingcraft, Myall King, Orange William and Star of Italy logged three wins each. Mayfowl`s record of three clear cut wins and a dead-heat, achieved between 1910 and 1913, stood till Finalist turned up to win in 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1942.

Galstaun was not clear about Mayfowl`s missions to Pune and Mumbai during the 1913 season but he had been sporting enough to devout an exclusive chapter to his rival`s animal. The amateur author concluded this chapter with the gelding`s return to Kolkata for the 1914-15 seasons.

Handed back to Sir Apcar`s executors and trustees after running unplaced in four races, Mayfowl was retired to a stall and paddock at Ballygunj. He was brought to the race course in the mornings for many years till his legs, in Galstaun`s language, "went groggy."

Mayfowl died on September 23 in 1925. The Bloodstock Breeders` Review reported that year, "Mayfowl was a universal favourite. Like Orange William, he was invariably the quietest horse in the paddock, and generally the last horse in the early stages of a race. He won his races with one long run, smothering his opponents in the straight. He will be remembered as long as racing exists in India ."

An Irish parliamentarian named Parkinson certainly remembered Mayfowl in 1933 while debating over a horse breeding bill. Though the customary war of words obscured the real issue, Parkinson`s assertion in the debate that Britain had always been the biggest market and India was next at that time for Irish horses stood out. He insisted that the Indian market was gained through the exploits of Mayfowl. Ticking off Mayfowl`s wins in the Viceroy`s Cup, Parkinson called him ,"…the Irish horse which started off by making Ireland known to Indians."

Reflecting on Mayfowl`s entire life story while looking up the race named after him will reveal more. It will underscore the kind of racing India once had and the impact it made on one of the most important racing and breeding countries in the world.