Prince Pradeep was one of the most versatile horses to have graced the Indian turf. The got-abroad was an outstanding race horse and won a host of races. He also left a huge legacy by his performance as a stallion, siring classic winners and also proving to be an outstanding broodmare sire. Bred at the Yeravada Stud and Agricultural Farm, the story of Prince Pradeep is one of a brave horse who defied all odds to emerge as a champion race horse as well as a distinguished sire in the history of Indian racing.

Unlike the present day champions who were mostly picked off the shelves much before they become two-year olds, Prince Pradeep was purchased in the
ring for Rs 50,000 by Mr & Mrs T G Gaokar at the 1962 RWITC Ltd Annual Auction Sale.

Trained by Aziz Mahmoud, Prince Pradeep (b 1960 -76) by Migoli out of Driving by Waiting Street) should have had an unbeaten record at the end of the Classic year but for two unfortunate happenings. It was perhaps expecting too much when he took on the older Ethics II in the A C Ardeshir Gold Cup in only the third start of his life. Then, after he had recorded impressive start to finish victories to win the Indian Triple Crown, his jockey lost a stirrup iron immediately after the start of the Indian Turf Invitation Cup at Calcutta. By the time Raghunath had got his foot back into the stirrup, Prince Pradeep had bolted away from the field, spent much of his energy and had no reserves to fight off his former paddock companion Hovercraft.

Prince Pradeep simply loved to hit the front and gallop his rivals into submission. He was a difficult horse to restrain and even Joe Mercer and Harry Carr, who rode him in the Indian Classics, found him quite a handful.

As a five-year old, Prince Pradeep won the A C Ardeshir Gold Cup, a race he had lost two years previously and then went down by a neck to Rishikesh in the Eclipse Stakes of India. He was not in the money in his remaining two starts thereafter.

Retired to Yeravad Stud, Prince Pradeep proved to be an outstanding sire though he was troubled by laminitis for most of his stud career. A dominant bay, he marked his progeny unmistakenly but to hardly any of them did he bequeath his insatiable urge to rush to the head of affairs. His mercurial owner Mr T G Gaokar went through many a vicissitude after Prince Pradeep’s halcyon days on the track but he never forgot to send his champion a gift on his birthday.

The major races won by Prince Pradeep were Gr 1 Indian Derby, Gr 1 Indian St Leger, Gr 1 Indian 2000 Guineas, and Gr 3 A C Ardeshir Gold Cup. He was also second in Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Gr 3 A C Ardeshir Gold Cup and Gr 3 Eclipse Stakes of India.

Prince Pradeep was retired to stud in 1966. He sired a number of classic winners which included Bright Hanovar, Elegance, Noor-E-Shiraz,. Royal Challenge, ghazab, Heliantha, Reflect Reprint, Round off, Ipi tombi, Vox Populi, Nectar Queen, royal Double, Skyline, Beloved Prince, Princely,. Prince Blossom and San Francisco. Some of his progeny like Bright Hanovar, Noor-E-Shiraz, Ipi Tombi, Royal Double, Skyline, Beloved Prince, San Francisco, Charley, Shah-hi-Noor, General Patton and Top Piority stood as sires. Prince Pradeep was also the maternal grandsire of Classic winners Revelation, Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup and Socialite, Gr 2 Golconda Oaks.

Source: Indian Stud Book