DARASHAH REACHES A MILESTONE

By Sanjay Reddy
Dec 8, 2006

Zareer Darashah reached a significant career milestone when he led Sharp N Smart (Don't Forget Me-Tsar maiden) to the winner's enclosure at Mysore on December 06. The four-year old chestnut gelding's victory in the 1600m Nagarahole Plate, a handicap event for horses rated 60 and above, represented this veteran trainer's 2000th win in a 38 year career. Only two other Indian trainers, Rashid Byramji and Robert Foley, have managed to reach this figure, which makes Darashah's achievement all the more remarkable, as he has never had the quality or quantity of horses that these two trainers have enjoyed.  

Fittingly for Zareer Darashah his moment of glory came at Mysore, the city of his birth, where he has iconic status among the local racing enthusiasts.

Needing three winners to reach the landmark figure of 2000 at the start of the day, Darashah recorded a hat trick with Sharp N Smart being his third winner. The sequence was started by Smell Of Success in the upper division of the Bandipur Plate, the third race in the day's card. Dangerous Illusion continued the sequence in the next event, the Committee Cup (Div.2), before Sharp N Smart scored in the day's fifth race. The winning jockey on all three winners was Gnaneshwar, who has been riding Darashah's horses regularly for the past few years.