It was Derby Day at the Curragh in Dublin, Ireland. It was Sunday, July 1, 2007. Continuous rain had rendered the track soft. Rain did not stop and the track was changed from ‘soft’ to heavy’ after the second race.
Trainer David Nicholls of England had two runners in the first race. Neither won. Tax Free and Peace Offering, both trained by Nicholls, dominated the betting market in the second race. The race went to Snaefell, a longshot ridden by John Murtagh.
The third race, the John Roarty Memorial Scurry Handicap, was over 1,250 metres. Twenty horses answered the starter’s call. Trainer Nicholls had two runners. One was Bahamian Pirate and the rider was Adrian Nicholls, David’s son. The other Nicholls horse was Machinist. The rider was an unheralded England-based Brazilian named Silvestre de Sousa. The race turned out to be a ‘no contest.’ Machinist, at 14-1, was disputing the lead 400 metres out and struck the front with 200 to go. Machinist was on cruise control thereafter and won by four widening lengths. The victory was worth 65,000 Euros to the connections of Machinist. I saw Machinist come back to the unsaddling area and caught a glimpse of Silvestre de Sousa, the winning jockey. Now, four months and three weeks later, a bell rang when I found that Silvestre is in India to ride during the winter.
I called Marthand Singh Mahindra. My connection to Indian racing has been tenuous in the recent past. “I am Suresh Mahindra’s son,” Marthand Mahindra began.
The name ‘Mahindra’ brought an inescapable flashback. Suresh Mahindra owned Multirosa, one of the top sophomore fillies in Western India in 1967. Multitosa was a high-strung temperamental filly who would expend a major part of her energy in pre-race formalities. Shammu Chavan was engaged to ride Multirosa in one of the Classics. Chavan was known for his ability to keep wayward horses in line. Pegasus, the Times of India racing journalist, wrote, “If there is a rider who can contain the early exuberance of the daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar, it is Shammu Chavan.” Cecil Hendricks, whose nom de plume was Pegasus, passed away recently.
Mahindra continued, “I own and run Broadacres Farm, one of the bigger breeding outfits in India. We are based in Bangalore. Our stock is primarily trained by Jaggy Dhariwal and Rashid Byramji. Michael Eshwer is part of our operation as well. In Mumbai, Altamash Ahmed handles the training chores for us.”
Talking about specific horses in the stable, Mahindra mentioned Aurelian and Woman On Top. “We have about 25 horses in training. Aurelian is a good sprinter. He has problems but he can hold his own on his day. Woman On Top is an exciting prospect. She is classic material. She has been going in Graded races. She will be in the Bangalore 1,000 Guineas.”
The conversation turned to jockey Silvestre de Sousa. “He was recommended by Shivendra Singh. David and Adrian Nicholls rode in India and Silvestre was riding for David. Shivendra Singh had a great relationship with the Nicholls family. I saw potential in Silvestre and we had no difficulty making the decision. He will ride horses trained primarily by Dhariwal.”
Silvestre de Sousa came on the line. “I am 27 and have been riding since 2000. I started in Brazil. In 2003, I broke my arm in an accident. I was on the sidelines until 2005. I began riding full time in 2006 when I moved to England. I have ridden 127 winners. In Brazil, I was once the best apprentice and second best in overall standings. I have ridden in Dubai, France and Ireland. I won a race on Derby Day at the Curragh this year.”
Silvestre Alves de Sousa’s record in 2007 reads:19 wins from 209 starts for a 9% strike rate. His mounts earned 143,668 pounds. He was second 19 times, third 19 times and fourth 29 times.
Talking about what prompted him to make the trip to India, Silvestre sounded upbeat. “My boss, David Nicholls, is familiar with India. When the offer came, he had no hesitation. He told me that India is a good place to ride and I would have a great learning experience. I like the environment. I have ridden at different tracks in England and that should help me do well in India.”
