The late seventies saw a flood of top-class fillies and mares. So much so that veteran trainer Uttam Singh of western India was branded as the 'Ladies Man'. A host of bred-in-the-blue fillies established themselves in the classics under his care.
The south India circuit too enjoyed its share of success. One such filly who established herself in that region was Fire Haven - sired by the prolific Paddykin out of Star Witness. The last named had the distinction of winning seven races - one of them in England. She produced a string of successful horses. The list included Fair Court (24 wins including South India Derby), Star Haven (13 wins including South India Derby), Rock Witness (6 wins including South Indian Oaks) and of course Fire Haven, who picked up nine races including the Deccan Derby and Bangalore Derby.
After being retired to stud, Fire Haven proved that her progeny was as good as her, if not better. Fire Flash set the trend with 12 wins including the Calcutta 2000 Guineas. Then came Vibrant, a big made colt under the care of Bangalore maestro Rashid Byramji. So versatile was the animal that one could not ignore him in any distance between a mile and the Leger trip. His list of trophies included the Arc de Triomphe, Calcutta Gold Cup, the Colts Trial Stakes there, the Bangalore 2000 Guineas, the Bangalore St Leger and the Guindy Gold Cup.
Vibration beat his brother in quantity, but not in versatility. Though he had 17 successes to his name, most of them were over middle distances. His list included the Eclipse Stakes, The Eve Champion Trophy and the C.N. Wadia Trophy.
Though the grey Silver Fire would appear to conclude the list of classic winners that Fire Haven produced, one would be doing injustice to Young Tipu if the colt were not made a mention of, even if briefly. Not because he picked up seven races but because of the manner he staved off the formidable Red Chieftain over a distance of 2000 metres, during a Bangalore Summer meeting. The colt came fresh from Ooty and took the four horse field by storm as he opened up a lead of nearly 30 lengths despite being the longest priced horse at 15/1. That gap eventually narrowed down to a little over a length but that miraculous victory kept the legacy of Fire Haven alive.
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