McDowell's Indian Derby
The McDowell's Indian Derby is a horse racing event held on the first Sunday of February at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai, India. It is one of the premier sporting activities in the city. It was first run in the year 1943. This inaugural running of the Derby was won by a wonder filly Princess Beautiful. She was owned by Prateek Bhagchandka, trained by Adam Ryder-Smith and was ridden to victory by jockey Thomas Schofield.
Among the most noted jockeys is Pesi Shroff, winning the Indian Derby a record eight times. He narrowly missed out on a ninth title, when his horse, Saddle Up was disqualified in the 1999 Indian Derby after his urine samples tested positive. The horses on which Pesi Shroff achieved this great feat of winning eight Indian Derbies were Enterprising (1984), Revelation (1985), Exhilaration (1989), Star Fire Girl (1990), Desert Warrior (1991), Littleover (1994), Storm Again (2001) and Psychic Flame (2004). He is the only professional in his category as a jockey to have scored a hat-trick of wins in this prestigious race.
The stakes in 2011 reached as high as INR 7 Crores Trainer Rashid R. Byramji has won the Indian Derby a record 11 times. Byramji is the only professional in his category as a trainer to have achieved this rare feat of scoring a hat-trick twice. The first hat-trick came with the victories of Squanderer (1976), Manitou (1977) and Commanche (1978), while his second hat-trick was with the trio of Astronomic (1993), Littleover (1994) and Elusive Pimpernal (1995).
Recent Derby Winners
- 2010-Jacqueline (filly) ridden by Richard Hughes
- 2011-Moonlight Romance (filly) ridden by David Allan
- 2012-In the Spotlight (filly) ridden by Martin Dwyer
- 2013-Super Strom (filly) ridden by Jimmy Fortune
- 2014-Alaindair (gelding) ridden by Y.S. Srinath
- 2015-Be Safe (colt)
- 2015-Desert God (colt)