BACK TO WINNING CLASSICS

Sounding all excited and recharged after winning the Fillies Trial Stakes in Bangalore, we caught up with Imtiaz to capture the moment with him.

Alvarita had four starts in Mumbai with two close finishes in two millions. She travelled well to Bangalore, matured and became much stronger during the Bangalore season. This is what Imtiaz had to say about his Classic-winning filly before she ran the Bangalore Summer Derby. “ I think I’m going to spare her in Pune and will save her for Mumbai, like I did with Slipstream, Super Brave and Warsaw Pact and a couple of others who raced the Bangalore Summer, were spared the Pune season and have come out and turned out to be great Classic performers in the Mumbai winter. She needs a break after being exploited over various trips form 1200-2000m. After too much of continuity in racing between Mumbai and Bangalore she needs a sparing.”

THE SECOND COMING

A chequered career, marred by controversies in recent times, Imtiaz Sait has risen like a phoenix from the ashes and is making hay while the sun shines

Walking on sunshine down the Turf Club road towards the stables, the hoarse and raspy voice rings in my ears as I recollect the directions that the voice had given me over the phone a few minutes back. The warmth and friendliness though was very much evident and the mind tries to build an image around the voice. The beauty and magnificence of the Pune Turf Club is not lost on me as I soak in the lush green surroundings and finally make it to the stables. The ease with which I walk through the gates manned by a solitary guard makes me wonder at the vulnerability of the horses.

As I turn the corner the familiar voice over the telephone falls on my ears and I see a salt-n-pepper figure in an animated conversation with some people who look like stable-hands. I stop in my tracks waiting for a pause in the conversation to ask, when the authoritative animated figure turns towards me hand outstretched and says, "Hi, Imtiaz Sait. Manish Rupani?" As I nod in the affirmative, he gestures for me to wait under a shade where I see a table and some chairs spread out, apparently for visitors like me.

It is the first time that I actually witness stables and the elegant and regal stature of the Thouroughbred is actually enamouring to say the least. I see Imtiaz Sait tearing around all over the place, in and out of the stables issuing instructions of a varied nature while I saunter over to a stable in which a horse is being given a massage, which reminds me of my own aching bones and I actually explore the possibility of trading places with the lucky horse.

A few moments later I am joined by the dynamo Imtiaz Sait apologising profusely for keeping me waiting. As we settle down over a cup of coffee he asks me the one question I dread, "How much do you know about horses?" The look on my face tells him all and he laughs lightly as I tell me to treat me with kid gloves. The zest, zeal and enthusiasm of his persona comes out strongly and he looks very much at ease as we launch ourselves into a discussion on what he does best - training horses.

Needless to say, Imtiaz Sait today ranks among the top most horse trainers in the country and commands a loyalty from his owners that is second to none. A trainer with an eye for perfection, he is always on the look out for a competitive edge. The academic bent of mind, intellectual ability and hunger for success, have helped Imtiaz stand apart from his fellow professionals. But the journey to success has not been without its ups and downs.

The diverse background from which Imtiaz comes makes it difficult to comprehend as to why he should have chosen to get into a field like horse training. And since the environment holds the key conducive to growth, Imtiaz's love for horses lie in his roots. This Bangalore lad grew up watching horses in stables at the various out-houses that were used in those days, unlike nowadays where the turf clubs provide stable facilities. In fact most of the horse racing in the early days used to be the domain of royalty with stables being housed on the palace grounds.

In the late 60s and early 70s, horses from all over the country came into Bangalore for the races and were housed in out house stables where in his grandfather's out house, Imtiaz came across a 13-year-old trainer, B. Puttana, who knew the names of all the horses in his yard by heart. This fascination was the first spark, which was to kindle a roaring passion for this magnificent animal in times to come. Opportunity presented itself in 1972 when a Bangalore-based Iraqi trainer Aziz Mohammed was on the lookout for an assistant. An illiterate man with a gut instinct for horses, Aziz used to train horses for royalty and enjoyed an enviable reputation. Being a family friend, Aziz agreed to take him on for a three-month period and observe him.

Imtiaz's passion came to the fore and his dedication and sincerity made an impact on the Iraqi who brought him down to Pune-Mumbai with him, an association that lasted from 1972 to 1976. The turning point came in 1977, when a limit on the number of horses a trainer could keep, was enforced. Destiny played its hand when around the same time well-known jockey V. Shinde, apprentice to Aziz Mohammed, joined the yard at Pune. This saw the influx of a large number of horses coming into the yard from other stables all over the country. With the limit on number of horses in place, the time was ripe and the cow was waiting to be milked as the overflow of horses had to be diverted somewhere.

Taking full advantage of the conditions, Imtiaz made good of the opportunity and garnered his license for horse training and went independent in October 1977 with 13 horses under him for training. His first winner was a horse called Super Money, a bad starter, but eventually made it to the winning post. From there onwards, Imtiaz has never looked back and has crossed one milestone after another. Till date Imtiaz has had about 1,400 winners, has won 15 championships in Pune and Mumbai and has made his presence felt on the race tracks year after year.

Savouring the sweet taste of success, Imtiaz is quick to point out the pivotal and crucial role that a trainer plays from the starting point to the winning post. The two-minute run entails a process of preparation that calls upon and tests the skills of the trainer to its zenith. A jewel in itself may hold its own worth but to become an ornament it must be polished and put through the fires to test its ingenuity. This is how Imtiaz describes his role in the Thouroughbred racing arena. Putting it succinctly he stresses on the need for understanding horse language. According to Imtiaz, "Most of the horse talk takes place not on the tracks but in the stables."

According to him horse training is all about understanding a horse. A keen sense of observation becomes imperative in the trial-n-error process, as there is no fixed rule for success. Just as a coach works on the potential of an athlete and works hard to bring about the best in him, the same applies to these four-legged wonders. Imtiaz credits horses with being blessed with a fair amount of intelligence with an understanding that tests his skills constantly. The process starts right from taking care of their feed, nutrition, exercise right to understanding their temperament and even working on psychological and emotional parameters. Proper diet ensures a happy stomach, exercise a happy body and love and caring a happy soul. Roughly translated a fit and happy horse is the one that can win you races.

The best part is that this monitoring and caring cannot be uniform. Just as two children in a family need to be looked and handled differently, horses call for the same. The process is tailored to suit every individual horse as per his or her needs and requirements. Like a tutor, Imtiaz understands and coaches horses to bring out the best in them and it is this understanding, which reflects in their success or failure. Yet Imtiaz feels, "You don't have the final say. Whatever hard work of mine goes into this, a jockey can mess it up by running a bad race."

But the cycle of turning out a champion starts much before the training aspect comes into play. Imtiaz attributes the horse-lover's zest for this sport to varying reasons. What could be a hobby for one could be a quest for glory for another while there are some who harbour a passion towards this noble animal. The whole idea narrowing down to the reasoning - where passion and glory come into the picture, money loses its value. Terming horse-racing as a prestigious and expensive sport Imtiaz says, "If passion and glory is what you are looking for, then this is the right sport and profession to be in." Whatever the outlook, these are the factors, which define the budgets that owners chalk out to buy horses. Working within these parameters is what calls upon the skills of the horse trainer.

The whole thought process of investing in a particular horse starts from taking the breeder and the pedigree into consideration. The limbs, the way a horse carries himself, all contribute towards making that critical decision of buying a horse. Some horses are born champions while some need that special touch and this is where the trainer comes in. The trainer has the eye for that aptitude and temperament that plays an important part in the whole process of churning out a champion. At the end of the day the trainer can put forth his recommendations but the final say rests with the owner who might have his own instincts or financial constraints in mind. Imtiaz feels he is fortunate as most of his owners have shown complete faith in his judgement and if track records are anything to go by then his recommendations have paid rich dividends over the years.

Interesting and lucrative as it may seem, this industry too has been plagued by the dark clouds of controversies. Imtiaz himself has been a victim on numerous occasions but one incident very nearly finished his career while at the peak. The race in focus was the Indian Derby 1999 that was won by a horse, Saddle Up, trained by Imtiaz. In what would have been a glorious win in his career, the urine samples of the horse tested positive for banned drugs and had to be disqualified. To add salt to wounds, a 13 1/2 month suspension was slapped on Imtiaz by the governing body.

The disgruntlement and frustration is evident from Imtiaz's reactions, "We have the worst infrastructure and our samples go to the best laboratories in the world for testing. Most positives, I would say 99% of positives in our country have been related to therapeutic use. It's a total misconception. People call it doping but its not doping, its medical infringement." Shedding light further on the issue, Imtiaz explains that a horse's internal system is slow at metabolizing drugs that are administered for aches and pains or other ailments experienced by a horse, which are a common feature. "Despite taking all precautions of allowing the clearance period we still come up with such positives. But the drugs used are totally for therapeutic use. There has never been a drug case in our country to my knowledge where a trainer has abused his position by way of using a stimulant to win a race or a depressant to stop a race. Elsewhere in the world they are beginning to realize that the horse is such a complex animal that he metabolises the drug very very slowly, it remains in his liver for a long time. So they have threshold levels, wherein a certain amount of drug is permissible in the horse's urine. Our public is not aware but fortunately we have a good bunch of stewards who are going into details and trying to follow what is practised internationally. We have been victims of ignorance, lack of knowledge, lack of communication from other international racing laboratories in the world."

The various ailments associated with a horse add to the woes of the trainer. With a race coming up and the horse experiencing trouble, which requires treatment, giving rise to the probability of the horse testing positive on the penultimate day, the trainer is oft faced with the dilemma of either taking the risk of the horse testing positive or to keep him out of the race. Either ways it becomes a catch 22 situation and makes it a difficult decision to take for the trainer. As in most cases the horse's system relieves itself of the drugs but in those rare cases where it retains the drugs longer than expected then the possibility of a drug offence looms large or the owner has to be deprived of the chance of his horse running in a race.

But this in itself does not constitute the entire crux of the issue. Witnessing the infrastructure and security facilities that the stables are provided with, one can safely say that trainers are like sitting ducks. Though Imtiaz has employed his own personal security to guard his racing yard, it is still not enough. This is apparently an area of concern, as sabotage cannot be ruled out, which could well spell doom for a trainer's career. Imtiaz makes no bones of the trauma he faced at being slapped with the suspension which could have put a premature end to a glorious career had he not knocked on the doors of law and got a reprieve of eight months heralding in the second coming.

Imtiaz expresses his gratitude to the multitude of horse owners that stood by him during his difficult days and managed to retain 39 horses with another trainer during the suspension period. Owners no less than the likes of Poonawallas, B.M. Khaitan, Dr. Arun Nanda to name a few, have shown their immense faith in his talents and have entrusted him with their horses over the years. Based in Pune, Imtiaz also has a soft corner for Bangalore. He feels that the climatic conditions in Bangalore are best suited for racing. When the Bangalore racing season is on there are no races elsewhere in India, which ensures the presence of stalwarts from the racing industry, serving as a platform for interaction and sharing of experiences. Not to mention that Bangalore is home to him.

But his base Pune-Mumbai is obviously dear to his heart as Imtiaz has to his credit a hat trick of wins in the Invitation Cup where he has registered wins with Charon (1984), Exhilaration (1989) and Super Brave (1994) at Mumbai. This has been a notable achievement in his 27-year career. He holds Exhilaration very dear to his heart as this horse also got him his first and only Indian Derby to date in 1989. Another reason why the Saddle Up controversy proved to be traumatic is the fact that had it won in 1999, Imtiaz would have clinched his second Indian Derby win. But nevertheless, he has about 45 Classic wins to his credit from all over the country, barring Kolkata, the only place where he is yet to taste success.

Imtiaz attributes his success to hardwork, sincerity and dedication. His source of strength though is his better half Sunita, who he met during his teens and defied all odds to settle down in matrimony. A relationship which like wine has matured over the years. The couple has overcome trials and tribulations in life and been a rock solid support for each other. Destiny has been kind to this lovely couple but somewhere the smiles also hide a tear. They have lost two sons due to illness but Providence has blessed them with a lively and bubbly 13-year-old daughter Shaista who is the life of the family and the apple of the eye of her father.

Sunita is an extremely talented woman in her own right and the confines of the Sait household are a testimony to her creative expressions. Having settled down in her routine she designs and paints terracotta pots and also designs hand-painted scarves and fashion clothing for a roster of NRIs. Shaista also shows a creative bent of mind with a commendable talent for glass painting.

But for Imtiaz, he would settle for nothing else in life and would choose to be among his horses over and again, "Its a glorious profession and gives me a very good high. I take care of animals. Its a challenge working with something you can't communicate with." Contradictory I must say, for if communicating is the essence of the subject then Imtiaz seems to have mastered his art. For he talks to horses and horses talk to him. Between them they have and are still poised to send the cash registers jingling.