Indian Derby: Foreign flavour diminishing

MUMBAI: For years, part of the charm of the Indian Derby -- the most glamorous event in Indian racing -- was seeing top saddle artistes from across the globe display their riding skills to a mammoth crowd on the big day.
Legendary riders like Lester Piggott, Willie Carson, Mick Kinane and Richard Hughes have bedazzled Indian turfgoers thanks to the Indian Derby. Sadly those days are over and this year's Derby magnifies their diminishing presence.
Only two or three foreign riders are expected to be here this Sunday for the big race in which 13 horses look to be in contention.
It's a far cry from a few years ago when almost the entire field used to be assisted in the saddle by foreign riders. The reason: the Jockey Association of India's (JAI) objection to 'imported' riders.
JAI had thrown the rule book at the Royal Western India Turf Club a couple of years back, saying a foreigner cannot ride for anyone except the principal owner who has hired him.
What this means is that not many owners can afford to individually bring a foreign rider to Mumbai unlike in the past where they could share the expenses on hiring a top rider by letting him also ride other owners' horses.
"Foreign riders have huge experience, they ride five days a week on 30 to 40 different horses and bring that exposure to their riding here. This increases the chances of our horses winning in a big way," lamented an owner on condition of anonymity.
Numbers Game
7 times foreign jockeys have won the Indian Derby in the last decade