Smart Chieftan, a legend in his own right

GREAT HORSES need not be great lookers. Smart Chieftan is a striking example. In true equine sense, handsome Smart Chieftan was not. As a yearling he was pretty plain. One among many. He grew up to be tough and rugged. Now he is one among very few. A legend in his own right as the country's highest stake money earner at a phenomenal Rs. 1.8 crores. Few horses in Indian racing have a bigger heart than this well-bred gelding. His is always in his hooves.

Comparisons are odious. More so in racing. More so if you are doing it with the help of cold statistics. Thus rolling back the years to Squanderer or Chaitanya Chakram or Elusive Pimpernel to measure Smart Chieftan's place in the history books is as futile and unrewarding as Cricket's unending debate over Bradman and the rest or boxing's about Ali.

The saddest thing is that in his prime, Smart Chieftan is bidding good-bye to Indian racing. Smart Chieftan is off to California in two weeks time in the company of Polar Falcon and Inglenook for a month's qurrantine via Bangkok and Seoul. Then he hops back to this hemisphere and gets into the famed stables of Michael Thwaites in Kranji, arguably Singapore's top trainer to fly the Indian flag there.

``I would be terribly disappointed if Smart Chieftan does not win in Singapore'' the exact words of Mr. James Underwood, world renowned Pedigree expert based in London. ``He is not big or anything. He is handy. He has learned to take his bends and corners. His pedigree is good. Placerville is capable of producing horses that can live upto international standards. Smart Cheiftan has proved beyond doubt that he can handle any distance. It is quite unusual. Our horses don't do that. He has raced on all kinds of tracks and adapts himself admirably well.''

Thwaites was at hand to see Smart Chieftan beat the Indian Turf Invitation Cup field to jelly in Bangalore. His confidence in the gelding has been further reinforced by Smart Chieftan's Indian Leger success. When he left Bangalore, Thawaites was in no doubt that Smart Cheiftan would make his mark in Singapore, a view that was shared by Greg Carpenter of the Malaysian Racing Association.

To Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy's expert eye, Smart Chieftan struck a cord the moment he saw him. ``His pedigree was good. So I thought why not give him a chance. Jim Foley gave him his best shot and then the team work brought about a sea change in him. I would like to place my appreciation of the way the stable handled Smart Chieftan all through. Mr. Ganapathy, work jockey M. R. Singh, Karan Singh, Richard Hughes, Narredus, the stable lads. This dedicated team effort played such a crucial part in Smart Chieftan's relentless pursuit of glory.''

``Mallesh told me after his debut win that Smart Chieftan had a problem with his masculine gear. Once gelded, the game horse that he has always been improved with every passing run. I realised his true class when he won the Bangalore Derby. Then and there I chalked out his Mumbai plans and he swept everything in sight. Smart Chieftan has given me the greatest pleasure in my racing life. He is easily the best I have ever owned. He is in the best pair of hands in Singapore and I am sure he will do his best,'' says Dr. M. A. M. Ramaswamy.

Smart Chieftan could easily have picked up a few more graded races at home this year. His career earnings would have shot up to levels that would have required super equine effort to match. It was by no means an easy decision. Disappointment over Indian racing losing someone like Smart Chieftan at the height of his prowess had to be overcome by realistic hope that he would indeed be promoting a cause. As Mr. Zavary Poonawalla put it ``If India's flag can be raised. We must''. This in essence is what led to unanimity of purpose and everyone involved took a supportive stand.

Versatility is the hallmark of a true champion and there can hardly be any one in memory who had been more versatile than Smart Chieftan. He has won his races from any where between sprints and mile and three quarters. He has complemented speed with stamina. Has always settled well. Run his races in a relaxed fashion and more importantly won them with consummate ease.

Another striking feature has been Smart Chieftan's capacity to withstand rigours of travel. Never once has he been found travel- weary. This ruggedness should help him cope with this tough route to America and back to Singapore.

Mr. Zavary Poonawalla says Smart Chieftan has to contend with a few negative points. The first is the great ordeal of hopping from one hemisphere to the other. It is a big disadvantage. The second is that he has to run anti-clock-wise and the third is that the straight in Singapore is much shorter than that in Mumbai.

On the other hand Smart Chieftan's plus points are that he is racing abroad at the prime of his life, much younger than many others from India did. He has an excellent racing temperament and he is going into the yard of a champion trainer.

Local Singapore press is already talking about Smart Chieftan's impending arrival. If Smart Chieftan does well, Indian racing would turn a corner with the felicity that this game galloper has always shown.

H. S. MANJUNATH

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