Rashid Byramji, the horse trainer who, for decades, kept on breaking his own stellar records until he retired in 2017, passed away on Saturday morning at Bangalore. He was 88.
An institution in himself, Byramji was a third generation trainer, his grandfather Rustomjee Byramjee having initiated the family profession of training racehorses after he migrated from Iran to settle in Poona (as Pune was then known) around 1890. He was easily the most famous, and certainly the most accomplished professional, not only in his family, but also among all the trainers in the country. He is survived by son Darius who now plies the family trade at Bangalore as a fourth generation practitioner.
Byramji saddled over 3,000 winners in a career spanning six decades as he went on creating and smashing his own records. His stupendous achievements comprised 230 Classic successes, 29 of them Indian Classics run at the Mahalaxmi racetrack, of which 10 were Indian Derby titles.
He also won a dozen Invitation Turf Invitation Cup trophies, besides numerous regional Classics at virtually every racing centre in India.
He also trained scores of professionals under him who went on to become champion trainers at their respective home centres. He was a typical old school trainer, always soft spoken, and with gentlemanly manners.
Though he refused to publicly compare his champion horses from different generations and crops, he once admitted in a private conversation that he had a special place in his heart for Squanderer, Commanche, Elusive Pimpernel and Adler.
With the passing away of the legendary trainer, an era has ended for Indian racing.
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