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Mr Khaitan’s foray into horse racing began in 1949, with a horse named Red Rival.
He spent most mornings riding with other members of the Calcutta Riding School at the Ballygunge
Maidan, where a string of fifty horses brought for the Calcutta Mounted Police by the owner of an
Australian stable would be put through their paces. Once the police had chosen their horses, others
were allowed to buy the rest. Mr Khaitan bought two of them and a friend suggested he put them to
race. One of these two horses was Red Rival.
“It was the first time I had gone to the races,”
recounts Mr Khaitan.
“But before that I went
to Pat Williamson and asked what my horse’s
chances would be. Pat said that if he drew 4 or 5,
he had a chance. So, on 24 December 1949, I went
to the races for the very first time. I didn’t even
know where the paddock was! Anyway, I found
my way there. It was probably just before the 4th
race and Red Rival was walking around in the
paddock. My friend, Mac Chaytor, from
Williamson Magor, decided to put some money on
him. I said that it’s drawn 4 and Pat had said that
if he draws 4, he has a chance.”
Not knowing anything about betting, Mr Khaitan put all the money his
father had given him for the Christmas and NewYear’s Eve festivities, blindly on Red Rival in the Holly
Plate race. He had no way of knowing that it had very good odds!
“I then went up to the Grand Stand,”
continues Mr Khaitan.
“In front of me was Jim Robbinson, Superintendent of Jagannath Ghat. I used to meet
him quite often to organize the transportation of fertilizer and tea chests toAssam. I asked him the latest on Red
Rival. Jim replied, ‘Oh, that donkey!’The horse was just going to the start line and it dawned on me that I’d put
all my money on the ‘donkey’! All my Christmas and NewYear’s entertainment money! Jim said, ‘Your donkey’s
running last’, but just near the finish, he was on the outermost track and started romping, catching up with the
others and winning by a short head! I almost fell from the third tier of the Grand Stand out of sheer excitement.
I went to the bookie and asked for my money. The bookie remarked, ‘What made you put your money on this
horse? It had very long odds.’ I answered simply, ‘He’s my horse.’ I took my money and left with Mac Chaytor.
We had a whale of a time at Firpo’s that evening!”
The next morning, Christmas Day, he went to Mr Williamson’s house for the Champagne and Black
Velvet (a blend of beer and champagne) Lunch. There was a crowd of people on the inside lawn and as
he got out of his car in the portico, Mr Williamson shouted, “You don’t know what you’re doing! Your
father will think I’m leading you into gambling!” Not expecting to be greeted thus, Mr Khaitan was
literally in tears. He tried to explain, saying, “Sorry, I didn’t know. You told me that it had a chance if it
drew 4, so I put money on it.” MrWilliamson replied, “You can’t put such large sums on horses.” Later,
Mr Khaitan came to know that the whole race course was talking about Mr Williamson having had a
good punt!
“He was more annoyed that his name was being brandished about when he hadn’t won a penny!”
says Mr Khaitan now, with a laugh.
“Anyway, I promised never to gamble on horses again. I only put a token
50 bucks on my horse to show my support and give to the jockey and syce, but only if my trainer put money too. I
loved the races, so I bought a number of horses and raced a lot but I never gambled again.”
All his horses were dear to him and gave him a great deal of pleasure but his two favourites were
The Spook and The Minstrel.
These words from ‘HenryV’(William Shakespeare)
could well have been describing The Spook: “... he
is pure air and fire; and the dull elements of earth
and water never appear in him… he is indeed a
horse, and all other jades you may call beasts.”
When the horse won the prestigious Indian
Champion Cup on 4 January 1958 Mr Khaitan and
his co-owners, Mr Williamson, the Maharaja of
Burdwan and Mr M.W.D. Oldman, were thrilled.
“The Spook was a lovely horse and the Indian
Champion Cup was a beautiful trophy. It was a thrilling
victory in a prestigious championship,”
says
Mr Khaitan.Three weeks later,The Spook won the
Independence Cup on 26 January, and exactly a
year after that, the Curlender Cup.
The Minstrel, too, brought him a lot of happiness. He
belonged to the Raja of Ramnath who gave up racing in the
mid-1960s, so Mr Khaitan bought the horse in partnership
with the Maharaja of Burdwan, Mr Pat Williamson and
Mr M.J. Chaytor.The Minstrel not only won races, but hearts
as well.
“He won eight out of nine races and was the darling of
Calcutta,”
says Mr Khaitan.
Red Rival wins the Holly Plate
24 December 1949
The Spook wins the Indian Champion Cup, 4 January 1958
‘The Four’
The Minstrel
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