Horse trainer Shiraz Sunderji, 63, no more

Shiraz Sunderji

Horse trainer Shiraz Sunderji passed away on Sunday. He was 63. One of the leading trainers who plied his trade at Pune and Mumbai for over three decades (except a brief stint at Hyderabad two years ago), Sunderji had recently announced his retirement from the profession on account of ill health, disappointing his fans who were eagerly looking forward to the upcoming Pune season, scheduled to start this Sunday (July 21).

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Sunderji saddled over 300 winners in his long and successful career, the highlight was winning the Indian Derby with Rochester in 2018. "Today I have fulfilled a long-awaited dream," he had told mid-day on that occasion, pointing out that he felt he missed it twice earlier due to quirk of fate: first in 1990 when Desert Warrior couldn't carry Sunderji's name into the record books as he had taken a break from racing due to family pressure; and then in 2011, when he felt his Ocean And Beyond, who finished runner up to winner Moonlight Romance, was given a bad ride by English jockey Richard Hughes.