ASTONISH: A GREAT HORSE LAID TO REST

— Simone Poonawalla Pandole

He was the country’s pride – the first Indian horse to win overseas, making the world take notice of the Indian Thoroughbred. And to Poonawalla Stud Farms, he was one of our most special heroes.
Monday August 6, 2012, was a heartbreaking day for the team at Poonawalla Stud Farms. Astonish had passed on. He was 24 years old.

After almost 18 years of retirement back at the farm where he was born and bred, at which he was a regular and much-loved mascot at every event or gathering, he was laid to rest alongside champions Exhilaration and Cordon Bleu.
Astonish (by Malvado out of Avola by Exbury) was bought from Poonawalla Stud Farms as a yearling and raced by Deepak Khaitan, J P Goenka and Ross Deas. He was trained by Bezan Chenoy and ridden mostly by Aslam Kader. He won 12 races, including the Indian Triple Crown (the Indian Derby, the Indian 2000 Guineas and the Indian St. Leger), the Poona Derby, and many more prestigeous races.
It was Zavaray Poonawalla’s dream to send Indian horses to compete abroad. The story goes that the well known philanthropic parsi couple Rusy & Purviz Shroff from Hong Kong were visiting Poona along with Gen. Guy Watkins (then CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club). Both parties have Indian roots and therefore an affinity towards India. Due to foreign exchange restrictions in those days, Zavaray Poonawalla could not export a horse himself. So to help him achieve his dream, they offered to step in, saying that they would be delighted to help an Indian, a Parsi and an Indian horse. Guy Watkins, who was born in India, offered Zavaray and Cyrus to get a special permit for Hong Kong and facilitate the challenging process, provided they could send a top class horse. And as he stated in the press a year later, “a fairy tale had come true”.

On the eve of Poonawalla Stud Farms’ golden jubilee, a new trail was blazed when India’s first post-independence commercial export, the Indian Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year (1991-1992), Astonish made his international debut which was a rousing success with him storming his way to first place through a Class I field at Sha Tin, Hong Kong, putting India right on the global map of racing. Subsequently, Astonish created a track record for the metric mile on equitrack, coming from dead last to sizzle past his opponents in the final straight.

Astonish being led in at Sha Tin by his philanthropic owners Mrs Purviz & Mr Rusy Shroff, trainer L Fownes with A Munro in the saddle

Astonish’s victories merit additional credit in view of the fact that he was required to quarantine in America for six months prior to being permitted entry into Hong Kong, by which time he was six-years-old and past his prime.
“Astonish was very much like his sire Malvado (Champion Sire 1983-1995) in body and spirit. A dark bay he was almost black with a coat that shone like a mirror, even when he was this old. He had a mind of his own, was hot-headed and anyone handling him had to look out for themselves. The only person he was gentle with was his Hong Kong owner, Mrs. Purviz Shroff who gave him all the love in the world….and a lot of sugar cubes! If he was given his due respect, he gave it back. And when he was on the track he converted all that energy to unleash tremendous talent that left his opponents in his wake.

He has been the brand ambassador for the Indian racehorse for so many years, even after the celebrated Mystical and other Indian horses have upheld India’s flag in global racing, that it will be difficult to not have him here anymore.

I feel sad, at the same time I’d like to mention with great pride that my dream started taking shape thanks to Astonish and all those personalities who helped the cause – my immediate family, the philanthropic Shroffs, the notable Gen. Guy Watkins. Astonish is very sadly missed, as I used to feel delighted showing him to guests from all over the world.”

– Mr. Zavaray Poonawalla

“Astonish was one of the toughest and most genuine horses that we bred. I recall seeing him during his colic attack, to which he finally succumbed. Had it not been for that, he would have lived on for many more years.”

– Dr Cyrus Poonawalla.

“To our great surprise, Astonish won his first race on 8th January 1994 at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong. The news headline read, “Astonish astonishes Hong Kong”, which gave us great joy and we will never forget it. We regard Astonish as one of the most tremendous horses we have ever had.”

– Mr. Rusy & Mrs. Purviz Shroff.

“Astonish was one of the best horses I have had the good fortune to train. He was as sensitive and intelligent as he was talented. It is an honour to be associated with his success story. I will always remember him.”

– Mr. Bezan Chenoy

“This is sad news. He really got me into racing and was my first Indian Derby horse. He will always be special.”

– Mr. Deepak Khaitan.

“He was the best horse I ever owned, winning me my first Indian Derby. He gave us many thrilling moments.”

– Mr. Ross Deas

All racing enthusiasts can relate to the courage, stamina and fighting spirit of this magnificent thoroughbred as he flew past his opponents, cheered by thousands of excited spectators.
He was brave, tough and intelligent, even though he was difficult to train. He left this world with dignity– the same way he lived his life. He will be deeply missed.

As the legendary Tesio wrote:
“A Horse Gallops With His Heart
Perseveres With His Lungs
And Wins With His Character.”

October- November 2012