HASKELL DAVID

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]arewell my friend! Even though I didn’t get to meet you as often as I used to, when you were training for us in Kolkata, I will never forget the fun times we had in racing, since you made it so much fun, the thrilling moments you gave us with the many races and classics that you won us, and the relaxed evenings at your stable when your incredible sense of humour kept us in high spirits always.
Shifting his base to Bangalore in 1994, Haskell continued to train until 1999 when he retired from training having had a long and successful career first as a Gentleman Rider and then as a trainer spanning almost five decades. It was health problems that finally compelled him to retire from a sport that he was so passionate about. Suffering from Parkinson’s and troubled with arthritis, Haskell David passed away on
13th November 2010.
His son Daniel David has followed in his father’s footsteps and trains in Kolkata. He pays tribute to his father: ”I am blessed to be his son. He was a person so selfless and kind hearted, who devoted his life and all his energies to training his horses and to his family. I was very lucky to spend time with dad when he shifted training to Bangalore and became his assistant in 1995 after completing my studies.
I will always treasure those years and realise that I want to be like him. I owe him everything”.
“Some of the best horses dad trained were: Romantic Dancer(Bangalore Derby, Calcutta Derby, 2nd – Invitation Cup), Aspirant(Calcutta Triple Crown), Astounding(Bangalore Derby, Calcutta Derby), Adelita,
Adelina, Robin Hood(Calcutta Derby and 2nd in the Invitation Cup), Romantic Memories(Calcutta Derby). Dad had several loyal owners such as Mr S C (Jimmy) Law, Mr E Maurice, Dasho Lhendup (Lenny) Dorji, Mr Ross Deas and you and many others who appreciated his principles of honesty and hard work. He would always look to buy them good horses at reasonable prices. His experienced eye for horses, especially picking youngsters paid dividends for his owners. Dad’s association with Mr B M Khaitan and his son Mr Deepak Khaitan was extremely successful and was the highlight of his career. They had many good horses which formed the nucleus of his stable, which never went above 50 horses. He was especially kind to his staff and was ever willing to help whenever the need arose.”
Maureen David, Haskell’s wife reminences…
“Haskell loved to do things his way. He loved horses, riding, and, racing. Calcutta was his favourite arena, he loved it, and, the racing public learned, never to leave his horses ‘out of the money’. His ability to see the potential of a foal in the stud farm, before it came to the sales, even though it was not fashionably bred, was his speciality. In fact, at the Bombay Sales each January, where he would purchase ‘yearlings’, for his owners, he had a lot of professionals enquiring, “What buchchas has Haskell David looked at?”
Haskell once bought a chesnut colt for Rs.13,000/- which he named Winsome. This horse had excellent breeding, but both the sire and dam were sprinters so no owner was interested in him. Haskell was sure that the confirmation of this horse was a long distance taker. So owners who had looked at the breeding were not interested in the animal.
He had no takers so he gave me a half share and the other half share was taken by Mr R D Sen. Winsome did live up to his name, went to Class I, and won many distance races, and we all had great hopes on him when he was invited to The Indian Turf Invitation Cup held in Calcutta that year.
He showed well, but as the story goes, he met better horses on the day.
I always wanted to ride horses since I was a little girl in Darjeeling. I have great memories, of learning to ride under Haskell’s guidance and vigilant eye at Tollygunge and the sand track at the RC TC in the early mornings. He inspired my confidence and I went on the win many races. We had great times together. Riding and racing was our way of life”.
An article that appeared in the Statesman, Wednesday March 29, 1972 tells me a bit about the Haskell I
never knew. “That with the right kind of materials, adequate opportunity and proper encouragement, an amateur racehorse trainer can be as good as any of his more experienced contemporary professional experts was driven home by Haskell David, when he ran out as the champion trainer for the 1971-72
Calcutta Racing Season which ended on Saturday last.
Of the five Tollygunge Gymkhana trainers who made good in a big way as professional racehorse trainers, Haskell David happens to be the fourth G R (Gentleman Rider)- trainer to become a champion trainer under the RC TC Rules of Racing. Chris Archer, the champion trainer for the 1960-61 Calcutta season with 30 winners, showed the way to Tochi Dougall, Ken Devereux, Mack Galstaun and Haskell David.
While Devereux became the 1962 Monsoon champion trainer in the very first year of his initiation in the progression of training, Galstaun became the winter champion for the 1963-64 Winter Season with 25 winners, but from the 1966-67 Calcutta Season to 1971-72 he remained the reigning champion trainer of the centre.

For the Calcutta Season just concluded, David became a worthy successor to Mack Galstaun and he looked forward to the future with optimism. “If the ever game and courageous Pujarin (State Trumpeter-Aconite), the best one I have had so far, could lay the foundation of my successful training career, I should do a lot better with my present batch of young game and good gallopers, King’s Counsel, State Secret, State Law, Winsome, Trump Card, Triple Champ, Golden Voyage and Kaka Son in the future. Also, I feel, I have struck a few good bargains from the acquisition of some half-a-dozen unnamed two-year-olds from the recent Auction Sales at Bombay and Calcutta”.

Asked why he took to the profession of training, David said with a significant smile, “I should say, I was born with the instinct of an all-round sportsman. From my school days at St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, I came to be recognised as one of the best athletes, a dashing footballer, a good hockey player and a ruggerite”. Incidentally he drew my attention to a big glass case, filled with some hundreds of cups and trophies won by him adding that “there were a lot more in a steel trunk”.
Continuing his statement, David said, “From my very young days I wanted to be a great horseman. So at the end of my student life, I took to the manly game of horse-riding. I was then only 20 years of age and it did not take me long to obtain a trainer-GR’s licence from the Stewards of the Tollygunge Gymkhana races. This I got in 1950”.

“Competing against some of the ‘star’ amateur riders of the period like Messers Resinelli, Darell Farmer, Jagat Singh, Sham Singh, H Singha, Makhan Singh, Pritam Singh, Mike Griffiths, Laughran, Churchill, Joginder Singh, etc., etc., I gained a lot of practical experience, enough to become the amateur centre’s champion trainer on half a dozen occasions at least”.

In reply to a question with regard to his outstanding cup rides as a G.R., David stated, “I have ridden the winners of all the big cups at the amateur centre. In 1955, I rode Nazeera to victory in the Governor’s Cup and that was by best ride ever at Tollygunge. In the very next year I rode My Hobby to victory in the Stewards Cup and two years later (in 1958), I rode two cup winners – Trial Boy in the Stewards Cup and Ansonia, my own property, in the Darell Farmer Cup. I rode two President’s Cup winners, Viz., War Dance in 1962 and His Highness in 1964 and as many Calcutta Light Horse Challenge Cup winners, astride Puritan in 1963 and Proud Boy in 1965”. A taciturn amateur personality, David was eloquent in the saddle and a perfect judge of pace who could ride a precision finish.

Obtaining a professional trainer’s licence in 1966, David made commendable progress after only a season’s lean time. In his second season of training (the 1967-68), he got together a string of some 30 horses and had since been the Monsoon champion trainer without a break, having saddled 13 winners in 1968, 24 in 1970 (there was no Monsoon Meeting in 1969) and 16 in 1971.
Going on improving his winter training figures since the 1967-68 Calcutta Season during which he saddled only nine winners, David claimed 14 winners and the sixth place in the 1968-69 term, 19 winners and third place in the 1969-70 and 21 winners and 3rd place last season. That all these training achievements were just paving the way for David to become the centre’s champion trainer was proved when he became the top trainer for 1971-72 season, saddling 30 winners, four in excess of his nearest rival, Lawrence Fownes.”

Haskell remained at the top of his game for a great many years, and being Champion trainer was a common occurrence. Not one to be wavered by success or effected by it Haskell was his usual jovial self, win or lose. A great sportsman, a successful trainer and a true friend to many. He will be remembered with fondness and appreciated for the contribution he made to the sport he loved dearly. 

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2011