Latest news with #Fynbos
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru's long history of backing the right horse
This past Sunday, July 13, the most glittering race of the 105-year-old Bangalore Turf Club's summer season, the Zavaray S Poonawalla Bangalore Summer Derby, was won by the favourite, Fynbos, who, with this win, claimed her fourth championship. The excitement that continues to surround the racing season is an ode to the city's longstanding equestrian culture, lovingly stewarded by its rulers and administrators through the ages. If Tipu Sultan is credited with founding the Kunigal Stud Farm, the oldest continuously operated stud farm in India, the Mysore Maharajas, like several British Residents and Commissioners of Mysore, were passionate horsemen. More recently, homegrown business baron Vijay Mallya revitalised horse racing in the city, after his company, United Racing & Bloodstock Breeders Ltd, won the bid for the lease of the Kunigal Stud Farm for 30 years (1992-2022). This Sunday, the Zavaray S Poonawalla Bangalore Summer Derby, was won by the favourite, Fynbos, who, with this win, claimed her fourth championship (HT photo) Coincidentally, yesterday, July 14, was the 231st birthday of one such horse-loving Mysore royal, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar; it was during his reign that the very first recorded horse race in Bangalore was run, on October 14, 1811. Unfortunately for Mummadi, his significant contributions to the fashioning of Mysore into a culturally vibrant, educationally forward, liberal-thinking, inclusive, and yes, horse-loving space, the very attributes that define Bangalore today, are not celebrated enough. For although his reign lasted close to seven decades (1799-1868), it fell to Mummadi's fate that he would only be the titular ruler for 37 of those years. Mummadi was only five when Tipu Sultan was killed in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in May 1799, ending the 40-year-long reign of Hyder Ali and Tipu. Throughout this period, Mummadi's adoptive grandmother, the Chanakya-esque Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni Devi, had kept the possibility of a Wadiyar scion reclaiming the Mysore throne alive, parleying with the British and to secure this for her family. On June 30, less than two months after Tipu's death, her dream was realized when Mummadi was crowned king. In January 1811, the British Resident in the Mysore court, Arthur Henry Cole (after whom Bangalore's Cole's Road and Cole's Park are named), transferred the reins of state to 16-year-old Mummadi. It was with Cole that Mummadi came to the race course in Bangalore, then located in Domlur, for the city's first-recorded racing fixture. In 1824, Aga Aly Asker, youngest of three brothers from a horse-breeding family of Shiraz in Persia, arrived with his horses in Bangalore Cantonment, having heard that there was brisk business to be done here. To Aly Asker's delight, not only was he able to garner British custom, he also went on to become equestrian advisor, and good friend, to the deposed Maharaja. By this time, however, the inexperienced Mummadi, not quite cut out for the cloak-and-dagger world of politics, was battling internal rebellions and uprisings at every turn. In 1831, his government was dismissed, and Mysore came under the direct control of the British; it would not return to the Wadiyars until 1881, 13 years after Mummadi's passing. Perhaps relieved that he no longer had to deal with the exigencies of administering a kingdom, Mummadi proceeded to write, support artists and musicians, play board games, solve thorny never-solved chess puzzles, and enjoy his horses. In 1834, an East India company officer called Mark Cubbon took over as Chief Commissioner of Mysore. He was fair-minded, had great respect for the local language and customs, and loved horses to distraction with a passion. Slowly but surely, he won the trust of both the king his government had dismissed, and the Persian horse-whisperer. That friendship, and others like it, would set the tone for the city to come – one in which provenance, political positions, and cultural differences would be set aside in the joy of a shared passion and a common humanity. Simple horse sense, what? (Roopa Pai is a writer who has carried on a longtime love affair with her hometown Bengaluru)
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Fynbos claims the Zavaray S. Poonawalla Bangalore Summer Derby
P. Shroff trained Fynbos (Trevor up) won the Zavaray S. Poonawalla Bangalore Summer Derby (2,000m), the stellar attraction of the races held here on Sunday (July 13). The winner is owned by Five Stars Shipping Co Pvt Ltd, Mr. Vispi R. Patel & Miss. Anita J. Captain. The stablemate Matisse set the pace till the bend, while Trevor confidently kept the gutsy filly in mid-bunch till the bend before manoeuvering the home stretch. Fynbos responded well to the reminders and galloped with giant strides to overtake the leader Prokofiev passing the last 150m and won resolutely. 1. TURF AUTHORITIES OF INDIA TROPHY (1,800m): INSPIRE (Antony) 1, Storm Shadow (Trevor) 2, Lux Aeterna (Ramswarup) 3 and Knotty Scotty (Akshay K) 4. 2-1/4, 1 and Nk. 1m 52.08s. Rs. 19 (w), 12, 13 and 19 (p), SHP: 33, THP: 49, FP: 66, Q: 57, Trinella: 423/162, Exacta: 1,069/324. Favourite: Inspire. Owners: M/s. Arun Alagappan Racing LLP, Mr. Haider Soomar, Mr. Rajan Aggarwal & M/s. Rapar Galloping Stars LLP rep. by Mr. Rajendran. Trainer: Arjun Mangalorkar. 2. INDIAN PATTERN COMMITTEE TROPHY (Div. I), (1,200m): MONEY BAGS (Akshay K) 1, Basilica (Trevor) 2, Bellavita (Srinath) 3 and Glorious Spectre (Dhanu S) 4. 6, 1/2 and 1. 1m 12.44s. Rs. 13 (w), 11, 18 and 16 (p), SHP: 33, THP: 45, FP: 47, Q: 32, Trinella: 117/68, Exacta: 722/389. Favourite: Money Bags. Owners: Capt Jamshed J. Appoo, Mr. K. Manoj Kumar, Mr. K. Kaliyaperumal & Mr. J. Ramesh. Trainer: Prasanna Kumar. 3. MUMBAI CUP (1,200m): UCHCHAIHSHRAVAS (Neeraj) 1, Credence (Ramswarup) 2, Imperial Blue (Pavan) 3 and Star Glory (Darshan) 4. 1/2, Nose and 1-1/4. 1m 12.17s. Rs. 144 (w), 27, 14 and 23 (p), SHP: 31, THP: 41, FP: 573, Q: 217, Trinella: 3,641/1,652, Exacta: 82,606/35,402. Favourite: Masato. Owners: Mr. Vara Prasad Reddy & Mr. A.C. Subbaiah. Trainer: Neelesh N Rawal. 4. AMOKBASH B.T.C. ANNIVERSARY CUP (1,400m): PRANA (Suraj) 1, Crown Drive (Hindu S) 2, Meropi (Trevor) 3 and Knotty Charmer (Antony) 4. Not run: Berrettini. 3/4, 1/2 and 2-1/4. 1m 24.11s. Rs. 32 (w), 15 and 38 (p), SHP: 57, THP: 44, FP: 261, Q:198, Trinella: 332/100, Exacta: 1,660/1,185. Favourite: Meropi. Owner: M/s. Rapar Galloping Stars LLP rep. by Mr. Rajendran. Trainer: Prasanna Kumar. 5. FIVE STARS SHIPPING MILLION (1,600m): BAYCHIMO (A. Prakash) 1, Arrived (S. Saqlain) 2, Knight Regent (Srinath) 3 and Cigar Galaxy (G. Vivek) 4. Lnk, Lnk and 1/2. 1m 38.05s. Rs. 185 (w), 36, 28 and 13 (p), SHP: 83, THP: 41, FP: 2,593, Q: 766, Trinella: 6,251/2,267, Exacta: 15,805/16,934. Favourite: Schoenberg. Owners: Diamond Band Rac Syn Pvt Ltd rep. by Mr. Shiven Surendranath, Mr. Kersi H. Vachha, Bachhawat Farms Pvt Ltd rep. by Mr. Vikram Bachhawat & Dr. Syed Ainuddin Arif. Trainer: Adhiraj S Jodha. 6. ZAVARAY S. POONAWALLA BANGALORE SUMMER DERBY (2,000m): FYNBOS (Kingda Ka - Mahali) Trevor 1, Prokofiev (Leitir Mor - Balmoral Castle) Suraj 2, Miracle Star (Excellent Art - Romantic Star) Neeraj 3 and Red Bishop (Kingda Ka - Solar Midnight) Sandesh 4. 3-1/2, 2 and 1/2. 2m 03.28s. Rs. 27 (w), 14, 16 and 80 (p), SHP: 51, THP: 195, FP: 82, Q: 55, Trinella: 1,633/1,866, Exacta: 11,975/2,979. Favourite: Fynbos. Owners: Five Stars Shipping Co Pvt Ltd, Mr. Vispi R. Patel & Miss. Anita J. Captain. Trainer: P. Shroff. 7. HYDERABAD SALVER (1,400m): PROMISEOFTHEFUTURE (Pavan) 1, Mountain Jewel (Antony) 2, Don Carlos (Trevor) 3 and Hidden Dreams (Angad) 4. 3-1/2, 6-3/4 and 2. 1m 25.26s. Rs. 36 (w), 13, 11 and 15 (p), SHP: 33, THP: 42, FP: 69, Q: 32, Trinella: 115/55, Exacta: 546/305. Favourite: Mountain Jewel. Owner: Ms. Ameeta Mehra. Trainer: Irfan Ghatala. 8. INDIAN PATTERN COMMITTEE TROPHY (Div. II), (1,200m): FLAMING SWORD (Trevor) 1, Slice Of Luck (Sai Kiran) 2, Eclipse Pulse (G. Vivek) 3 and Feeling Good (Vinod Shinde) 4. 3-3/4, 3/4 and 1-1/4. 1m 13.06s. Rs. 21 (w), 12, 14 and 18 (p), SHP: 34, THP: 46, FP: 36, Q: 31, Trinella: 169/122, Exacta: 1,456/1,050. Favourite: Flaming Sword. Owner: Mr. C. Aryama Sundaram. Trainer: S. Dominic. Jackpot: Rs. 11,898 (159 tkts); Runner-up: 2,151 377 (tkts); Treble (i): 20,363 (one tkt); (ii): 240 (162 tkts).
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Meropi, Ranquelino, Stormy Sea, Fynbos, Sunshine and Prokofiev catch the eye
Meropi, Ranquelino, Stormy Sea, Fynbos, Sunshine and Prokofiev caught the eye when the horses were exercised here on Saturday morning (July 5) Outer sand: 600m: Echoes Of Time (R. Pradeep) 45. Easy. Lightning Blitz (rb), Husanara (rb) 44. They finished level. Kazing (B. Nayak) 44. Strode out well. 1000m: Schoenberg (Hindu S) 1-12.5, 600/43.5. Shaped well. Divine Right (Hasib) 1-14, 600/45. Moved freely. Temperance (rb) 1-13, 600/44. Moved well. Days Date (Jagadeesh) 1-12, 600/42. In fine trim. Knotty Cruise (Girish), Storm Shadow (Antony) 1-14, 600/43. Former pleased. Gold Empire (Suraj), Touch Of Grey (Vikrant) 1-10, 600/42. Former showed out. Equine Power (-) 1-16, 600/43. Worked well. Meropi (Tejeshwar) 1-9, 600/41. In fine nick. Carat Love (D. Antony) 1-14.5, 600/44.5. Easy. Secret Saint (P. Trevor) 1-11.5, 600/42. Impressed. Moon Star (Koshi K) 1-13.5, 600/44.5. Moved freely. Luca (C. Umesh) 1-12, 600/42.5. In fine shape. Magnetor (Koshi K) 1-13, 600/41.5. Stretched. Darrington (rb) 1-12, 600/43. In fine condition. Ceremonial (Antony) 1-15.5, 600/43. Worked well. Rosaline (Antony) 1-12, 600/42. Strode out well. Winfield (Antony) 1-13, 600/43. Stretched. Czar (Aleemuddin) 1-9.5, 600/41.5. Impressed. 1200m: African Gold (R. Pradeep) 1-23.5, 1,000/1-8.5, 600/41. A good display. Elveden (Antony) 1-29, 1,000/1-14, 600/42.5. In good shape. LG's Star (Jagadeesh), Eternal Glory (G. Vivek) 1-27, 1,000/1-12, 600/43.5. They finished level. Lady Invictus (-) 1-26, 1,000/1-11, 600/42.5. In fine shape. La Quinta (-) 1-31, (1,200-600) 39.5. Eased up. Knotty Charmer (Antony) 1-26.5, 1,000/1-11.5, 600/41. Stretched out well. Knotty Scotty (G. Vivek) 1-28, 1,000/1-13, 600/42.5. Pleased. Dawn Raising (rb), Palma (rb) 1-29.5, 1,000/1-13.5, 600/42.5. They worked well. Forest Fragrance (Hindu S), Dedicate (Hasib) 1-27, 1,000/1-12, 600/44. Former started three lengths behind and finished four lengths ahead. 1400m: Ice Of Fire (G. Vivek) 1-39, 1,200/1-23.5, 1,000/1-10, 600/42. In fine nick. Zorawar (Vaibhav), Night Raider (Arvind) 1-44, 1,200/1-29, 1,000/1-13.5, 600/44. Former finished three lengths ahead. Ranquelino (R. Pradeep) 1-41, 1,200/1-26, 1,000/1-12, 600/42.5. Retains form. Hermod (Antony) 1-45.5, 1,200/1-28.5, 1,000/1-13.5, 600/43.5. Moved freely. Perfect Attitude (Antony) 1-41, 1,200/1-24, 1,000/1-10.5, 600/42.5. Moved impressively. N R I Victory (Jagadeesh) 1-41, 1,200/1-24, 1,000/1-9.5, 600/41. A fine display. Cigar Galaxy (Rozario), Alamgir (Pavan) 1-41.5, 1,200/1-26.5, 1,000/1-12, 600/43. They moved attractively. Annabelle (Antony) 1-42, 1,200/1-27, 1,000/1-10.5, 600/42. Impressed. Blue God (Antony) 1-44, 1,200/1-26, 1,000/1-11.5, 600/42.5. In fine shape. Vyasa (Saqlain) 1-41, 1,200/1-25, 1,000/1-11, 600/43. Moved fluently. Maana (Antony) 1-40.5, 1,200/1-24.5, 1,000/1-10.5, 600/42.5. Moved impressively. 1600m: Sunshine (Pavan), Victor Hugo (Rozario) 1-52.5, 1,400/1-38, 1,200/1-24.5, 1,000/1-10.5, 600/41.5. Former started three lengths behind and finished distance ahead. Stormy Sea (N.S. Parmar) 1-58, 1,400/1-39.5, 1,200/1-23.5, 1,000/1-9, 600/41. A good display. Fynbos (P. Trevor), Supernatural (G. Vivek) 1-53, 1,400/1-37.5, 1,200/1-24, 1,000/1-10.5, 600/43. Former started four lengths behind and finished level. Matisse (A. Prakash), Red Bishop (Sandesh) 1-55, 1,400/1-40.5, 1,200/1-26, 1,000/1-12, 600/44. They moved attractively. Prokofiev (J. Chinoy) 1-50.5, 1,400/1-33.5, 1,200/1-20, 1,000/1-7.5, 600/41. An excellent display.
The Hindu
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Fynbos delivers in the Benaka Developers Fillies Championship Stakes
P. Shroff-trained Fynbos (Trevor up), won the Benaka Developers Fillies Championship Stakes (1,600m), the first classic event of the season held here on Sunday (June 15). The winner is owned by Five Stars Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Vispi R. Patel & Miss. Anita J. Captain. Trevor confidently kept his gutsy filly in handy third or fourth position for a while. then racing in mid bunch till the bend before manoeuvring his mount from outside in the home stretch. Fynbos responded well to the reminders, overtook stable-mate Bishop in the last 100m to win comfortably. The results: 1. MALENAHALLI PLATE (1,400m): STAR OF INDIA (Neeraj) 1, Recreator (Koshi K) 2, Embosom (Jagadeesh) 3 and Verrazzano (A.A. Vikrant) 4. 7-1/4, Nk and 1/2. 1m, 28.21s. ₹17 (w), 12, 24 and 17 (p), SHP: 78, THP: 40, FP: 169, Q: 119, Trinella: 515/123, Exacta: 1,833.808. Favourite: Star Of India. Owners: Ms. Ameeta Mehra, Mr. Chaduranga Kanthraj Urs, Mr. Anjan Kumar Rangaraj & Mr. P.J. Vazifdar. Trainer: S. Padmanabhan. 2. AMOKBASH MILLION (Div. II), (1,100m): INDIAN BROCADE (Suraj) 1, Flight Of Fancy (S. Saqlain) 2, Supernal (R. Ajinkya) 3 and Divine Secret (Neeraj) 4. 6-3/4, 2-1/2 and 3-1/4. 1m, 06.39s. ₹18 (w), 12, 12 and 25 (p), SHP: 33, THP: 48, FP: 48, Q: 21, Trinella: 193/117, Exacta: 334/84. Favourite: Indian Brocade. Owner: Ms. Ameeta Mehra. Trainer: Rajesh Narredu. 3. STEWARDS CUP (1,400m): MANDARINO (Sandesh) 1, Positano (Akshay K) 2, Invincible (Angad) 3 and Stellantis (Ramswarup) 4. 5-3/4, 3/4 and Lnk. 1m, 25.16s. ₹45 (w), 16, 11 and 150 (p), SHP: 35, THP: 342, FP: 65, Q: 28, Trinella: 2,790/4,783, Exacta: 12,915/6,642. Favourite: Positano. Owners: Mr. Francis Arun Kumar, Mr. J. Ramesh & Mr. M.V. Balaji. Trainer: Irfan Ghatala. 4. AMOKBASH MILLION (Div. I), (1,100m): AKITANIA (C. Umesh) 1, Konkrah (Sandesh) 2, Double Your Money (Sai Kiran) 3 and Mnemosyne (Suraj) 4. 2-1/4, 3-1/2 and Hd. 1m, 06.88s. ₹28 (w), 13, 11 and 21 (p), SHP: 36, THP: 40, FP: 60, Q: 50, Trinella: 391/194, Exacta: 929/205. Favourite: Konkrah. Owner: Sarainaga Racing Pvt Ltd. Trainer: James McKeown. 5. BENAKA DEVELOPERS FILLIES CHAMPIONSHIP STAKES (1,600m): FYNBOS (Kingda Ka-Mahali) Trevor 1, Bishop (Deauville-Winds Of Fortune) G. Vivek 2, Mountain Jewel (Deauville-Kanchenjunga) Antony 3 and Northern Waves (Dreamfield- Fly With The Wind) Sai Kiran 4. Not run: Ravishing Beauty. 3-3/4, 1-3/4 and 1/2. 1m, 37.90s. ₹18 (w), 12, 22 and 38 (p), SHP: 56, THP: 96, FP: 78, Q: 48, Trinella: 938/536, Exacta: 6,224/2,257. Favourite: Fynbos. Owners: Five Stars Shipping Co Pvt Ltd, Mr. Vispi R. Patel & Miss. Anita J. Captain. Trainer: P. Shroff. 6. PARSIANA PLATE (1,400m): VYASA (G. Vivek) 1, Victoria Doresaani (Pavan) 2, Star Concept (Shezad Khan) 3 and Aquamatic (Akshay K) 4. 2-3/4, 6-1/4 and 1/2. 1m, 25.94s. ₹23 (w), 13, 10 and 34 (p), SHP: 30, THP: 65, FP: 43, Q: 19, Trinella: 213/127, Exacta: 511/153. Favourite: Victoria Doresaani. Owner and trainer: Mr. Darius R. Byramji. 7. RICHELIEU PLATE (1,400m): KNOTTY SCOTTY (G. Vivek) 1, Sassy Sarah (S. Shareef) 2, Thrill Of Brazil (I. Chisty) 3 and Mutual Trust (Darshan) 4. 1-3/4, 1/2 and 3-1/4. 1m, 26.11s. ₹24 (w), 13, 14 and 16 (p), SHP: 38, THP: 43, FP: 77, Q: 40, Trinella: 155/99, Exacta: 1,071/734. Favourite: Knotty Scotty. Owners: Mr. K. Kamesh, Mr. Ashok Ranpise, Mr. K. Manoj Kumar, Mr. K. Balamukunda Das, Mr. Srikanth Badruka, Mr. M.N. Nambiar, Mr. Darshan Uppini & Dr. N. Swaroop Kumar. Trainer: Prasanna Kumar. Jackpot: ₹868 (771 tkts.); Runner-up: 183 (1,564 tkts.); Treble (i): 258 (52 tkts.); (ii): 71 (315 tkts.).
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
South Africa's Fynbos wins gold at UK flower competition as Kirstenbosch maintains strategic absence
The beautiful display of Fynbos that won gold. Image: Supplied For the sixth consecutive year, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden did not exhibit at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), which manages the iconic garden, confirmed that its decision to step away from the world-renowned event was made in 2019 and remains in place. According to Nontsikelelo Mpulo, Director of Marketing, Communication and Commercialisation at SANBI, the decision was based on a combination of practical and strategic considerations. 'The Chelsea Flower Show was a costly exercise for the organisation with no clear return on investment,' said Mpulo. 'Our displays featured indigenous flowers and materials that were often confiscated at the UK border and not permitted for use. Additionally, our sponsors withdrew their support.' The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic further affected SANBI's financial stability, and revenue has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. While a return to Chelsea has not been ruled out, Mpulo said the organisation is exploring local alternatives, including plans to establish a Biodiversity Expo in the Western Cape and Gauteng. 'It has been some time since Kirstenbosch participated in the show. The questions you pose have periodically come to the organisation, and our position remains the same,' she added. Despite its absence from Chelsea, Kirstenbosch continues to be celebrated internationally. It has been named one of the top ten gardens in the world by The New York Times, received the 2024 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Best of the Best award, and was voted Best Botanical Garden in Africa by the World Luxury Travel Awards in 2023. South Africa won big Image: Supplied Kirstenbosch also became the first South African botanical garden to receive Level IV accreditation from the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Programme and The Morton Arboretum in the USA — an honour currently shared by just 46 gardens worldwide. While Kirstenbosch was not at Chelsea, South Africa was proudly represented by designer Leon Kluge and horticulturist Tristan Woudberg, whose spectacular fynbos exhibit won a gold medal at the 2025 show. The display captured the beauty and diversity of the Cape Floristic Region through two towering mountain slopes divided by a ravine, designed to evoke a secret Cape waterfall in springtime and constructed with over 25,000 stems of fynbos blooms. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve was one of several sponsors supporting Kluge's display, alongside Hazendal Wine Estate, the Rupert Nature Foundation and Southern Sun. Michael Lutzeyer, owner of Grootbos, expressed his pride in the team's achievement. Chelsea Flowers in Stanford will be open to the public in spring from 10-24 September 2025 Image: Supplied 'I am delighted and proud of Leon Kluge's fynbos display which received international recognition and a gold-award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, confirming what we at Grootbos have always known — the Cape Floristic Region is one of the most beautiful and unique regions of the world and fynbos itself is the star of the show. "Grootbos was one of the proud sponsors of the exhibit which celebrates the beauty of fynbos — thank you and well done to the whole team who worked so hard. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and the Grootbos Foundation have protected and conserved this landscape for 25 years and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show has confirmed that the world (and even the fox) believes this biodiversity hotspot is worth protecting.' To ensure South Africans can also experience the magic of Chelsea, Grootbos and the Grootbos Foundation will sponsor a full-scale replica of the winning display in the village of Stanford. Titled Chelsea Flowers in Stanford, the exhibition will run from 10 to 24 September 2025 and coincide with the region's spring bloom.
