MAM left indelible mark on sport
December 3, 2015, Bengaluru, DHNS
Noted industrialist Dr MAM Ramaswamy, who passed away on Wednesday, also left an indelible mark in the annals of Indian sport.
Ramaswamy’s association with horse racing is well documented and renowned across the world while he was also the president of the Indian Hockey Federation -- the governing body of the game then -- when the country won its only World Cup in 1975.
Five years later, the Indian team won last of its eight Olympic gold medals at the Moscow Games also during Ramaswamy’s presidency. Players of that era would say that the national team was looked after very well.
“If he likes you, he will lavish not just money, but also his affection on you," V Baskaran, the captain of the team that won the Olympics gold, had once commented. “And that is what endears him to his friends.”
A racing afficionado, Ramaswamy’s association with the sport dates back to almost five decades. With his horses notching 600 ‘Classic’ victories, his feats are staggering which many pundits feel will be unmatched.
The 600th mark was reached in September this year in Mysore when Bold Command triumphed in the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club Mysore 2000 Guineas.
The journey had started way back in 1965 when Silver Jet claimed the Colts Trial Stakes in Bengaluru. The 500th Classic win came through Classic Sky at the Calcutta Oaks in 2007.
He also has the unique achievement of winning all the Classic races in the country.
He owned the largest string of horses and was always given the first look at every stud farm in the country.
Ramaswamy, in his youth, played a lot of tennis and represented the erstwhile Madras state.
Ramaswamy’s association with horse racing is well documented and renowned across the world while he was also the president of the Indian Hockey Federation -- the governing body of the game then -- when the country won its only World Cup in 1975.
Five years later, the Indian team won last of its eight Olympic gold medals at the Moscow Games also during Ramaswamy’s presidency. Players of that era would say that the national team was looked after very well.
“If he likes you, he will lavish not just money, but also his affection on you," V Baskaran, the captain of the team that won the Olympics gold, had once commented. “And that is what endears him to his friends.”
A racing afficionado, Ramaswamy’s association with the sport dates back to almost five decades. With his horses notching 600 ‘Classic’ victories, his feats are staggering which many pundits feel will be unmatched.
The 600th mark was reached in September this year in Mysore when Bold Command triumphed in the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club Mysore 2000 Guineas.
The journey had started way back in 1965 when Silver Jet claimed the Colts Trial Stakes in Bengaluru. The 500th Classic win came through Classic Sky at the Calcutta Oaks in 2007.
He also has the unique achievement of winning all the Classic races in the country.
He owned the largest string of horses and was always given the first look at every stud farm in the country.
Ramaswamy, in his youth, played a lot of tennis and represented the erstwhile Madras state.
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