When jockey A. Sandesh, the son of a Matheran ghodawala (horse owner/handler), rode first past the post at the Indian Derby at the Mahalaxmi racecourse on February 2, 2025 to reach the pinnacle of Indian racing, he bent to take blessings from Adil Gandhy. Gandhy had once led the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) Apprentice Jockey School.
Adil Gandhy (l) with Indian Derby winning jockey
A. Sandesh who was mentored by him
Gandhy, who has seen several ghodawalas and their sons become champion jockeys, told mid-day (MD) of February 4: "As a little boy, A. Sandesh used to come to our family bungalow, Woodlands, in Matheran with his father. He was astride a horse called Oscar. Sandesh’s father used to tell me in Marathi, ‘Baba la jockey banav (please make my son a jockey).’” On one such visit the Gandhys had a German guest, Tilo Waldraff, a professional equestrian. "He actually gave Sandesh, who was just a little boy then, a riding lesson in the bungalow compound. It was a half-hour lesson on how to hold the reins, where to place the leg… Tilo will be absolutely thrilled when he hears and sees the pictures of Sandesh winning the Indian Derby,” recalled Gandhy, himself a gifted and experienced rider who has won many Gymkhana (amateur) races.
Sandesh told MD, "I think Matheran churns out top jockeys because we, the Matheran boys, literally grow up with horses. We feel one with these fabulous creatures at a very young age...”