Well Travelled Sri Lankan Launches Seihali On QEII Cup Mission

To describe Dhruba Salvaratnam as a well travelled would be something of an understatement. Indeed there can´t be many individuals who had been at the sharp end of racehorse training in so many diverse racing cultures as this 56-year-old Sri Lankan who brings Seihali from Dubai to challenge for the AP QEII Cup.

Based for the past 17 years at Jebel Ali in Dubai, with a brief spell of training in Ireland in between, he is now just ten away from reaching the magic landmark of 1000 career wins. Salvaratnam is under no illusion that Seihali is likely to bring that tally one nearer in Hong Kong, especially with his Dubai Duty Free conqueror Admire Moon programmed for the big race, but he is ferociously upbeat about his horse. 'In my opinion he will finish in the first four, 'Salvaratnam says without hesitation, using Seihali´s previous Sha Tin run to bolster his viewpoint.

'When he was sixth in the Champions Mile here last year, he finished full of running. It just did not go his way - by the time Marwing had pulled him out, the race was over.'

Johnny Murtagh, who knows the horse inside out, takes over on April 29th but win lose or draw in Hong Kong, the career path that has brought Salvaratnam to one of the world´s most prestigious races has been rich and varied.

In fact he might never have reached the world stage had racing not virtually disappeared overnight in Sri Lanka. Salvaratnam was just 16 at the time and all set to follow his successful father and grandfather as a trainer in his native land only for horse racing to be abolished largely as a political statement following the former island of Ceylon´s independence from the British Empire.

The family moved to Pakistan and, once he had set up as a trainer in Lahore, success was almost instantaneous nobly assisted by a filly appropriately named Fantastic. In 1972 she won four of Pakistan´s biggest races and her trainer was only 22 at the time.

However politics intervened again and Salvaratnam packed his bags for England. He spent three years as assistant to Ian Balding in Lambourn, and another three with Robert Armstrong in Newmarket. Both times he had been exposed to skilful trainers and top horses but when discussing the 10 years he spent in Ireland at the Ballydoyle stables of Vincent O´Brien, Salvaratnam seems briefly lost for words especially when talking of the man who has recently passed his 90th birthday. 'No one can compare to him, the greatest trainer ever I am sure.' The horses he dealt with in the various stints he did with O´Brien included Storm Bird, Alleged, El Gran Senor, Sadler´s Wells and Royal Academy - all names etched into the worldwide roll of honour of the late 20th century.

'When you said, ´I´ve worked for Vincent O´Brien´ people would respect you.' That, Salvaratnam believes, was one of the many reasons that his time at Ballydoyle enabled him to restart his own training career. Recruited by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, youngest of the Maktoum brothers, he moved to Dubai 17 years ago not only designing his own training stables but also assisting in the design of Jebel Ali racecourse itself.

He has been champion trainer four times in that period and, though the recent season has not been his best, he has notched almost $1 million (US) prizemoney during Dubai´s short season. Ninety percent of his stable, around 65 horses strong, are still owned by Prince Ahmed but the trainer hints that overall numbers will sharply be reduced as quality is placed ahead of quantity.

Though Salvaratnam has also campaigned some horses in the USA and harbours a quiet ambition to train winners in Europe, it is Dubai where he has made good and where he has witnessed, and been involved in, the transformation of the region from a minor to a mighty racing dominion. 'In fact we always had good trainers and jockeys here but what has changed beyond recognition is the vastly more competitive nature of the racing. We are now right up there with the best.'