Frisky Business

HE resides alone in a lush green space spread over three acres, has a nutritious diet, a line-up of six doctors on call, armed security gua...

HE resides alone in a lush green space spread over three acres, has a nutritious diet, a line-up of six doctors on call, armed security guards around the clock, and, above all else, gets paid to father at least 50 kids a year! Meet one of the country8217;s most sought after sires: 15-year-old Placerville.

The US-born Placerville8217;s sole responsibility in life is to impregnate. Suffice to say, he is sexually very active. And even on days when he8217;s called into action for a third time in a row, he8217;s so frisky that it takes two people to handle him and ensure the process goes smoothly. And the area in which he copulates with the mares is purposely uneven8212;high in some places to enable Placerville to copulate with mid-sized or smaller females.

The downside to this high life is that since the mating season is restricted to between mid-February and mid-May, Placerville remains in isolation for the next eight months. During the lull, most mares are pregnant; those who aren8217;t are kept acres away from Placerville8217;s den. Otherwise, in heat, he would smell a female horse and go wild.

Born in 1990, Placerville is 16 hands tall or about 58217;68217;8217; a horse8217;s height is measured vertically, from the withers8212;the prominent ridge where the neck and back join8212;to the ground. He weighs around 625 kg; eats about 4.5 kg of food8212;oats, soya, bran mixes, vitamins and minerals8212;and has 24-hour access to purified water and fresh grass.

Placerville is a handsome bay horse with charismatic eyes that would captivate anyone. One of the traits that is essential for success as a sire is the ability to pass on positive traits when crossed with a diverse selection of bloodlines. Here again, Placerville has proved that he has all the qualifications of a great sire.

Placerville has been siring foals for almost a decade now and has produced many champion horses who have dominated the racing scene across the country. 8216;8216;We feel proud to own a stallion like this,8217;8217; says Zavaray Poonawalla. Zavaray and his elder brother, Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, own India8217;s most reputed and successful stud farm, the Poonawalla Stud Farms at Hadapsar, on the outskirts of Pune.

During the mating season, he copulates with about 75 to 80 mares from various parts of the country for about Rs 2 lakh a head and has a 90 per cent fertility success rate. The 10 per cent shortfall is usually because of the the natural resistance of the mares, which prevents conception. 8216;8216;Nature has its own way of taking care of things. Some females, though good in health, don8217;t conceive no matter how much one tries. This break helps them rejuvenate,8217;8217; says Dr Sham Gandhe, one of Placerville8217;s doctors.

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Impregnating a mare requires a fair bit of monitoring when the animal is in season to determine the time when she8217;s most likely to conceive. 8216;8216;A female has a fertility cycle of 21 days. The moment we find that she8217;s in season, we start monitoring her condition,8217;8217; says Dr Gandhe.

To determine whether a female is in season, she is brought to a 8216;teaser8217;8212;a horse that is not allowed to copulate with the mare. Once they8217;ve ensured that she is, Placerville comes out of quarantine.

Placerville8217;s father, Mr Prospector, was a prepotent champion and one of the world8217;s leading progenitors, apart from being a renowned stallion. His mother, Classy Cathy, was a champion filly a young female horse of two to four years of age and won seven reputed races including the Alabama Stakes Gr.1, Ashland Stakes Gr.1 and Gazelle Stakes Gr. 1.

Placerville continued the tradition as a thoroughbred champion during his racing years in the US. Of the five races that he ran during his short career, he won three, came second in the fourth and won the fifth, before a post-race examination revealed that he had fractured his left fore-cannon bone during the race. He never recovered.

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While one can only speculate about the peaks he might have scaled in racing, his second career hasn8217;t turned out too bad either.

Placerville 038; Sons

Champion sire Placerville8217;s first foal crop came in 1995. He has produced 299 racing foals till July 2005. His progeny have recorded over 928 wins and won over Rs 26 crore till July this year

Smart Chieftan 1996-born bay colt out of Stunning. He recorded 10 wins from 12 starts, which included the Indian Derby, Indian St Leger, Indian 2000 Guineas, Bangalore Derby, Indian Turf Invitation Cup and Ruia Gold Cup.
Prize money: Rs 1.6 crore

Continual 1995-born gelding out of Cordon Bleu. He won seven races in as many starts, including the Indian 2000 Guineas, Mysore Derby, Mysore 2000 Guineas, Nanoli Stud Million and Dashmesh 038; Hargobind Stud Million.
Prize money: Rs 56 lakh

Simply Noble 1997-born bay gelding out of Lap Of Luxury. He won 10 races, which included three in Malaysia, the Indian 2000 Guineas, Parkash Super Mile and Sprinters Trophy.
Prize money: Rs 1.5 crore

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Six Speed This 1997-born filly out of Haunting Beauty won nine races including the Indian 1000 Guineas, Poonawalla Breeders8217; Multi-million, Bangalore 1000 Guineas and Fillies Trial Stakes.
Prize money: Rs 1.14 crore

Priceless 1999-born bay filly out of Queen To Conquer. She won nine races, including the Poonawalla Breeders8217; Multi-million, Bangalore 1000 Guineas, Fillies Trial Stakes, Manjri Stud Juvenile Fillies Championship and Knockout Million.
Prize money: Rs 1.02 crore

The Pelican 1998-born gelding out of Natural Craze. Won seven races, including the Indian 2000 Guineas, Indian St Leger, Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Bangalore St Leger, Stayers Cup and Breeders8217; Produce Stakes.
Prize money: Rs 95 lakh