Leo D’Silva, left, and owner M. Ramakrishna Reddy leading in Livermore (Saqlain up) after the success in the Golconda Oaks at Hyderabad in January 2024.
| Photo Credit: File photo: G. RAMAKRISHNA
Leo D’ Silva, one of the most accomplished and respected jockey-turned-trainers, passed away in Hyderabad on Sunday. He was 66 and had been dealing with kidney-related complications for some years.
In a 2008 interview with a racing website, D’Silva had said he began his riding career in 1973 as an apprentice with trainer V.M. Lad at the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) in Mumbai. His early years were challenging and his fortunes changed after he moved to Bengaluru in 1979.
He quickly established himself, riding nine winners in his first season, and narrowly missing the jockeys’ championship at Mysuru the following year. Over an 18-year career in the saddle, D’Silva rode more than 700 winners across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. One of his finest moments came in 1980 when he guided Furioso to victory in the Indian 2000 Guineas at Mumbai.
In 1991, he obtained his trainer’s licence at the Hyderabad Race Club and quickly rose to become one of the leading professionals at the centre. Over the years, D’Silva claimed the ‘champion trainer’ title multiple times in both the monsoon and winter seasons.
During an illustrious 34-year training career, he saddled an impressive 1,818 winners with his first success coming with Micro Land at Bengaluru in 1991. That year also brought his first classic win when Solferino clinched the Golconda 2000 Guineas.
Among the many talented horses he nurtured were Coral Gables, Corfe Castle, Paso Robles, Huntingdon, and Livermore, each of them adding to the legacy of excellence built over more than three decades.
Published – November 16, 2025 06:46 pm IST
