To be in harmony with nature is to be in harmony with everything. This in short is the guiding philosophy of the promoters of Manjri Stud Farm. One of the oldest stud farms in the country, the Manjri Stud Farm, located about 10 kms from the RWITC race course in Pune, is a perfect example of natural surroundings playing a key role the success of the stud farm.

Being committed to nature has seen the stud farm guard its greenery. The stud farm, spread over a relatively modest 110 acres, has some century old trees dotting its landscape, adding to the natural environment and enhancing the beauty of the farm.

The stud farm's beautiful landscape owes its historic appearance, in particular, to the original promoters of the stud farm and to the fact that the integrity of the buildings and the functional structure of the landscape have been retained by the present owners of the stud farm. The beauty of the farm lies in the old structures and the trees.

The stud farm has consciously worked to add to the greenery by planting hundreds of saplings every year. The romance of nature beckons any visitor of the stud farm.

The stud farm has stood several champion stallions in its sylvan surroundings. In the past, well known stallions like Star of Gwalior et al embellished the stud farm. The stud farm has been uncompromising in obtaining the best possible stallion for its stud farm.

Originally started by Sir Sultan Chinoy and his partners, the legacy of the stud farm then passed on to the late Madhav Rao Scindia and it is now charting a new course in the hands of Shapoor Misty since the middle of 1980. Given by his father as a birthday gift, Shapoor Mistry has strived to take the stud farm to the top and he has been successful to a great extent. The stud farm has made rapid progress in the last few years, with its graph rising each year. The Stud Farm has already bred two Indian Derby winners through Littleover (Bolder Than Bold) and Diabolical (Major Impact) and has had a host of top notch performers.

There has been a concerted effort to improve the quality of the produce at the stud farm because of which the graph has taken a vertical climb in the last decade. Classic winners are coming with amazing regularity and top quality horses from the stud farm have ruled the Indian turf. Shapoor Mistry being a keen racing enthusiast loves to race his horses in his own colours and about 20 per cent of the produce from the stud farm races as retained stock. The others are sold though these are mostly confined to Western India. As such, its performance has been dominant in Western India more than at other centres.

The Pune Derby has become the preserve of the stud farm in recent years as Secret Memory and Gobelin have provided back to back successes. Secret Memory is easily one of the best horses to emerge from the age-old stud farm. Secret Memory not only won the Pune Derby but a host of other graded races including the Gr 1 Super Mile. Ray of Light (Portroe) had won the Pune Derby in the last decade. Sprinting sensation Oasis Star (Senure) set the Indian tracks ablaze with her power packed performances. Her wins in the Dr S C Jain Sprinters Trophy and the Gr 1 Sprinters Cup have been truly sensational. She is the only horse to win the Gr 1 Sprinters Cup back to back. She also acquitted herself creditably at Dubai Racing Carnival where she finished a close second in her first run on an unfamiliar Tapeta track.

The stud farm currently stands four stallions. Major Impact (Roberto) and Senure (Nureyev) have already produced a number of champions. Two new stallions, Phoenix Tower (Chester House) and Arabian Gulf (Saddler’s Wells) will have their crop racing next year. The stud farm has carefully planned its mare selection with a good collection of mares bought from abroad. Today, the stud farm has about 140 mares. Their annual crop which was to the tune of 75 to 80 horses is sure to swell in the coming years.

What drives the stud farm to strive for greater glory is the passion of its owner Shapoor Mistry who believes in ''fair and clean racing''. This dictum guides the way his horses perform on the track. He relishes every win that the produce of the stud farm records and his infectious enthusiasm is a delight to watch.

The desire to be at the top is the guiding philosophy of the stud farm which is making the right moves in that direction.