Usha Stud Farm was the dream child of Maj. P. K. Mehra, an international polo player of repute. Well before it was established, he had ventured into breeding while still a young captain by importing Eagle Don, his first mare, in foal to Entanglement. Eagle Don duly dropped her foal. That foal, a filly, was named MICA EXPRESS and she went on to win the South India Oaks, Gr.1. Maj. Mehra had hit the bull’s eye with his very first shot.
His appetite whetted, he persuaded his father, a doctor with the United Nations, to advance him a small loan. With that he bought his first batch of three mares – Nut, Dusty Marta and Traxana. These mares were boarded at another stud farm while Maj. Mehra struggled with the travails that go with having to give a finite shape to a nebulous dream. Maj. Mehra was now the Commandant of President’s Bodyguard and it was in the sprawling complex of his official residence in the Rashtrapati Bhavan that the embryonic Usha Stud had its beginning. He collected his mares from other farms, brought out another consignment of horses from England, including Grey Gaston, a stallion on whose remarkable prepotence the edifice of Usha Stud grew rapidly.
His break came when the Italian Ambassador to India, a keen polo player himself, agreed to stand guarantee for a bank loan with which he bought a few acres of land in Gurgaon, not far from Delhi’s airport on which Usha Stud began. It was here that Dusty Marta was covered by Grey Gaston. It was here that the foal of that covering was born. That foal was MANITOU, the first foal born at Usha Stud and the first of Usha Stud’s record of FIVE INDIAN DERBY winners sired by Grey Gaston.
Winner of Indian Derby, 1997
Thus in 1973 Usha Stud now had not only a name but a place as well. He bought his second stallion Commonland by Klairon who not only sired Almanac, winner of Indian Derby but also 16 Group 1 winners in India. There has been no looking back, ever since. MANITOU, Usha Stud’s first Indian Derby winner won the race by 10 lengths. That winning margin has not been improved upon till today. STARSKY, Usha Stud’s ninth Indian Derby winner, won the race in 2002, the fastest time ever.
Maj. Mehra strode across the Indian racing and breeding scene like a colossus. He had many attributes but the ones for which he will be best remembered are the speed element which he introduced, the innovative marketing techniques that he adopted and above all, his uncanny knack when it came to selecting a stallion. His partner and collaborator in building up Usha Stud from its foundations, Veena Mehra, was solely responsible for building up the infrastructure and responsible for the agricultural operations and produce that made up the feed of the yearlings at Usha. Known for her hospitality and strong business sense, Usha Stud owes its humble beginnings to both of them.
It’s a tribute to Maj. Mehra and his foresight that the edifice he constructed, from the foundation up, was so strong and resilient that the performance of his brainchild has not suffered a whit. In fact, so successfully has the baton been passed on to his eldest daughter Ameeta that Usha Stud has gone from strength to strength, even after the tragic helicopter crash in 2001 that took away Ameeta’s parents Pradeep and Veena Mehra and her sister Radhika. Today Usha Stud farm continues to be the leading Stud farm in India.
Early in her life, Ameeta developed a love of horses. Watching her father play polo and as the commandant of the President’s Bodyguard in all his ceremonial regalia, left her deeply impressed. With her father she led in a number of classic winners in racecourses around the country. Ameeta fondly recalls, “My father used to say I am your guru, your boss and your father”. In true Indian tradition, she learnt the art and science of breeding at the feet of the Master.
Ameeta is an alumna of the Irish National Stud, where her project on ‘Stallion election’ won her a gold medal. At Kentucky, she did a course in equine nutrition. She also underwent a course in Business management at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Ameeta joined her father in the year 1991. After she joined Usha Stud imported the great stallion Razeen (by Northern Dancer) who sired 4 Indian Derby winners. Ameeta Mehra completed the Irish National Stud course and won a Gold Medal for her project on Stallion Selection. The Gold medal was well deserved, as the two stallions she bought after the tragic helicopter accident of her parents and sister in 2001 are now flag bearers in the Indian Industry. Multidimensional (by Danehill) is the current reigning Champion Sire and the new first season Leading Sire. Multidimensional & Speaking of Which (by Invincible Spirit) are the only 2 living sires who have produced 3 or more Individual Classic winners in their 1st crop and both are both standing at Usha. Ms. Mehra has expanded Usha Stud, building a third farm and facilities, and brought in a spiritual culture into the running of the stud farms. From the year 2001, when she took over, the reins of the stud farm, Usha Stud has run up an impressive list of achievements – First Stud Farm in India to record a CENTURY OF DERBIES (100 derbies) and Record 200 INDIVIDUAL CLASSIC WINNERS.
Presently, the Stud Farm has the HIGHEST CLASSICS at 392 in India and over 695 Group races, giving it an annual average of Seven Classics a year. That average is the highest in India. Usha Stud Farm has bred the Highest number of Indian Derby (15), Indian Oaks (18) and Indian 1000 Guineas (17) winners in the shortest time in Turf history. In 2023 Usha came 1, 2, 3 & 4 in the Indian Derby with MIRRA leading on the top. Its current (2022-23) Champion Sires Speaking of Which & five times champion sire Multidimensional have proved to be absolute sensations.
