The clash of titans: When Royal Tern and Own Opinion defined an era

By Harsh Thakor* 

This year marks the 50th birth anniversaries of two equine superstars, Royal Tern and Own Opinion. Both foaled in 1975, these colts wrote a saga that carved a permanent niche among the all-time greats of Indian horse racing. Each epitomized the beauty of the thoroughbred, from Own Opinion’s gleaming chestnut coat to Royal Tern’s polished bay. It is rare in any sport for two athletes to stand so far above their peers simultaneously. Between 1979 and 1980, they orchestrated some of the turf’s most enthralling tussles, elevating the sport to realms rarely transcended and evoking memories of legendary rivalries like Mill Reef vs. Brigadier Gerard or the cricketing duel between Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara.

Royal Tern, bred at the Sewania Stud by Royal Glem out of Swan Song, was owned by M. Gokuldas and trained by Baal Lagad in Mumbai. Own Opinion, sired by Siamead and bred in the South, was owned by MAM Ramaswamy and trained by Aris David. While Royal Tern lost his sprint debut in Bombay, he won his next two starts with such authority—including the Peggy Banatwalla Gold Cup—that he immediately looked like a future champion. Meanwhile, Own Opinion established his dominance in the South with a sequence of seven consecutive wins in Ooty.

Their first major clash occurred during the 1978 Bangalore season. In the mile-long Colts Trial, Royal Tern mercilessly crushed Own Opinion by six lengths. However, in the 10-furlong Bangalore Derby, Royal Tern’s winning margin narrowed to just two lengths as Own Opinion began to close the gap late. This was the first hint that Own Opinion would be more effective over longer distances.

During the 1978-79 winter season, Royal Tern appeared invincible. He swept the 2000 Guineas, the Ramniwas Ruia Cup, and the Indian Derby in a virtual exercise canter. Rarely had any colt won these three prestigious races with such disdainful ease, often leading start-to-finish and winning while practically pulled up. Own Opinion, after winning the Bangalore 2000 Guineas, suffered a shock defeat in the South Indian Derby to stablemate Red Chieftain, but later avenged that loss with an effortless victory in the Bangalore Arc de Triomphe.

The true "clash of the titans" arrived in the 1979 Indian Turf Invitation Cup in Mumbai. Though Royal Tern was the firm favorite, MAM Ramaswamy entered two pacemakers, Red Chieftain and Philanderer, to unsettle the champion with a blistering pace. The strategy worked. After Royal Tern took the lead at the halfway mark, Own Opinion came abreast in the straight. The two engaged in one of the most intense duels in racing history. In the final ten meters, Own Opinion’s superior stamina told; he put his neck in front to shatter Royal Tern’s myth of invincibility. Jockey Jagdish was at his absolute best, and the standing ovation for the winner was unprecedented, even as Royal Tern’s fans mourned a "Waterloo" moment.

Royal Tern resurrected his reputation in the summer of 1979 under jockey Nelson Reuben, following the tragic death of his regular rider, Karl Umrigar. He won the Maharaja’s Cup with immense conviction and followed it up by defeating Own Opinion by a length and a half in the President of India Gold Cup in Hyderabad. However, the pendulum swung back just a month later in the St. Leger, where Own Opinion used the grueling 2800-meter trip to outpace Royal Tern by six lengths.

In 1980, Royal Tern again showed his class, winning the Eclipse Stakes, the Maharaja Hari Singhji, and the RWITC Invitational while carrying top weight. At five years old, he seemed to redefine equine supremacy, while Own Opinion struggled to make the board. Later that year, however, both champions were eclipsed by the new star Everynsky in the Nizam’s Cup. Own Opinion eventually made history as the first Indian horse to compete internationally, finishing a creditable fifth in the Japan Cup.

Ultimately, it is difficult to separate these two giants. Royal Tern was virtually invincible up to ten furlongs, while Own Opinion was the master of the long-distance stayers' trips. While it is "touch and go" at the classic 2400-meter distance, I would give Royal Tern a marginal edge. For many, the image of Royal Tern with Karl Umrigar and Own Opinion with Jagdish remains an inextinguishable light in the history of the sport. Royal Tern remains, in my view, the more charismatic of the two—a horse whose start-to-finish dominance defined an epoch.

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*Freelance journalist who witnessed both Royal Tern and Own Opinion in 1979