A horse for which Salman offered ₹2 cr turns star attraction
A rare-breed horse for which Bollywood actor Salman Khan had reportedly offered to pay more than ₹2 crore, but was rejected by the owner, has become the star attraction at the Tilwara cattle fair in Rajasthan’s Barmer.
The horse—Saqab—popularity has soared so high that eager traders and onlookers alike are queuing for selfies with the “star attraction” at the fair.
The horse, a mixed Arabian and Mallani breed, was raised by Swaroop Singh Chadi of Barmer’s Chadi village. Chadi named the horse ‘Tufaan’ after it won a number of races. He later sold the 5-year-old horse to a Rohtak-based businessman for ₹11 lakh in 2015.
The Rohtak businessman in turn sold it to Surat-based businessman Siraj Khan Pathan for ₹15 lakh in 2016, who renamed the horse as “Saqab”.
Saqab’s popularity is unique in the country and has its match only in two horses in the world, one in the US and the other in Canada, says the trainer of the horse Hasan Khan Tamliyaar.
“Saqab can walk with a speed of 43kmph in clean ‘ravel walk’ or one footed race and can keep the same position throughout so that it doesn’t disturb the rider,” he says.
BARMER:
Until now, the prized horse has taken part in 19 races organized in Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan and all of which it won, says Tamliyaar.
“A month back a man, believed to be the manager of Salman Khan, approached the owner and offered ₹2.11 crore for Saqab but he refused the offer.”
Apart from Saqab, Pathan has 10 more horses but the prized horse is special, he said, adding that Pathan spends ₹3,500 every day for the up keep of the horse that is fed a diet of six liters of milk, gram, wheat, maize and fruits.
The annual state-level Tilwara cattle fair is held on the banks bed of Luni River, the only river that flows through the arid parts, is one of the biggest cattle fairs in Rajasthan. The fair is popular for different breeds of cows, camels, sheep, goats and horses. People from Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh visit the fair.