Gangasani Nityanand who till recently was the trainer at the Bangalore Turf Club passed away on Sunday following a brief illness. Ill-health dogged him in the last one year and he had called it a day at the end of last year as he felt that he was not able to do justice to his job. Unfortunately, within a month of giving up training, Nityanand suffered a serious health setback and he could not pull through.

In his stint as a trainer, Nityanand had the distinction of saddling a Derby winner through The Invader who had won the Bangalore Derby in the year 2019. His death is a big blow to scores of his friends for whom he had been a great friend and the person to go to for any help.

It takes a long time to grow an old friend but Nitya, as he was called, was an exception, His friendly nature had got him many friends even if many did not agree with his views. His argumentative nature was because he was strong in his beliefs but carried no malice. He had a strong will and had his own sense of what was right and wrong. And he was not someone who easily compromised even if it meant losing out in the process.

The career as a racehorse trainer was not something he had envisaged. Nitya`s friendship with the late racehorse owner Raghava Reddy perhaps could be the reason why he ended up as a trainer. He began as an informal racing manager for Raghava Reddy before the latter`s encouragement helped him start his stint as a trainer at Mysore and later on at Bangalore. The support of many of his friends was of immense help in procuring good horses for him.

Nitya apprenticed under the late Puttanna and C A Kuts. He began his career with a flourish as in his first summer season in Bangalore he saddled nine winners with a small string. The Bangalore Summer Season is considered a highly competitive season as horses from all over the country participate. Despite not having a deep grounding in racehorse training, he worked hard to overcome the handicaps and had the big distinction of saddling the Bangalore Derby winner which many trainers fail to achieve all through their career. The Invader was a dual classic winner and was an unlucky fourth in the Indian Turf Invitation Cup at Hyderabad.

Trainer Padmanabhan with whom he shared a good equation said that Nitya`s death was devastating. ``Nitya was a helpful soul. The mornings after the track work would often be spent in exploring the best possible breakfast joints. I surely miss his friendship and the time spent with him. ‘` Trainer Rajesh Narredu tweeted: Deeply saddened to hear the news of Nityanand passing away. A guy with the heart to help anyone who approached him always. Absolute Gentleman. May his soul rest in peace.``

The racing professionals of Bangalore and other centres expressed grief at the passing away of Nitya. President of Karnataka Trainers Association Lokanath condoled the death of Nitya and said that often his contacts were a great help in taking up issues with the government. I still can`t believe my captain is gone, said jockey Imran Chisty. I will miss a great friend, said Mumbai based trainer Rehanullah Khan. Arjun Mangalorkar, Sulaiman Attaollahi and Mumbai based Altamash among others were his close buddies.

Racingpulse offers its deep condolences to the bereaved family.