Brigade of Gurkhas Brigade of Gurkhas Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The brigade, which is 3,640 strong, draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that served for the East India Company. The brigade includes infantry, engineering, signal, logistic and training and support units. They are known for their kukris, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade, and have a reputation for being fierce and brave soldiers. The brigade celebrated
The Gurkha April. Ridden by Seamie Heffernan he started at odds of 7/2 and finished third of the sixteen runners behind his stablemate Claudio Monteverdi. In a similar event at Navan Racecourse eleven days later he was partnered by Ryan Moore and started 11/8 second favourite behind the Dermot Weld-trained Aasheq. The Gurkha disputed the lead from the start before drawing away from his fifteen rivals in the last quarter mile to win "easily" by nine lengths. On 15 May The Gurkha was moved up sharply in class when he was sent to France for the Group One Poule d'Essai des Poulains