Let the races begin

Winter brings with it all the excitement and anguish of horse racing

Once the cold weather sets in, it’s time for Richard Alford, Farley Rodrigues and Daniel David to hit the racecourse at the crack of dawn to train their horses for the approaching races. The three trainers are hopeful of a successful run this year, and have their eyes set on the Calcutta Gold Cup, Champions Cup and Queen Elizabeth Cup, among others.

The Royal Calcutta Turf Club, the magnificent venue of these races in Kolkata, is a lush green spread over 153 acres with the majestic Victoria Memorial in the background. “Royal” was added to the club’s title in 1912, after a visit by King George V.

 

But this one-time favourite haunt of sahibs, both white and brown, has suffered long years of neglect in recent years. “During the days of the Raj, RCTC was far ahead of other race courses all the way from the east of the Suez till Mandalay (Burma). But things began to go downhill after Independence, owing to the lack of patronage for the sport,” says Robin Corner, general manager and advisor, RCTC. “However, in the last two or three years, the racing scene in the city has considerably improved and we are hopeful of regaining the top position in the country,” he adds.

Unlike the Mumbai and Bangalore turf clubs, which are doing better, RCTC is faced with a severe funds crunch. But there are no plans to expand the club’s membership in order to bring in funds, says Deepak Khaitan, executive vice-chairman and managing director, Eveready Industries, and an active member of RCTC. “The club is, however, planning to increase its entertainment options by opening a restaurant where club members can watch the game with their family,” he adds.

Horse racing, with its aura of drama, romance and its links with royalty, is a registered sport. Most races are in two formats — long distance, covering 1,000-3,000 metres to be covered in roughly 3.1 minutes, and sprint, covering 1,200 metres in 1.2 minutes.

And, let’s not forget, it’s also a form of legalised gambling. In case you fancy betting on a horse, you’d be well advised to go through the race book, which describes the pedigree of the animal, its form in previous races, its present condition and details of the jockey. “If one follows the science of the game, he can get good returns on one’s investment,” says Rodrigues.

Jockeying too is far more popular today than before. “Jockeying has become an appealing profession — the top jockeys earn over a crore annually,” says Alford, who was a successful jockey in the 1970s, riding a horse famously called “Midnight Cowboy”.

As a sport, horse racing also has the potential to be a revenue earner for the government. “We need to change perceptions of horse racing and reach out to more people. This is a great spectator sport that can earn the government profits,” says David. “The Turf Club in Hong Kong, for example,” he says, “contributes a lot in taxes to the government’s kitty and also undertakes numerous charity initiatives.”

The Royal Calcutta Turf Club is trying to promote horse-racing and change perceptions of it. Meanwhile, it is looking forward to another exciting racing season.