At the finishing line

The season had both positives and negatives. From the doping scandals that enveloped the races towards the end to the death of a horse on the day of the Pune Derby,the season survived it all. But this was one of the biggest racing seasons in recent times,says Vivek Jain,chairman of the RWITC. “In terms of popularity,races,prize money and participation of the general public in the events that we held for them,this was one of the biggest seasons we have had. The large number of sponsored races,the million races and the turnouts for these races were the highlights. We had a sponsored race almost every weekend,” he says. But he also points to the need for upgrading the infrastructure,the members’ stands,the monsoon tracks and the security at the stables.

The racing fraternity was saddened by the death of ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh. Singh was a regular at the races and owned five horses that ran this year. Magan Singh Jodha,who trained Singh’s horses,says,”He was very passionate about the sport and also very well-educated about the breeds of horses. I worked with and knew him for almost 35 years. He will really be missed.”

A lot of celebrities came calling this year. The O Racing Awards,held on Saturday,saw actors Jackie Shroff,Jimmy Shergill and Mugdha Godse in attendance. Shergill says,“I have been meaning to come for the races for the last couple of years but only managed to this time. We just wrapped up the shoot for Vikram Bhatt’s film Dangerous Ishq on Friday and I came down for the awards. The atmosphere was lovely,warm and welcoming. A scaled down version of the Mumbai races. ”

Some of the highlights of the season included the Oktoberfest that had the German band ‘Die Sulmtaler’ performing for the second consecutive year. The huge number of expats made the members enclosure look like mini-Germany. Mumbai-based band ‘The Full Monty’ played on the last day. Montini Vaz,the lead keyboardist,says,“The Pune races have a very colonial feel to them. Right from the crowds that come in to the general atmosphere,it is a beautiful mix of the old world and the new. We have been coming here for almost six years now and it is always fun to play here.”

Some of the winners at the O Racing Awards included Leading Owner Wadhawan Livestock Private Limited,Leading Trainer Pesi Shroff and Leading Horse Macchupicchu owned by Berjis Minoo Desai,Vijay Shirke and K N Dhunjibhoy. Film actor Jackie Shroff was seen chatting with people near the paddock. “These people are the real reason why the races have been such a popular affair year after year. We need to mix with them and honour their participation. That is what I like doing here,” he said with a smile.