Galloping to Glory

Incidentally,while there was not much work done on the tracks,Jain mentions that both,the working track as well as the monsoon track held up well during the races. “In fact,during the rains we were worried about the tracks holding up but there were no rains on the major race days. Also during the major races all the fancied horses performed well. The Derby weekend,the biggest crowd puller every year,was another highlight. From the Oktoberfest being celebrated again this year,to the German band Die Vagabunden performing,it was a crowd puller for us.”

Another interesting point of the season was that unlike last year,it was not plagued with controversies. Given that two horses had passed away on the track last year tragically,this season was relatively free of any major issue. “Of course there have always been minor issues regarding the finishes and things like that but there was nothing controversial. Having a clean season,free from doping allegations,problems with betting and also ensuring that none of the horses died on the tracks was one of the major goals we had for the season,” he adds.

While there was a Millions race virtually every weekend,the crowd in the members area too saw a change of sorts. Apart from the regular faces,a lot of youngsters too turned up on the race days. Jain attributes this to the growing popularity of the sport. In addition,he also mentions that with the rules in the members area being relaxed,especially related to clothing,it has seen a positive response from the race-goers. The sales of tickets online on Kyazoonga.com,was another reason as to why the turnout was good on major race days. While a lot of things like the race application for mobile phones,as well as the renovation of the members area are still waiting to happen,Jain says that the upcoming Mumbai season will see the application be available. “The renovation of the members enclosure will be done after we get the required permissions from the Southern Command,” he says.

Talking about the Crowns of Excellence awards,which will be given today,Jain mentions that there will be two sections to the same. “While the first set of awards will be given by the club for outstanding performances the excellence awards will be given on a weighted average system. In that the award will be given on overall performance that includes the training,the position and other such criteria and not just the number of wins,” he says. On the issue of the changes happening in the next year,he mentions that while it is too early to decide on that,the upcoming Mumbai season will have a huge impact on the races run next year.