Ready to Race

People cheering wildly as jockeys navigate their horses through the monsoon tracks.

People cheering wildly as jockeys navigate their horses through the monsoon tracks. Elegantly dressed people sitting in the members enclosure,enjoying the view from the colonial balconies. Cole Race Book sellers egging on the spectators and race goers to improve their betting odds. The bookies in the open area near the paddock take floating bets on the horses. These are the few constants at most major horse races across the country. The variables,however,change according to the seasons. Sponsors,bigger prize money and more events are what make them the most sought after events every year. This year around,the Pune Season,that begins on July 26,promises all this and much more.

While the highlights of the last season were the Independence Day Derby,the Poonawalla Multi-Million races,the Oktober fest and the weekend parties held during and after the races,the scale this year,will perhaps even bigger,says Vivek Jain,Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). In 2011,the Pune racing season saw one of the biggest numbers of sponsored races,both the millions and multi-millions. We are yet in the process of finalising the sponsors,which should be done by July 5,the year looks even more promising,despite the business markets being low, says Jain.

The horse owners,on the other hand,seem to be excited with different prospects the racing track that is looking better this monsoon. Suresh Talwar,a member of the North Star Racing Syndicate,that won the award for the best Syndicate last year,says,Our horses performed very well last year,especially Su Chaliyo who won five races. We hope that our horses perform even better this year,given that the tracks look promising in Pune during the monsoons.

The monsoon track that the Pune Race Course offers is one of the best in the country. Primarily because it has the ability to absorb the water without the running surface becoming slippery, Jain says,adding,A lot of work has gone into the making of the tracks and also ensuring that it is in good condition this year too.

Besides,the general infrastructure of the club has been updated that includes erection of barriers and maintenance of stables. Jain says the last year saw a significant increase in the number of regulars at the racecourse. We had people who would turn up for the events every weekend. Obviously,their expectations are bigger and better; we are trying to match the same, he adds. On an average,the Pune racing season,that begins in July and goes on till October,witnesses over 5000 people visiting the racecourse every week. However,the figure crosses 10,000 people during the major races like Independence Day Derby or Poonawalla Multi-million and so on.

Niranjan Singh,Handicapper & Dy Stipendary Steward at the WITC says,There are going to be 27 race days and approximately 300 races in which about the same number of horses will be running. We will ensure that all the horses get a chance to race so that it becomes an equivocal playing field.

As far as horses to watch out for are concerned,Singh says,It is difficult to predict one particular horse. Most of the good ones are in Bangalore right now racing but there are promising new comers too that could change the stakes during the races and that will make this years race more exciting, he adds.

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