Riding high

A racing junkie may leave home without a tie but there is no way he would step inside the racing stalls without The Cole. The Bible of ra...

A racing junkie may leave home without a tie but there is no way he would step inside the racing stalls without The Cole. The Bible of racegoers for 78 years, this tiny blue and white book is opened with sweaty palms by punters before every race. Containing information on jockeys, trainers and tracks, this copy is often dog-eared by the end of the day.

The one person who can read it without any stress, however, is Vijay Adwalia. His company, Turf Printing works, is the publisher of this money spinner. And has been since The Cole8217;s first print run. Originally, started by Vijay8217;s aunts husband, Ranchhodas Manchharam, this handbook has covered every major racing event, including the 1961 visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the Royal Western India Turf Club, in Mahalaxmi.

To ensure that The Cole does not miss out on any mega event in the future, Vijay is training his son, Hemin to fill in his shoes. The twenty-something has studied desk-top publishing and is working along with his father tomodernise the printing process. They personally supervise the production and are supported by a team of four professionals. quot;They help with making predictions for the races. You need a good knowledge of the races, and they all watch the race again and again on videotape to see what really happens in each race,quot; says Vijay. Such attention to detail is even more important now that competition is hotting up. The market leader for years, another race book Money Spinner has been eating into its turf. But Vijay thinks quot;competition is healthyquot; and has diversified into non-racing printing to stay ahead of the race. Not that he is happy with all the changes that have taken place around him. quot;The number of racegoers has begun to drop. Racing has become synonymous with gambling. People no longer respect the sport,quot; says Vijay. But they still respect this tiny handbook, priced at Rs eight, that hasn8217;t altered its format since the day it was first released.

Hemin wants The Cole to remain The Bible forracegoers for the next 70 years and Vijay is ensuring that it happens. How? An avid racegoer for 20 years now, he has never bet on a horse. quot;I don8217;t have the money for it,quot; he says with a straight face.