01 March,2021 06:34 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash Gosavi
The Bawaji, ridden by apprentice rider Aniket Karande (in blue), wins the Bejan Bharucha Plate, the first race that was run after almost a year at the Mahalaxmi racetrack on Sunday. Pic/Sameer Markande
Enthusiastic crowds in the public enclosure and elite horse lovers in the members' arena - all of them die-hard racing fans who missed live racing for 11 months feeling like fish out of water, thronged the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Sunday afternoon. "Over 100 people lined up to buy the entry tickets even before the ticket window was scheduled to open," the watchman on duty told mid-day.
The state government of Maharashtra has allowed only 600 spectators in lieu of the feared resurgence of the COVID-19, and that number includes the club officials, staff, horse owners, and racing professionals like jockeys and trainers. It's the last-mentioned, horse trainers, who were a little miffed with the race club, however. The reason? For the first time in the history of horse racing, like ordinary folks, they were asked to pay Rs 1,000 if they wished to carry their mobile phones inside the racecourse. It may be noted that the use of mobile phones is banned at the racecourse for many years now, and is allowed only against a hefty fee which is a source of revenue for the cash-strapped race club.
A trainer, who spoke to mid-day on the condition of anonymity, said, "This is ridiculous, we put up the show, and we are asked to pay to watch it."
Though trainers, unlike jockeys, are officially allowed to place a bet, not many do it as they are more interested in training horses to win stake money for their owners, rather than pulling off a gamble. One such non-gambling trainer, requesting not to be named, told mid-day, "They are treating us like gamblers who use the phone to bet with illegal bookmakers operating outside, asking us to pay Rs 1,000 per day for a phone badge. We need to be in touch with our staff in the stables whose job is to get racehorses to the paddock and saddle them, we need the phone in case of an emergency."
Narendra Lagad, senior trainer and former chairman of the Western India Trainers' Association (WITA), thinks that a middle path should be adopted. "The sport and the club are facing a crisis, no two opinions about that, but the administration needs to see that even our income has taken a hit," he said. "It will be hard for small trainers with a handful of horses under their care to shell out that kind of money each race day. Something like Rs 500 or less would be more reasonable. I feel the club will reconsider their decision," Lagad signed off on an optimistic note.
"Everyone who loves this sport has to do his or her bit in these tough times. This is an unprecedented crisis," Zavaray Poonawalla, chairman of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) Ltd, defended the club's decision when mid-day sought his reaction. "We are taking in only R5 crore against an outgo of Rs 50 crore," he added.
It may be noted that in the last couple of years Poonawalla and his colleagues on the committee had put hands into their own pockets when the race club needed financial help. "Those who benefit from this sport have a bigger moral responsibility to support. It's time to give, and not to crib," Poonawalla minced no words when making his point.
Interestingly, the club has proactively reduced their own commission from betting by 60-70 per cent to attract the punters to the Tote. In an impromptu but impassioned plea to the racing public before the opening race, Zavaray Poonawalla urged the racegoers to take advantage of the club's move and bet more and more money on the Tote.
Jockey S Zervan and trainer Vishal Gaikwad combined to lift both the trophies on offer on Sunday's six-race card. Their Victorious Sermon & Baby Bazooka both posted impressive start-to-finish victories in the R N Kanga Trophy and Y M Chaudhry Trophy respectively, making every post along the way a winning one. The former set a new course record time for the seven-furlong trip in the process, stopping the clock at 1m 24.29 seconds.
