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  When the Committee Room Stops Racing   Horse racing is built on competition, but competition appears to be disappearing from the committee rooms of some racing clubs. When the same people remain in power for years, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ideas struggle to find space. Experience is valuable, but prolonged control can breed complacency, vested interests and intolerance of criticism. Should racing now examine whether fixed terms and genuine leadership renewal are necessary for healthier, more accountable institutions?   By Sharan Kumar   Horse racing is built on competition. Horses compete for prizes, jockeys for winners, trainers for championships and owners for recognition. Yet in some of India’s race clubs, the one place where competition appears to have disappeared is the committee room. When the same people remain in control for years, sometimes decades, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ...
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  When the Committee Room Stops Racing   Horse racing is built on competition, but competition appears to be disappearing from the committee rooms of some racing clubs. When the same people remain in power for years, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ideas struggle to find space. Experience is valuable, but prolonged control can breed complacency, vested interests and intolerance of criticism. Should racing now examine whether fixed terms and genuine leadership renewal are necessary for healthier, more accountable institutions?   By Sharan Kumar   Horse racing is built on competition. Horses compete for prizes, jockeys for winners, trainers for championships and owners for recognition. Yet in some of India’s race clubs, the one place where competition appears to have disappeared is the committee room. When the same people remain in control for years, sometimes decades, elections become predictable, opposition weakens and fresh ...
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        When the Bulldozers Came to Delhi   The Delhi Race Course has become history. On Thursday morning, bulldozers descended on the historic venue, demolishing the stables, Bookmakers’ Ring, Winning Post and other landmarks that had witnessed generations of racing. The club’s failure to secure relief from the courts finally cleared the way for the government to reclaim the land. What was once a vibrant centre of Indian racing now lies in ruins, leaving behind memories, questions and a warning for other race clubs.   By Sharan Kumar   Thursday morning was a cruel sight for anyone who has been associated with the Delhi Race Course or Indian racing. Bulldozers moved into the historic race course and, with astonishing speed, began erasing landmarks that had been part of Delhi racing for generations. The gates were cleared, the Bookmakers’ Ring was demolished, the stables came down and the Winning Post, saddling enclosure and photofinis...
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      When the Favourites Lose Their Way   The Media Day card turned into anything but a celebration for the punters. Favourites stumbled, outsiders flourished and the form book took a beating severe enough to warrant a medical examination. While upsets are an essential part of racing, a day when long shots dominate almost every race inevitably raises questions about predictability, confidence and the health of the sport. For punters, it was less Media Day and more survival day.   By Sharan Kumar   It is customary in our race reviews to ask the most important question of all: did the punters have a chance?   Every now and then, someone writes to say that the races were run true to form and the punters went home happy. I am never quite sure whether this is a serious observation or a confession that the gentleman happened to find an outsider while everybody else was busy losing money.   Punters do not arrive at a racecourse a...
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      Kunigal is a solution, but it is not the finish line   By Sharan Kumar   The proposed compromise deed between the Karnataka Government and the Bangalore Turf Club should bring some relief to owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, racing professionals and race-goers who have been anxiously watching the uncertainty surrounding Bangalore racing.   Yes, Kunigal is a solution, but it is not the finish line.   The settlement gives Bangalore racing a possible way forward, but important questions over finance, arrears, development and licensing still have to be answered.   The most important message is simple: Bangalore racing has a road ahead.   But there is a significant price for this settlement. BTC has to give up its claims over the present premises. Under the agreement, the Club unconditionally acknowledges the State Government's title and waives and abandons claims relating to ownership, adverse possession, per...
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  How Delhi Race Club Was Allowed to Perish   The Delhi Race Club stands on the brink of losing its historic home, but the tragedy goes far beyond an eviction order. An institution that had decades to secure its future now faces extinction amid allegations of poor governance, mounting Government dues and a failure to act with urgency. More disturbingly, a democratic process that should have provided accountability appears to have become a mechanism for perpetuating control.   By Sharan Kumar   The Delhi Race Club has finally reached the point that many feared but few believed would actually come: the Government has ordered the club to vacate its 53.242-acre premises, bringing one of India's historic racing institutions to the brink of extinction.   But the most disturbing part of this story is not the eviction order of August 11. It is how an institution with decades to prepare for this moment was allowed to drift towards the precipice.   ...
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