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  The Lightweight Who Left a Heavy Footprint   By Sharan Kumar   The passing of John Lowe in Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 75 brings back memories of one of the more successful and popular foreign jockeys to ride in India during the golden years of winter racing.   Lowe died in hospital on Monday after suffering a stroke. He had moved to Australia with his wife Gale in 2024 to be close to their daughter Verity and grandsons, after finally retiring from riding out at Roger Varian's Carlburg Stables in Newmarket. He had spent nearly six decades in the saddle.   For Indian racegoers, however, Lowe will be remembered particularly for the years he spent riding in India, where his lightweight and riding ability made him a regular and successful visitor.   Essentially based in Mumbai, Lowe travelled to the other major racing centres whenever the big races were at stake. His record in Indian classics and major races was impressive. He ...
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  When the 100th Classic Took the Wrong Horse   Pesi Shroff’s 100th classic victory arrived, but racing being racing, it refused to follow the script. Fynbos, the obvious choice to provide the landmark, was beaten in the closing strides by stablemate Red Bishop, a 377-day maiden who had seemingly wandered into the party without an invitation. The irony was delicious: the trainer reached a century, but the expected heroine was left watching another stablemate steal the headlines.   By Sharan Kumar   Pesi Shroff finally got his 100th classic winner and joined the exclusive club occupied by Aris David, Rashid Byramji and S Padmanabhan. It was supposed to be a grand occasion, and Fynbos appeared perfectly cast for the role. There was only one small problem. Racing had not been consulted.   Instead of the much-anticipated Fynbos, the milestone came aboard Red Bishop, a stablemate who had not seen the winning post for 377 days and, judging by his price...
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    Jaandaar Gallops Into Derby Favouritism   By Sharan Kumar   The possible Pune Derby winner was sighted more than a fortnight ago. On Sunday, Jaandaar provided the confirmation. If the earlier victory was an appetiser, this was the full-course meal, with the opposition left wondering whether they had been invited merely to make up the numbers.   Jaandaar pulverised a creditable field to win the Gr.3 S A Poonawalla Million, a terms race for three-year-olds that has traditionally offered a useful pointer to the potential winner of the big one. His previous victory had been almost matter-of-fact, but there was enough in it to suggest that the colt was capable of much more.   This time he did not bother keeping the secret.   Jaandaar flew out of the gates, quickly established a good lead and settled into a comfortable rhythm, travelling with the sort of cruising speed that makes the opposition nervous. When Vivek G asked him to qui...
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  Namma Bengaluru: The City That Eats Around the Clock   By Sharan Kumar   Whatever else one may pursue in life, the search for good food is an obsession shared by almost everyone. And Bengaluru may have taken that obsession to another level.   There are many things Bengaluru is famous for: its gardens, weather, traffic, pubs, start-ups and, of course, its remarkable software industry. But there is another industry in which the city has quietly achieved something approaching excellence: eating out .   Look at the crowds outside its hotels from morning to midnight and one begins to wonder whether anybody actually cooks at home. Breakfast brings the idli, vada, dosa, rava idli, kharabath and pongal brigade. Lunch brings the meals crowd. Evening produces another rush for dosa, coffee and snacks, while night-time brings out the hunters of egg rice, biryani, pani puri and whatever else remains open.   Eating out in Bengaluru is rarely an occa...
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    Racing No Longer Pays for Racing!   By Sharan Kumar   The 111th Annual Report of the Royal Western India Turf Club raises a fundamental question for those running the institution: can horse racing at RWITC sustain itself financially from horse racing? The numbers suggest that it cannot.   The Club reported an overall deficit of ₹12.48 crore for 2025-26. More revealing, however, is the segment-wise position. Racing generated ₹33.41 crore against expenses of ₹57.25 crore , resulting in a deficit of ₹23.84 crore . The corresponding racing deficit in the previous year was ₹9.85 crore. This is not simply an accounting issue. It raises questions about the financial sustainability of the Club's core activity.   Where racing's revenue comes from   The racing operation earned ₹8.91 crore from bookmakers' stall fees, ₹1.21 crore from Tote commission and ₹0.39 crore from Tote fixed-odds betting. Gate receipts contributed ₹3.85 crore, ...
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        Pune Turns the Favourite Obsession on Its Head   By Sharan Kumar   After the Hyderabad favourites had spent the previous day ruling the roost, punters perhaps arrived at Pune armed with enthusiasm, confidence and, in some cases, the previous day’s winnings. Pune, however, has never been particularly interested in following the script. It sings to its own tune, and occasionally the tune is distinctly jarring.   The favourites certainly did not have their best day. There were a few fancied winners, but those regarded as almost unbeatable by the market and public imagination discovered that being a favourite and winning a race are two entirely different professions. The betting public’s obsession with favourites took another beating as long shots repeatedly gatecrashed the party.   The day’s feature, the 1400 metres Southern Command Gold Trophy for maiden three-year-olds, provided a finish worthy of the occasion. Dallas ...
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