Indian Derby to offer mind-boggling stakes
Chairman of Royal Western India Turf Club Vivek Jain has brought off a marketing coup in making the UB Group to commit a whopping Rs 28 cores by way of sponsorship over the next five years. The UB Group has been sponsoring the Indian Derby for the last 27 years while the same company has been sponsoring the Kingfisher Derby for the last 23 years. Under the present agreement, the value for 2013 McDowell Indian Derby will be about US $ 1 million. Mr. Jain described the conclusion as “a path breaking development in the history of Indian racing, and a momentous milestone for the RWITC.”
The Kingfisher Derby which also has national character about it, with the result of the race, having a bearing not only on Indian classics but also on regional classics. This high profile event promises guaranteed stake money of Rs 1 core but the contribution of the UB Group is a poor Rs 50 lakhs. This amount is after the company agreed to increase its contribution by about Rs 20 lakhs over its previous contribution. This must be surely be considered a king’s ransom by Bangalore Turf Club which is not known for its marketing acumen, beset by internal bickering where the horse is not the king but its members are the super stars. The recently concluded Bangalore Winter Derby offered the lowest stake money for an event of its stature. The club compounded its error by hosting a party for its members at a five stat hotel instead of spending that money to boost the stakes for the mega event. If one considers that UB Group is giving Rs 2 million for running of the relatively less glamorous St Leger at Pune, the contribution for the Bangalore event must be considered negligible.
Why is it that Bangalore has not been able to attract sponsors when RWITC is able to them by the dozen, even for lesser events than the Derby? The reason is the priorities are all wrong in BTC. People with drive are not always at the helm at BTC but only those who manage to please the members most come into power. The person who can curry favor from the government ends up the chairman irrespective of his support in the committee. Quite often this has resulted in the committee being a divided house, with the person frustrated in his attempt to become the chairman being at loggerheads with the government supported chairman. The person elected to the post is also only interested in lasting out the term so that he ensures a place in history and rarely bothers to do anything worthwhile. As long as he keeps the members happy, he thinks he is doing a good job.
The UB Group is based out of Bangalore and its chairman Dr Vijay Mallya is a son of the soil. Yet the Kingfisher Derby does not get the same importance despite him being a member of Bangalore Turf Club. The Kingfisher Derby is the most attended Derby event in India, rivaling that of Indian Derby in attendance though not in glamour quotient. The BTC boasts of some high profile members who can make races in Bangalore high profile but they rarely venture forward unlike the RWITC where a number its members open out their purse to sponsor mega events. Apart from the Indian Derby, the UB Group has also offered to sponsor the Indian St Leger that will be held at Pune this year.
The contribution of UB Group for this year’s Indian Derby is roughly about Rs 3 cores and the winner is assured of a mind-boggling amount which will be the biggest prize money ever in Indian racing history. This is a record that can only be bettered by RWITC and no other club can hope to come anywhere near it.
Vivek Jain is obviously elated at the spate of sponsorships that he has brought for racing at Mumbai. `The deal with the UB Group is the biggest in Indian racing history for a single event. The continued sponsorship underlines the excellent understanding and relation that the club has built with the UB Group,’’ he added at a Press briefing on Thursday..
The RWITC has planned an elaborate programm for the two-day Derby weekend. Only Bangalore Summer Derby winner Sun Kingdom may be missing from the line up. Other than this horse, the who’s is who of four-year olds in India are participating in the race including Ocean And Beyond, Moonlight Romance and Xisca. These horses have won a Derby at some centre or the other. Internationally renowned artists are arriving to provide quality entertainment over the two days of racing which will feature a number of big races offering stakes of over a million.
The Kingfisher Derby which also has national character about it, with the result of the race, having a bearing not only on Indian classics but also on regional classics. This high profile event promises guaranteed stake money of Rs 1 core but the contribution of the UB Group is a poor Rs 50 lakhs. This amount is after the company agreed to increase its contribution by about Rs 20 lakhs over its previous contribution. This must be surely be considered a king’s ransom by Bangalore Turf Club which is not known for its marketing acumen, beset by internal bickering where the horse is not the king but its members are the super stars. The recently concluded Bangalore Winter Derby offered the lowest stake money for an event of its stature. The club compounded its error by hosting a party for its members at a five stat hotel instead of spending that money to boost the stakes for the mega event. If one considers that UB Group is giving Rs 2 million for running of the relatively less glamorous St Leger at Pune, the contribution for the Bangalore event must be considered negligible.
Why is it that Bangalore has not been able to attract sponsors when RWITC is able to them by the dozen, even for lesser events than the Derby? The reason is the priorities are all wrong in BTC. People with drive are not always at the helm at BTC but only those who manage to please the members most come into power. The person who can curry favor from the government ends up the chairman irrespective of his support in the committee. Quite often this has resulted in the committee being a divided house, with the person frustrated in his attempt to become the chairman being at loggerheads with the government supported chairman. The person elected to the post is also only interested in lasting out the term so that he ensures a place in history and rarely bothers to do anything worthwhile. As long as he keeps the members happy, he thinks he is doing a good job.
The UB Group is based out of Bangalore and its chairman Dr Vijay Mallya is a son of the soil. Yet the Kingfisher Derby does not get the same importance despite him being a member of Bangalore Turf Club. The Kingfisher Derby is the most attended Derby event in India, rivaling that of Indian Derby in attendance though not in glamour quotient. The BTC boasts of some high profile members who can make races in Bangalore high profile but they rarely venture forward unlike the RWITC where a number its members open out their purse to sponsor mega events. Apart from the Indian Derby, the UB Group has also offered to sponsor the Indian St Leger that will be held at Pune this year.
The contribution of UB Group for this year’s Indian Derby is roughly about Rs 3 cores and the winner is assured of a mind-boggling amount which will be the biggest prize money ever in Indian racing history. This is a record that can only be bettered by RWITC and no other club can hope to come anywhere near it.
Vivek Jain is obviously elated at the spate of sponsorships that he has brought for racing at Mumbai. `The deal with the UB Group is the biggest in Indian racing history for a single event. The continued sponsorship underlines the excellent understanding and relation that the club has built with the UB Group,’’ he added at a Press briefing on Thursday..
The RWITC has planned an elaborate programm for the two-day Derby weekend. Only Bangalore Summer Derby winner Sun Kingdom may be missing from the line up. Other than this horse, the who’s is who of four-year olds in India are participating in the race including Ocean And Beyond, Moonlight Romance and Xisca. These horses have won a Derby at some centre or the other. Internationally renowned artists are arriving to provide quality entertainment over the two days of racing which will feature a number of big races offering stakes of over a million.
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