B R Sharan Kumar

  The curse of BTC election for members   By Sharan Kumar   Members are inducted into almost all race clubs in the country based on their credentials after being in the queue till such time the Managing Committee feels that the time is ripe for inducting new members to the club. The size of the membership of the club is dependent on the size of the club. Clubs like Royal Western India Turf Club and Madras Race Club have about 1000 members.   In recent times, the Madras Race Club inducted in excess of 200 members. The criteria were simple: the applicant had to pay the requisite fee of about Rs 8 lakhs plus GST besides having an interest in the sport. That is the way it should be. Expansion of the club also fetches revenue to the club and only those who are keen will apply for membership. After all race clubs are not service clubs but clubs run for a specific purpose. In this case, to conduct the sport of horse racing.   Essentially, a race club should have members who should be stakehol

  Racing can slip into a deep coma   By Sharan Kumar One is not sure how proactive the Turf Authorities of India are in finding solutions to prevent the impending TDS regime set to kick in April. Instead of the old scheme under which TDS was deducted only on earnings of more than Rs 10,000 on one ticket, the new system envisages payment of TDS once the earnings cross Rs 10,000. Under the new regime, the onus is on the club to deduct the TDS and hence the clubs are expected to maintain the KYC of all its punters.   The deduction is not under 194 A under which you can set off losses against income. The TDS is under 195 BB which means that the money that you earn is considered a windfall gain and it cannot be set off against losses. The money deducted is gone out of the system for good. In the absence of KYC, all winnings will have to be taxed. As a result, the punter may end up giving money out of his pocket when he has played a short-priced favourite. The taxing is on gross wi

  Can you back online on Bangalore races? By Sharan Kumar Can you back online on Bangalore races? This is the question that is being posted by racegoers on our public form repeatedly. The government of Karnataka has not given permission for BTC to conduct online betting on its races. The turf club uses this as the reason for not letting other turf clubs in India conduct online betting on Bangalore races possibly as it does not want the other clubs to benefit. The club has not clarified that it is barred from letting others conduct online betting on its races.     BTC perhaps is right in not allowing other clubs to conduct online betting whether the government has denied permission for the host club. But can the BTC clarify whether the government has given it permission to allow online betting by app-based websites stationed outside of India?   The turf club has sold signals to a foreign entity for a small sum after signing a long contract when it could have got many times t

  Making a mockery of Invitation Cup   By Sharan Kumar When one peruses the list of competitors for the fray in the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup race to be held on Sunday, there is one intriguing entry in Blazing Bay who is a winner of a 4 to 30 handicap race. The horses which run in the fray are all nominees of different turf clubs and one presumes that these horses meet certain standards. In races like Kentucky Derby, there is an eligibility criterion. Horses would qualify only if they have accumulated certain specified points from the races prior to the Derby. However, there is no such restriction in India though after the last running of the Indian Derby which had 18 runners resulting in the best horses having their chances diluted by the wide outside and the crowding of the field in the straight of the horses falling back, there is a demand that minimum qualifications have to be imposed in order to qualify to run the Derby. Be that as it may, the Invitation Cup is str