The enduring charm of the Bangalore Derby

 Professionals win a battle of perception

By Sharan Kumar

 

The Bangalore Derby was under threat of disruption following the quixotic decisions handed out by the Stewards of the Bangalore Turf Club compounded by the sadistic manner in which the Appeal Board enhanced the punishments without due consideration. The professionals, both trainers and jockeys, backed by the Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association, had raised a banner of revolt. The Chairman of the Club Shivakumar Khenny went on his knees to plead with the professionals to let the Derby go through with firm assurances about amending certain rules and ensuring that in the future, men of better calibre would be put on the Appeal board.

 

The entries for the Derby weekend races were postponed several times to accommodate the talks to go on. The professionals were firm in their stand that they had lost trust in the fairness of Stewards and more so with the Appeal Board and that some remedy had to be found. The Chairman is reported to have initially threatened to cancel the Derby and close the season but when this didn’t work, he resorted to going down on his knees. The professionals finally agreed to have the Derby weekend go through. The Stewards reportedly assured that they would incorporate a provision in the Rules of Racing to let a jockey who has been suspended for four days postpone the suspension by a day if there is a Group I race which is the norm practised elsewhere including in international jurisdictions. And they promised to be fair in their actions!

 

Khenny is more interested in enjoying the perks of being the Chairman. His racing knowledge can be written on the back of a postage stamp. This is the reason why things have deteriorated to such an extent that people are losing confidence in racing. This has enabled a few like Aravind Raghavan to push his agenda through. There is also another member who is close to the Chairman who calls the shots according to professionals. He has also been made the Chairman of the Racing Committee and the professionals believe that he is also wreaking havoc.

 

The Chairman’s close friend Chockalingam has been made the Chairman of the Appeal Board though in the past the practice was to have a person who had been the Chairman of the Club as the Chairman of the Appeal Board. Chockalingam who had never been a Chairman of the Club, has upset everyone with erratic decisions throwing the norms to the wind. Interestingly, the Stewards and the Chairman themselves are reported to have spoken disparagingly of the Appeal Board and expressed regret at appointing such people who complicated things.

 

 

 

The professionals were upset that the Appeal Board, instead of hearing the grievances of the professionals objectively, sought to increase the punishment in every appeal that came before it without due consideration. Their whims and fancies ruled the roost. Trainer Narayan Gowda’s suspension of 15 days was enhanced to 30 days merely because his horse showed improved performance. Narayana Gowda perhaps became the only professional in India to be suspended for one month for winning a race. Nothing can be more absurd than this.

 

Coming back to the Appeal Board, Chockalingam is a known troubleshooter. He had gone to court against the re-appointment of Nirmal Prasad as CEO of the club after retirement and lost the case. He wanted the Chief Stipendiary Steward of the past Fin Powrie to be sacked merely because he was asked to wait when the traffic mess inside the compound was being cleared. Chockalingam who did not want the retired official to be re-appointed had no qualms when a 74-year-old person was brought back as the Chief Advisor to Racing because his friend is the Chairman and he has been made the Chairman of the Appeal Board. He is known to nurse a grievance against somebody or the other all the time. He would always believe that every favourite that lost was pulled!  Such a person surely will not give a sympathetic hearing to an aggrieved professional and it is no wonder that every appeal has been rejected with 100 per cent enhancement of the punishment being the norm.  

 

The other members of the Board are Prakash Rama Rao, Y Jagannath and Kenneth Pinto. There was an enquiry conducted against Prakash by a committee set up by the Managing Committee a few years back for his acts of commission and omission. Then Jagannath and Kenneth Pinto were sought to be expelled by the club following an enquiry committee report. Both retained the membership because the proposal did not get a 2/3^rd majority.

 

How do you expect such members to do a fair job in the Appeal Board? Some of the Stewards carry baggage and no wonder there is total deterioration in the way racing is conducted. The action of the Stewards to a large extent is dependent on rumours, hearsay and assumptions and not based on hard facts.