B R Sharan Kumar

  Punters Bled Dry While Turf Clubs Play Government   By Sharan Kumar   Indian turf clubs are perfecting the art of self-destruction. Instead of defending their sport, they’ve copied the government’s worst instinct—tax punters into oblivion—while ignoring illegal betting’s rapid rise. Entry fees soar, facilities crumble, and broadcast rights slip away. Tote revenues that once touched dizzying heights now limp along, while administrators chase champagne brunches over real reform. The result? Punters bled dry, clubs broke, and racing left gasping for breath.   The latest gem: GST on racing hiked to 40 per cent. The turf clubs’ response? A collective shrug. No protest, no attempt to explain how this move would strangle legal betting and fatten the black market. Silence—because why disturb their own comfort zones?   These are the same administrators who specialise in knee-jerk decisions, except when their perks are on the line. At the Royal Western I...

  Why We Worship the Whip in Horse Racing?   By Sharan Kumar   In Indian racing, the whip is treated with more reverence than a temple bell. To punters, it is the magic wand that guarantees victory. To stewards, it is the measuring stick of effort. To many jockeys, it is their passport to safety—because heaven forbid you lose a close finish without brandishing it like a cavalry sword.   The irony? The whip is not a miracle device. Once a horse is blowing hard and running on fumes, no amount of flailing can make it sprout an extra gear. As seasoned riders admit: “If he’s spent, he’s spent. No whip in the world can make him sprout wings.”   Yet our officials cling to their contradictions. In one infamous case at a premier jurisdiction, a jockey was actually pulled up for failing to use the whip—in a race where whips weren’t even allowed! The Stipes, it seemed, simply wanted to score a point against a trainer whose pattern of running horses always c...

  Time And Tide Staggers, Still Scrapes Through   By Sharan Kumar   Niraj Karanjawalla-trained Time And Tide finally managed to win the 1200 metres Akkasaheb Maharaj Trophy, a terms race for four-year-olds and over , the feature at Sunday’s Pune races — but not with his usual swagger. The favourite with 14 wins from 21 starts was expected to jog home like clockwork, but Pune has always been his Bermuda Triangle. Two defeats on this very track had already made him look mortal, and this time, though he “broke the jinx,” he did it more like someone sneaking past security rather than storming the gates.   Sandesh, in form but sweating bullets, had to throw the kitchen sink in the last stride to scrape past the gallant Magileto. Weight-conceding is something Time And Tide has turned into a hobby over the years, but this time he looked as though he had lost his usual spark. Magileto lost nothing in defeat, Credence who set the pace was reminded he doesn’t belo...

  Positano Finds His Mojo in Idar Trophy   By Sharan Kumar   Sulaiman Attaollahi-trained Positano has finally cultivated the winning habit. A horse who once specialised in running second to just about everyone has now stitched together a hat-trick, the latest being a stylish triumph in the 2400 metres Idar Gold Trophy, a terms race for four-year-olds and over , at Pune on Sunday. Of course, it helps when all those who used to beat you are either enjoying long vacations in the paddock or limping around elsewhere. But in racing as in life, you only beat who turns up — and Positano’s new favourite hobby is to benefit from the situation.   The betting market had the gall to put Duke of Tuscany on a pedestal, conveniently ignoring Positano’s higher rating and the weight advantage, all because the Attaollahi ward had a reputation for being allergic to the winning post. For a while, it looked like the old story was about to repeat itself, but Sandesh — playing...

  Online Gaming Bill will impact horse racing   By Sharan Kumar   The Lok Sabha’s passage of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 has been hailed by the government as a strike against addiction, crime, and financial ruin. But for horse racing, already a sport on life support, the move could well be the coup de grâce.   The bill takes the easy route of imposing a blanket ban on all real-money games , drawing no distinction between a game of skill like horse racing and pure games of chance. In one stroke, racing has been tossed into the same basket as fantasy leagues, poker dens, and online lotteries. The much-needed window of growth— online betting platforms that were beginning to steady turf clubs—has now been slammed shut.   Clubs like Hyderabad Race Club and Royal Calcutta Turf Club had begun reaping the benefits of online wagering, while others such as RWITC and Madras Race Club were finally taking baby steps in that ...

  Suraj wins at Ascot; creates history   By Sharan Kumar   In a feat never before achieved by an Indian rider, Suraj Narredu etched his name into racing history by guiding Fireblade to victory in the Shergar Cup Stayers (Handicap) at the world-famous Ascot Racecourse on Saturday. Not only was he making his debut in the prestigious Shergar Cup, he did so as captain of Team Asia —and led them to an unforgettable team championship win by the narrowest of margins.   For Suraj, who boasts over 2,400 career wins and more than 100 Indian Classics, this was the crowning jewel of a career that has conquered every major race on home soil. His victory at Ascot was named the “Ride of the Day,” earning him an additional trophy and the admiration of racing fans across continents.   It was fitting that the boy who once idolised Frankie Dettori—vowing to emulate the legendary jockey’s trademark flying dismount—found himself soaring in celebration on the very tu...

  Ashes and Echoes   In mother’s womb, we all arrive— No gold, no gems, no wealth to thrive. Though kings may reign with treasures grand, They leave it all with lifeless hands.   When death arrives, both rich and poor Must pass the same unguarded door. No coin, no note, no trusted friend Can follow where the journey ends.   The body burns, the ashes fall, And silence wraps around it all. What’s left behind, the world will claim— Another’s hands, another name.   It may be spent, it may be lost, The dead can’t question what it cost. But charity, when done with grace, Outlives the man—it holds its place.   A deed well done, a gift well given, Is wealth that walks the path to heaven. For better we share while we are here, Than leave it to those we never held dear.  

  The Quiet Company   I am not alone. Breath walks beside me, an old friend who knows when to hurry, when to slow, when to hush so I may listen to the quiet voice within. My heartbeat keeps me close, a drum in my chest that remembers every fear, every hope, each secret I’ve sworn to bury, each dream I’ve dared to hold. It keeps time for my wandering mind, calls me home when I drift. And even my loneliness stays, a quiet, faithful companion who settles in the corner of the room, never asking much, never leaving. It reminds me I am here, teaches me the art of listening to the hush between words, the vastness behind closed eyes. I am not alone. The wind speaks to me in sighs, The dark wraps me gently, The morning light breaks for me. I am my own witness, my own shelter, and somewhere in the silence I find company enough for this long and human road.

  Tunnel Road Project May Threaten BTC’s Future     By Sharan Kumar   The ambitious and controversial underground tunnel road connecting Central Silk Board to Hebbal may end up disrupting more than just surface traffic—it could seriously jeopardize the functioning of the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC), especially if land abutting the backstretch of the racecourse is taken over, even temporarily.   Pitched as a game-changer for Bengaluru’s traffic woes, the ₹17,698-crore tunnel project is designed exclusively for four-wheeler traffic and will run entirely underground. But despite its scale and intent, critics have slammed it as an exorbitantly priced venture with limited utility—particularly when compared to the metro expansion, which promises broader connectivity at a fraction of the cost.   Nevertheless, the government is pressing ahead. Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the agency executing the project, has identified five locatio...

      Trainer Prasad Raju Joins 1,000-Win Club   By Tippu Sultan   Monday’s Hyderabad races will be etched in local turf history as the day trainer K S V Prasad Raju joined the elite club of Indian trainers to have saddled 1,000 career winners. The remarkable milestone was achieved in style when Sangreal, the firm favourite in the concluding race of the day, obliged with a commanding win—fittingly ridden by none other than Suraj Narredu, a long-time ally in Raju’s training journey.   What made the day even more special was that Prasad Raju saddled a treble, all piloted by Suraj, highlighting a partnership that has delivered countless winners over the years. With this feat, Raju joins fellow Hyderabad veterans Leo D’Silva, Donald Netto  and Vittal Deshmukh in the rarefied 1,000-win club.   Prasad Raju’s career, once considered solid but understated, surged in stature over the last two decades as he began receiving better quality...

  BTC Stewards Punish Physiology, Not Foul Play   By Sharan Kumar   In what appears to be an unprecedented decision, the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) Stewards handed trainer G.Y. Rajesh Babu a one-year suspension on the grounds that his horse, Adelanto , weighed 12 kilograms more on race day than it did at the time of acceptance. The weighing was conducted before the race, and the Stewards deemed this fluctuation a contravention of Rule 202 of the BTC Rules of Racing. The punishment, disqualification until June 2026, raises serious questions about proportionality and whether such a routine physiological occurrence justifies such a severe penalty.   To begin with, fluctuations in a racehorse’s weight — particularly in the range of 10 to 15 kilograms — are neither rare nor necessarily suspicious. Thoroughbreds, like any athlete, experience daily shifts in weight due to hydration levels, gut fill, salt intake, digestion cycles, and resting phases. A horse that ...

  Golden Thunder Strikes in the Wet Leger   By Sharan Kumar   Golden Thunder thundered away in cloudy skies and drizzle to win the Gr 2 Bangalore St Leger, the last classic of the Bangalore Summer Season, run on Sunday. Trained by Karthik Ganapathy, this long-striding galloper has always given the impression he needed an airport runway to build momentum — not your sprightly, jump-and-scoot type, but more the freight train that doesn’t stop once it’s moving.   The much-hyped Dyf, who has been punching the clock with clockwork consistency, looked like he’d finally had enough. When Trevor Patel tried his usual trick — creeping up from behind — Dyf responded with the kind of enthusiasm one reserves for Monday mornings. The zip was missing, the legs were heavy, and the white flag may as well have been flying by the time Golden Thunder swept past. He still managed to trudge home in second, but that was more out of habit than hope.   Truth was a distant...

 Victor Hugo Turns Into a Superhero  By Sharan Kumar Ask any seasoned punter what “in-and-out running” means and you’ll get a definition that sounds simple enough: horses should run consistently in line with their previous performances. But that’s theory — welcome to Bangalore, where that theory is laughed at, shredded, and tossed into the wind. Here, horses improve by fifteen lengths overnight or suddenly forget how to gallop, depending on... well, nobody really knows. Take Victor Hugo, for instance. Trained by Irfan Ghatala, he quite literally snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when he lost narrowly to Emphatic in his penultimate start. Punters, ever the optimists, fancied him next time out — only to see him trail in more than 11 lengths behind the field, like a horse out for a leisurely morning canter. But wait — in the Karnataka Police Cup, run over 1800 metres for horses rated 60 to 85, Victor Hugo returned as a reincarnated beast, absolutely bolting in by a jaw-dro...

  Court Signals Green Light for Coexistence   By Sharan Kumar   In a legal reprieve that could well become a blueprint for racing clubs across the country, the Madras Race Club (MRC) has secured temporary relief from closure of racing activities, with the Madras High Court suggesting that a racecourse and an eco-park need not be mutually exclusive. The court posed a pertinent question: Why can’t both co-exist? — a sentiment that echoes a growing belief that these historic spaces, occupying prime real estate, can serve dual purposes.   The court has now adjourned the case to August 18 to allow both MRC and the Tamil Nadu government to file additional documents. More crucially, it confirmed that the trial — including cross-examinations — must conclude by March 31, 2026 , effectively ensuring that the racing season commencing this August can proceed without disruption. The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) interim stay on development activities at the 118-acr...