B R Sharan Kumar

  A witty, unflinching look at racing’s dark side   By Sharan Kumar   I just finished  Murder at the Race Course , and I must say that the author, Berjis Desai, has done a remarkable job of peeling back the carefully curated illusion of horse racing to reveal its seedy underbelly—crooked characters, shadowy dealings, and all. While the author has politely labelled this a work of fiction, anyone remotely familiar with the sport will recognize some of the “fictional” faces lurking in these pages. Of course, a few creative liberties have been taken, but let’s not kid ourselves—reality often outdoes imagination when it comes to racing’s rogues’ gallery.   Yes, the book paints a rather gory picture of the sport, but then again, racing has always been a cocktail of brilliance and decay, somehow managing to limp forward despite the rot within. The present-day narrative isn’t much better—betting syndicates pull the strings, horses are bought for absurd sums ...

  Will Logic Prevail or Will Egos Sink Racing?   By Sharan Kumar   The final day of the 2025 Madras Race Club season trotted to a close on Sunday—though "final" might be the operative word here. The government, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that horse racing is far less important than, say, a few extra flower beds, terminating the club's lease and handing over the premises to the Horticulture Department. A magnanimous gesture indeed! But fear not, racing enthusiasts, for the powers that be have graciously dangled the carrot of a new Greenfield racecourse in Hosur. Of course, whether racing will be permitted for another season at its current location remains as clear as a foggy winter morning. The club authorities, meanwhile, will have to summon every ounce of persuasive charm—perhaps even divine intervention—to extract concessions from a government that seems about as flexible as a brick wall.   Unlike their counterparts at Bangalore Turf Club, who ...

  Dr. John Weld: The Unsung Maestro of Indian Bloodstock   By Sharan Kumar In the world of Indian horse breeding, where flashy marketing often trumps actual merit, one name stands tall—albeit in the shadows—Dr. John Weld. A bloodstock agent of exceptional calibre, Dr. Weld has played a pivotal role in elevating Indian stud farms, yet, unlike some of his more social-media-savvy peers, he hasn’t flooded the internet with self-congratulatory posts. As a result, his remarkable contributions remain criminally underappreciated. For those unfamiliar with the man, Dr. Weld isn’t just another horse whisperer; he’s a top-tier veterinarian who played a crucial role in setting up the now-iconic Kunigal Stud Farm when Dr. Vijay Mallya took over. Not only did he transform it into one of the country’s finest breeding operations, but he also left behind a legacy of champion horses—most notably Desert God, the highest stakes-earner in Indian racing history. And let’s not forget, he had...

  Fate of Ooty race course sealed for ever   By Sharan Kumar   And just like that, another chapter of Indian racing history is shut, sealed, and buried beneath a carefully curated eco-park.  Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam’s announcement in his budget speech put the final nail in the coffin, confirming that an eco-park will now sprout where champions once galloped. The government has taken back 53 acres of the Ooty Racecourse, with seven acres marked as marshland conservation while the rest will be transformed into a tourist-friendly green space.   The land was reclaimed by the Revenue Department from the Madras Race Club (MRC) on the grounds of an eye-watering Rs 822 crore in unpaid lease arrears last July. The club’s attempts to seek reprieve from the Supreme Court hit a brick wall, as the apex court refused to entertain the petition—after all, the lease had conveniently expired over three decades ago. The Finance Minister’s budge...

  Redefined triumphs even as MRC forced to define its future By Sharan Kumar While the grand spectacle of the  Gr 1 HPSL Indian Turf Invitation Cup  unfolded at the  Madras Race Course  on Sunday, the air was thick with irony—because even as the champions were crowned, the very ground they raced on stood at the edge of extinction. But first, let’s talk about the race. Prasanna Kumar-trained Redefined , who had played the bridesmaid to  Ranquelino  in the Bangalore Derby back in January, proved that nothing refreshes tired legs quite like a well-timed vacation. While his rivals carried the wear-and-tear of battle,  Redefined galloped in with the energy of a horse that had just returned from a retreat , making the opposition look like extras in his one-horse show. The  Manjri Stud Farm-bred gelding , already a  Pune Derby  winner, looked an entirely different beast—one that had this race wrapped up  long before the finish line . ...

 Time and  Tide Blows Away Rivals in Sprint Showdown! By Sharan Kumar Adhirajsingh Jodha-trained  Time And Tide  made a mockery of his so-called competition in the  Gr 1 Zavaray S Poonawalla Sprinters’ Cup , leaving his rivals gasping for air in a race that, quite frankly, was over before it even began. The feature event of  Saturday’s racing extravaganza —part of the two-day Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend—was hosted by  Madras Race Club out of turn  in what can only be described as a case of "better now than never." Given the  club’s ongoing battle to keep its racing premises intact  (thanks to the government deciding to yank the lease two decades ahead of schedule), the urgency to put on a grand show was understandable. After all, hosting the Invitation Cup weekend  after  losing the racecourse would be quite the logistical nightmare. But back to the track— Time And Tide  clearly didn’t believe in fairytales, especia...

  Ranquelino vs. Redefined vs. Dyf – Or an Upset?   By Sharan Kumar   With horses dropping out left, right, and centre—either due to injury, retirement, or the simple realization that racing is hard work—the Indian Turf Invitation Cup at Chennai on Sunday presents us with a puzzle only slightly easier than quantum physics. The main contenders stepping into the limelight (willingly or by default) are Indian Derby winner  Ranquelino , Pune Derby victor  Redefined , and last year’s Stayers’ Cup champion  Dyf , who got a last-minute promotion to this race after Zuccaro bowed out post a training setback in Bangalore.   Now, tradition would have us believe that the Indian Derby winner typically carries the momentum to Invitation Cup glory. Recent Derby winners have been more prone to setbacks, fatigue, and sheer bad luck—case in point, last year’s champ  Enabler , who tragically succumbed to a serious infection upon reaching Kolkata. A cautionary tale, ...

  Chennai’s Last Hurrah? Invitation Cup Amid Uncertain Future By Sharan Kumar   This year’s Invitation Cup at Chennai isn’t just a high-stakes showdown on the turf—it’s a bittersweet farewell tour, a swan song played to the sound of galloping hooves. The Madras Race Club, once a proud beacon of Indian racing, now finds itself in the crosshairs of relentless bureaucratic reshuffling. The Tamil Nadu government, in its infinite wisdom, is determined to uproot the racecourse and transplant it into a yet-to-be-born "greenfield" venue—because why preserve history when you can bulldoze it for something that exists only on paper? Even if the powers that be extend a stay of execution and racing continues for a little longer at Guindy, the writing is on the wall. Local trainers have already seen the storm coming and chosen self-preservation over nostalgia, opting not to invest in fresh blood (read: two-year-olds). Some are even packing their saddlebags for more stable pastures, leaving...

    Glory, Grit, and a Dash of Chaos: Invitation Cup Weekend Unfolds The Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend isn’t just about one grand race—it’s a full-blown spectacle, complete with three other Grade 1 events, because why settle for one showstopper when you can have an entire festival? Saturday kicks off with the Gr 1 Zavaray Poonawalla Sprinters’ Cup and the Gr 1 Coromandel Gromor Stayers’ Cup, while Sunday belongs to the Gr 1 Invitation Cup and the Gr 1 Major P K Mehra Memorial Super Mile. The supporting races are no mere fillers either, dangling juicy prize money to keep the competition fierce.aa     By Sharan Kumar   The Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend isn’t just about one grand race—it’s a full-blown spectacle, complete with three other Grade 1 events, because why settle for one showstopper when you can have an entire festival? Saturday kicks off with the Gr 1 Zavaray Poonawalla Sprinters’ Cup and the Gr 1 Coromandel Gromor Stayers’ Cup, w...