B R Sharan Kumar

  RWITC Keeps Tradition Alive with Media Day at Pune   By Sharan Kumar   It was “Media Day” at Pune—yes, you read that right, the Royal Western India Turf Club actually remembered the media exists. A rare sight, considering most turf clubs treat reporters warmly only until someone dares to ask a question tougher than “How’s the buffet?” Newspaper coverage remains thinner than a jockey on a crash diet, but at least a couple of websites keep punters armed with the essentials: which horse is actually running and which favourite is about to scamper off with their money. In a sport where favourites rule the board, spotting the fake ones is the difference between walking away with a smile.   The 1000 metres Racingpulse.in Trophy was about as shocking as a politician swearing innocence. Bezan Chenoy’s Etoile, who had come close last time, ticked every box and this time let Anthony Raj coast him home with minimal drama. Adonis tried to stir things up but ran out...

  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...