B R Sharan Kumar

  By Sharan Kumar   The Bangalore Turf Club’s attempts to muzzle the Press have fallen flat on its face, with the court giving a strong order dismissing BTC’s application for a permanent injunction against Racingpulse and its Editor from writing articles highlighting its inadequacies and questionable actions of the powers-that-be. The BTC had obtained an exparte order of stay against Racingpulse from writing what they perceived as ``defamatory’’ articles against the club. The judge has dismissed their application in a detailed order which is like a slap on BTC and a reality check on the powers vested with the Managing Committee.   BTC was always highhanded in its actions and believed that it could take action even on the Press if they highlighted any lacunae in the administration of the sport. The BTC managing committee had a delusionary belief in its power and believed that its word was law and that nobody had any right to criticize it. The Committee tried to e...

  RWITC members show the way to keep the sport alive   By Sharan Kumar   The fact that the Royal Western India Turf Club has been on the throes of a financial crisis is something everyone is aware of. A combination of circumstances plus the pandemic gave a body blow to the institution as its income dried up and the club faced a stark future. Thanks to the fact that many of the RWITC members are true lovers of racing, they rose to the occasion and came up with a generous contribution to the tune of Rs 5 crores to ensure that racing is conducted with the same vigour.   Leading the generous donors has been Zavaray Poonawalla who has offered Rs 3 crores to the stakes besides keeping his commitment to the other routine sponsorships that he does every season. K N Dhunjibhoy and his friends have chipped in with Rs 1.5 crores. There has been support from other members in numerous ways. Such generous help from members is unthinkable elsewhere with the possible exc...

  Will jockeys get a fair crack of the whip?   The BHA has introduced new rules about the way a jockey can use the whip and how many times he can whip a horse in a race. Though there were punishments for excess use of the whip, the new rule envisages disqualification of the horse even if it has won which is why the rule is being debated extensively. As idiosyncratic as any was three-time champion Richard Hughes, has always maintained that “the last man to go for his whip is the likeliest winner” and adamant that it is “obvious” that jockeys who break the Rules to win should be disqualified.   By Rolf Johnson   New Rules for riders. Will jockeys get a fair crack of the whip? Prohibitionists still champing at the bit. A jockey friend of mine – a good one, he won a Grand National – dismounting after narrow defeat was berated by an irate owner. “Can’t you use your whip in a finish, man?” To which the rider replied: “I would have done, if I hadn’t dropped it...

 

I never thought that I would become a full-time racing writer when I set out as a journalist in the year 1980. My passion for cricket was what drove me to become a sports journalist. If there are many converts like me in the field of horse racing, you can blame it on the enduring charm of the Derby. Most people come to the Derby because they hear so much about it. Many of them stay back and I was one of them.   The first time I attended any race day was the running of the 1984 Derby. Eddy Cracknell trained Lively Empery was one of the highest priced runners in the fray. The horse reportedly was for sale much before the Derby. Luckily for the trainer it remained unsold and the horse went on to win the Summer Derby as well as the Winter Derby in the hands of Alan Mercer. It won the Derby at odds of 100 to 1.   Legend has it that the current leading trainer Padmanabhan told one of his owners to buy the horse and that he would win the Derby with this horse. The owner was n...

Any stud farm which has begun its breeding operations on a massive scale cannot ask for better results than the one obtained by Haryana-based Hazara Stud Farm whose produce has virtually swept every big race in the country in an unprecedented golden run since last year.  . Owned by racing enthusiast Nirmal Singh, the stud farm named after his late father Hazara Singh, has set Indian racing on fire. The stud farm has produced in the last year the winners of Bangalore Derby, Indian Derby, Golconda Derby, Calcutta Derby, and the winner of India’s juvenile race, the Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million in Muroi. With Toroloco standing tall amongst the contenders of this Sunday’s Indian Turf Invitation Cup, Hazara Stud Farm’s resident stallion Rebuttal could add another feather to his distinguished cap.  Last year’s Kolkata sensation Dandified is also making a bid for the coveted cup. Originally operating as a small set up at Ambala, Nirmal Singh expanded the scale of operations by...

After several years of debate and resistance, the Gr 1 Indian Turf Invitation Cup has finally been thrown open to four year olds and over. The Invitation Cup race has always been one of the premier events of Indian racing calendar and enjoyed the pride of place though often it ended up as a repeat running of the Indian Derby. After 50 years, the Turf Authorities of India have finally decided to make it a weight for age without penalties race. We should not judge whether the decision is right or wrong by the running of this year’s ace alone. The race is sure to evolve over the next few years. The turf authorities also could try and promote this event in a bigger way by making the stake money even more attractive so there is temptation to keep the champions of previous year in racing. A top class performing filly is usual retired at the end of the Invitation Cup or campaigned abroad in the hope of greater glory. The other thing that the turf authorities of India could do is to allow...