Doubts prevail over start of racing season - By Usman Rangeela
Posted on - 06 Nov 2010
Usman Rangeela
Pune Mirror
November 6, 2010
JUST AS the Mahalaxmi Race Course stables were getting ready for the arrival for horses from Pune next week, a heavy spell of rain that lasted three parts of an hour on Thursday evening has put a spanner in the works of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) officials once again.
The retreating monsoon showers late last month had played havoc with the preparations of the stables but the RWITC was still hopeful of a timely start for racing in Mumbai. The turf club had planned to start shifting horses from Pune after Diwali on November 8, the execution of which seems out of question now.
According to RWITC chairman Vivek Jain, “I personally inspected the stables and found puddles formed in the first line of stables but the rest are okay. Movement (of horses) has been held up but we hope to start on time.” Jain, when asked to specific, replied, “The condition of the stables is not bad enough to warrant a postponement but as no one can predict the weather, it has to be best endeavour.”
TAKING NO CHANCES
Trainers from Western India meanwhile are in no mood to shift their horses to Mumbai and the club too doesn’t want to take chances. It is learnt that the Western India Trainers’ Association (WITA) is meeting today to take stock of the situation and will probably communicate to the turf club authorities that they don’t want to suffer the plight they experienced last year because of an identical situation.
Although no official meeting is scheduled, the RWITC Stewards could meet on Monday to take a final call and clear the uncertainty.
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