The season opener held at the RWITC Club House
Posted on - 12 Nov 2010
The season opener held at the RWITC Club House on Thursday evening was very well attended with about 100 present across the media, owners, members and sponsors.
Leading models Acquin Pais and Alesia Raut provided the glamour quotient for the opening.
An audio visual encapsulating highlights of the Mumbai and Pune seasons kicked off proceedings with Suhail Mohammed playing the role of emcee to perfection.
Mr Shivlal Daga, Chairman of the Stewards described the preparation of the stable area and expressed confidence of a scheduled start on Sunday.
STATEMENT BY VIVEK JAIN, CHAIRMAN, RWITC on the commencement of the season, which he described as "our most ambitious ever."
PRIZE MONEY
The advertised prize money is a record Rs.17 crore, over 42 days of racing. The actual prize money payout is expected to cross 20 crore, the highest for a single season of racing, anywhere in India.
PUNE SEASON
The Pune Season was one of the best ever, with record sponsorships (over Rs 1 crore) and a string of big events all through the season. It was perhaps the best season ever at Pune, which is now gradually matching the Mumbai Season in both visibility and sponsorships.
SPONSORSHIPS
The RWITC, already a runaway leader in attracting sponsorships for the sport, reaches a new landmark in the forthcoming season. At Rs 7.25 crore, a new high has been reached, 
bettering the figure of 6.66 crore achieved in the previous year. If contributions from corporates/ members adding to the corpus of the Club are added, the figure will cross 9 crore. The Club remains most grateful for the tremendous support shown by our contributors to the sport and to the Club.
PROSPECTUS
The Club takes great pride in publishing a top quality prospectus, which has added several interesting features this year. A distinctive document, it is sent across the country to trainers, owners, members, sponsors and the media.
THE INDIAN TURF INVITATION CUP WEEKEND
We are privileged to host India's biggest racing weekend- The Indian Turf Invitation Cup, for the second successive year. With Madras Race Club unable to host the race in 2011, the RWITC took upon the task of staging it and is most appreciative of HDIL, who has come forth to take up the sponsorship. The stakes for the three subsidiary Grade 1 races on the Weekend have been enhanced which will also feature a multi million and two million races.
THE SIGNATURE McDOWELL INDIAN DERBY WEEKEND
The piece-de-resistance of the season, and one of India's biggest sporting events, remains the McDowell Indian Derby Weekend. The UB Group completed over 25 years of continous sponsorship of this mega event and the prize money for the Derby this year is expected to nudge the 2.5 crore mark. As always, the entire Weekend is sponsored by United Spirits with the Rattonsey family promoted Multi Million being the only exception.
THE RACING PROGRAM
The racing schedule falls into the broad pattern of last year, with a liberal addition of millions and multi millions. Every Sunday through to the end of March will feature a graded and/or million event. Each weekend during this period will be sponsored. In addition to the classics, the sponsored pool has been spread over the older horses and juveniles and to the handicaps as well to ensure an equitable distribution of the significant purse. The Indian St.Leger has been correctly shifted to Pune, which not only gives a boost to the Pune season but also ensures a greater period for a horse to win a Classic.
THE TATA HOUSING- KARL UMRIGAR CLASSIC
A welcome addition to the calendar will be the running of an inter-generational classic at the end of March, with the country's highest stakes for a race open to 4y& over. With the ultimate objective to bring an Arc-type race to India, a joint venture between Tata Housing and the Umrigar family has given the Karl Umrigar Championship a minimum half a crore purse. Its an unprecedented tie up between one of India's most respected business houses for a race in memory of a legendary jockey who passed away in his prime. It is hoped this is a precursor to matching this race with the Invitation Cup in both prize money and stature.
MEMBERS' EVENTS
For the first time ever, the RWITC, in association with Oxford Golf & Country Club, Joss and Star's Cosmetics, is organising a welcome dinner to "celebrate the spirit of the season" on November 19th.
In addition, a Gala New Year's Eve function, on our lawns, with special rates for members, is under finalisation.
HOSPITALITY PARTNERS
The luxurious Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai is the Club's official hospitality partner. In addition to preferred rates for members, they have offered a range of services- including free room nights, vouchers for redemption at the hotel and a bottle of champagne on earmarked big days to the winners. In recognition, the Club will host the first running of The Four Seasons Hotel Salver. The Club hopes to welcome Sunday brunchers at the hotel to the races in a brunch-n-race package. This maybe extended to other eateries on our premises.
MEDIA PARTNERS
Mid Day continues as the Cub's print partner with very special rates for the creative campaign. The Mid Day Trophy will recognize this partnership. Other top end magazines such as Forbes India, Hello! and Elle continue their association with the Club as media partners. Cups are being run in their honour.
TELECAST PARTNERSHIP
The RWITC entered into an understanding with The Times of India group in association with Procam for telecast of its major races on ET NOW. A beginning was made with the live broadcast of The Indian Turf Invitation Cup Weekend in March, 2010. A formal agreement is being signed shortly, and a separate press announcement will be made. The ET Now Gold Cup will be run to honour this pathbreaking tie-up.
IMPROVED CCTV COVERAGE
The Club is modernising its CCTV coverage of live racing. We are moving to a digital format with new cables and improved camera angles. Procam Mediatel have won the rights.
DRESS CODE
To improve the ambience on our classic and Grade 1 race days, a dress code is being enforced across the members' enclosure on these select days, as a start.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Members will gradually notice improved hygiene and facilities. The most modern starting gates in the world, sourced from Australia, should become operational by the start of the New Year. The members deck will have a heritage look with the old world wooden look seats. The members lawns have been paved to prevent the dust and in the interest of safety. Two new electronic screens are being installed to display information and images, in addition to the large LED Screen. Improved signages will soon adorn the lawns.
RWITC.COM AND SOCIAL MEDIA
The new look www.rwitc.com is only going to get bigger and better with new features. A first for any racing site in India will be live streaming of our races. A presence on Facebook and Twitter is under development to take advantage of the reach of social media. The Club also has hired a Communications agency to professionalise this important facet of our operations and to assist in scaling up our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) endeavour.
EVENTS GALORE
A Sunday at Mahalaxmi is now as much about fun and leisure, as the sport. Entertainment and fashion, food and wine, prizes and glamour will be all part of the menu. We hope to make the Mahalaxmi experience very, very special.
FUTURE SPONSORSHIPS
The Australian Trade Commission has confirmed sponsorship of a race on the Poonawalla Breeders' Multi Million Day, and a visit from Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club is expected shortly to begin discussions for a big partnership.
A few of the sponsors- The UB Group, Gitanjali, Club Med, Joss, Kishore Dhingra made a brief acknowledgement of their association.
The Question and Answer session was preceeded by a cake cutting ceremony courtesy Mid Day, who cut the cake to celebrate the launch of the season with Vivek Jain, Chairman.
Members Ashwin Mehta, Suresh Advani, Solomon Sopher and Sheena Peters were a few who posed questions to the Committee such as the necessity to bring down the betting tax and steps to improve the media coverage.
A great evening was topped off by a lavish dinner on the Club House lawns.
