Vintage Day of Racing brings 2013 to a close at Mahalaxmi - By Vivek Jain
Posted on - 30 Dec 2013
Vintage Day of Racing brings 2013 to a close at Mahalaxmi
By Vivek Jain
It was a day that surpassed expectations. The first ever race day in honour of a community~ the Zoroastrians, by all accounts, was a spectacular success.
It was indeed gratifying to see the lawns dotted with white daglis and topis, and ladies in ethnic Parsee sarees. The ambience and grandeur of the members enclosure returned, albeit for just one afternoon! And speaking to the over 500 delegates from the 10th World Zoroastrian Congress, who were seated in the Sea View Lounge of the first enclosure, it was satisfying to hear their appreciation of the afternoon at the RWITC.
Amidst all the elegance and finery, the sport was the true winner, with nine competitive races, and a record eight millions! Over 1.1 crore was paid out in stakes, which is unbelievable for a non classic day, and the icing on the cake was the attendance that surged 45% year on year, and even the dormant totalisator ticked up by over 25% for an identical number of races from last year. I know we can’t replicate this every Sunday, but even a few days like this augur well for the sport.
We had several illustrious visitors - Mr Nadir Godrej, Lord Karan Billimoria and a surprise guest in Mrs Rajashree Birla. Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, the President of the Congress, complimented the efforts of the RWITC to stage the day at the dais as did several others who worked to make this day one of the most special we’ve ever had.
The grand finale~ an evening of entertainment and a sit down Parsi dinner, is fittingly on the Clubs lawns on Monday night.
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