Times Of India
30-04-2010
THE Mumbai racing season, with 42 days of events over five and a half months, concluded on the weekend with the inaugural Prive Racing Awards being the final flourish to what has been a truly spectacular season for the RWITC.
A season of record sponsorships, attendance and betting had the cash registers ticking, but equally important was the quality of racing and the events. The icing on the cake was the superlative effort of the media in our effort to promote the sport. The television partnership with ET Now was another feather in our cap.
The statistics bear testimony to the phenomenal season-with a turnover at Rs 63 crore, stake money payout of over 20 crore and attendance at over 300,000 setting new highs. The highlight were two fantastic events - the Vandrevala Foundation Indian Turf Invitation Cup and the McDowell Signature Indian Derby weekends
The piece-de-resistance was the clash of two equine giants - Jacqueline and Becket - in our two championship races. We really did not need to hire a marketing whiz kid to promote these two classic days, as the fight between these superstars was enough to draw a capacity crowd.
The serious challenges facing the club are a dampener on such good news. The agreement with BJR's, who run Gallops, once again brings to the fore the pitfalls in managing a public body. A decision, best left to the committee, which would act on legal advice and after carefully weighing the pros and cons, has been stalled in view of a created political controversy that will now delay or entirely negate settlement proceedings. The misinformation propaganda makes it imperative to call for a special meeting of members who have been fed with half-truths.
The external environment has been particularly difficult, with the doubling of betting tax felling in one blow any hope of a dramatic rise in the fortunes of the club. Fresh levies in property, income and service tax, most of which are without merit or rationale, could result in a fresh bout of litigation or engage the committee's time in fire-fighting instead of on developmental issues. It is time the government sits up and takes note that racing is overtaxed and over-licensed, and unless proactive steps are taken with a positive mindset, the sport will struggle to survive.
