Invitation weekend: Great racing - By Vivek Jain I TOI
Posted on - 25 Feb 2015
Invitation weekend: Great racing
By Vivek Jain
TOI
HORSEPOWER reaches fever pitch with a blinding array of top notch racing on The Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend which returns to our city after four years. With a new Turf Authority in Mysore, the next one will be only six years hence, so racegoers ought to enjoy the feast on display with 14 million plus purses on offer.
We are lucky and privileged to get Omkar on board as the principal sponsor. My first meeting with them was last March, and after a few months of hectic but friendly parleys they were convinced of the merit of associating with a racing event. In 2010, the Vandrevala Foundation (of the Hirco group) made their debut with this race and it was a grand event, remembered till today.
Omkar, with their smashing 1973 project coming up in the vicinity of Mahalakshmi are potentially great partners, and a successful weekend will be imperative for them to return to the sport.
The RWITC led the way in convincing the Turf Authorities to change the heritage of the race by making it a weight for age, a path breaking effort, and replicating such iconic races as The Arc in Paris, The Breeders' Cup in the U.S. and the Dubai World Cup.
Though this idea was rejected several times, I was delighted that a few years ago, at the Chairman's meeting in Bangalore, all clubs gave their assent. With a 1.5 crore purse, it is stymied by the Indian Derby, but still has the stature of a classic as a match of the generations, and as a racing spectacle perhaps even better than the Derby .
This year the towering Be Safe takes on two older champions in Alaindair and Amazing Grace, and if he comes up trumps as he is likely to, will most surely go down as an all time great and be well on his way to challenge In the Spotlight's record career prize money.
The RWITC juggernaut of successive weekends of high quality sport climaxes with this astounding weekend which is the cynosure of the Indian racing fraternity.
