ROYAL WESTERN INDIA TURF CLUB FLAGS OFF SEASON OF RECORD PRIZE MONEY, SPONSORSHIPS
STATEMENT BY VIVEK JAIN, CHAIRMAN OF THE CLUB, AND CHAIRMAN, MARKETING AND MEDIA WORKING GROUP ON THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE PUNE SEASON 2010.
PRIZE MONEY
The gross advertised prize money for the 28 day season is Rs.6.92 crores, not including trophies, which is slightly higher than the gross stakes paid last year over 29 days. This is a new record.
SPONSORSHIPS
The Club continues to scale new peaks in the field of sponsorships. We have confirmed contributions of Rs.1 crore – a new high. If the intrinsic worth of media partnerships is included, the value to the Club would still be higher. This represents an all time record for the Pune Season.
SPONSORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
The highlights include, that once again, every weekend of racing will feature a graded and/or sponsored race; first time sponsors at Pune are McDowell, Khushro Jalnawala, Jewel Square, Jaspal Enterprises, Radio One and Kolte Patil. Almost all other traditional sponsors have continued their association.
GRADE ONE RACES
As always, the Grade I Nanoli Stud Pune Derby is the season’s highlight. This will be Nanoli’s 15th successive year of sponsorship, having first sponsored this race in 1996. The total prize money this year is expected to be nearly Rs.75 lakhs.
After a gap of many years, an Indian Classic returned to Pune last year for the first time since 1990 when The Indian St. Leger was run due to the delayed Mumbai season. I am happy to inform that the Committee of RWITC has unanimously agreed to move The Indian St. Leger permanently to its original location at Pune from 2011.
THE DERBY PREP AND MILLION RACES
The Derby “prep” races will share the spotlight with a host of Million races for the Classic crop. As many as nine races will offer stakes in excess of 1 million rupees for this age group, a record at a Monsoon racing centre.
THE INDEPENDENCE CUP
The Independence Cup weekend is the Season’s busiest, after the Derby and has an unmatched ambience. This year, the traditional Independence Cup gets a fitting boost, with a 1 million purse, making it the country’s richest handicap race. We are thankful to PRA who have confirmed a three year sponsorship for this race.
INTERNATIONAL SPONSORSHIP
We are thankful to the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Group to support three races – including two millions – at the Pune season. Their associate Goffs, will sponsor the country’s earliest million race for two year olds, in October.
MEDIA
The Club acknowledges with gratitude the stellar role of the media in supporting racing inspite of constraints on space from editorial and advertising. We are pleased to announce our renewed media tie-up with the DNA Group, who has offered us a discounted advertising space for the entire season as a measure to promote racing. To honour this partnership we will run The DNA trophy. The Club also has a first time radio partner in Radio One, one of Pune’s leading FM channels. We will promote racing every weekend from Friday to Sunday on prime time radio, in our continuing effort to find new avenues to promote racing.
The Nanoli Pune Derby will go live on ET NOW as part of our agreement with the Times of India Group.
GUARANTEED PRIZES
In continuation with our policy in Mumbai, the Club has come forward to guarantee a minimum Rs.1 million or higher in all Graded races. In addition to the juvenile millions, we will run seven such races. In effect, our best races will now offer attractive purses and will ensure participation of the highest quality horses on our turf.
WEB SITE
We have re-launched our revamped web-site www.rwitc.com which got race reviews in Mumbai. We hope to offer several new features distinctive to the RWITC, such as archives of our horses, a link to pedigree performance of juvenile runners, a revamped photo gallery and also an improved feedback link to keep improving our site. We will start contests for registered users. We hope to be on Twitter in keeping up with the flavour of the day, and to keep those hungry for news, well informed.
We are also launching a web portal for owners and trainers, making data entry and access to accounts and a host of relevant information, available on-line. There will be a link to this site on www.rwitc.com.
HOSPITALITY PARTNERS & THE RACING AWARDS
The Club welcomes the O Hotels once again as our “preferred hospitality partner” for Pune, who have offered a range of services and special rates for the benefit of our members, owners and others and prizes on race days and for the season.
In addition, the O Group will continue with the O Racing awards which were initiated with great style with an Oscar-style presentation ceremony two years ago. We also have the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai offering complimentary stay vouchers throughout the season and we also hope to get on board The Ista, Pune to join us as a partner.
CONTESTS AND EVENTS
As always, our race days will offer prizes and events including food carnivals, fashion shows, music and the highly popular Oktoberfest, patterned on the famous Munich beer festival will be staged again on Derby weekend, promoted by The Indo German Chamber.
As last year, a PR company, Hundred Percent PR will handle public relations for the Club and Jaws Events will manage most of the race day events, who continue to excel in partnering the Club.
SPECIAL RACES
The RWITC recognizes the role of important dignitaries in the functioning of the Club and hence races such as The Southern Command, The Mayor’s Trophy, The Sub Area Commanders Trophy and The Principal Director, Defence Estates Trophy will be run, in addition to several races named after prominent families.
INFRASTRUCTURE
The Club has made special effort to improve the ambience for members and race goers as at the infrastructure for the horses. Larger and an increased number of TV’s have been added in the enclosures and the large LED screen will once again hold centre stage. The Empress Garden stable area has been spruced up and facilities at the Turf Club House improved. This, we hope, will be an ongoing effort.
