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Mumbai Saddles Up to a mammoth Asian Racing Conference - By Vivek Jain

Posted on - 22 Jan 2016

Mumbai Saddles Up to a mammoth Asian Racing Conference

By Vivek Jain

The RWITC, in the peak of its season, has shifted gears and pulled out all the stops, to showcase India and its racing in all its glory at the 36^th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) which gets underway on Sunday. The last time IndIa hosted this world recognized industry meet for the racing industry was exactly 20 years back. And the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) has come a long way since the first Conference was held in 1960 in Tokyo.

From a participation of just 69 delegates in its inaugural year, the numbers in Mumbai will be above 600, representing virtually every major racing country, and not just Asia.

The rights to host the 36^th edition came to India, and the Turf Authorities of India bestowed the honour to our Club to host it for the country, in view of RWITC’s exemplary record in staging huge events, such as The Indian Derby , with both panache and efficiency. With prestige comes responsibility and no stone is being left unturned to make it a spectacular success. The opening will see the Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks Day supported by the ARF Trophy itself. The prize money payout will exceed 3.5 crore, making it second only behind Derby Day. Having a eight race all sponsored card, with contributions from four international entities, is another feather in our cap to keep raising the bar in attracting the highest sponsorships in the country. The presence of Princess Zahra Aga Khan at the races will give the day added grace and style, besides live music and a host of prizes, including Longines watches and 100g of gold, courtesy Dr Cyrus Poonawalla, which will surely make it a red hot day to temper the cool clime sweeping the city.

The meat of the five day week are business sessions at The Trident, with speakers including the Chairman of the ARF, and world renowned names covering wagering, global trends, marketing, media, drug free racing, breeding and more. There will be great networking opportunities for the lndian delegation present with potential spin off for the growth of our sport.

The huge draw will be the social nights featuring the best of music, dance, fashion and cuisine and even getting Bollywood on board, and doing what RWITC does best, top draw entertainment in the backdrop of top drawer racing and it will be one heady mix of education, networking and entertainment that will set the Indian ARC at Mumbai in a league of its own. The charm and heritage of Mahalakhsmi will be yet another added draw.

The race day will go live on Neo Prime, and the recent tie up with Bloomberg TV, another first for the RWITC will showcase the business aspect of the sport, which is often misunderstood and needs to be correctly marketed and promoted. So its time to buckle up for the ride of your life before the excitement of The Indian Derby takes centre stage.

MAIN BUSINESS SESSIONS WITH CHAIRMEN OF EACH SESSION:

TUESDAY 26th JANUARY:

The Wagering Landscape- Chairman Winfried Englebert-Bresges, Chairman ARF

Breeding- Ronan Murphy, CEO, General Stud Book

Industry Profile- Yu Pang Fey, CEO, Singapore Turf Club

Race Course Management- Frank Gabriel, Director, ERA

WEDNESDAY, 27th JANUARY

Racing Media- Cyrus Madan, Chairman, Indian Pattern Committee

Marketing Indian Racing- Vivek Jain, Former Chairman, RWITC

Handicapping- William Nader, Chairman Asian Pattern Committee

Horse Movement- Dr Brian Stewart, Chairman, International Movement of Horses Committee

THURSDAY, 28th JANUARY