The Curtain Raises for the Derby - By Mohit Lalvani
Posted on - 30 Jan 2011
The Curtain Raises for the Derby
By Mohit Lalvani
All great occasions bring with it a sense of tradition and traditionally the first Sunday of February in Mumbai becomes a festival of style, glamour, guts, tears and unimaginable joy. Yes, it’s McDowell Signature Derby time and India’s richest horse race is the one race that everyone from anywhere would like to be seen at.
With about a week to go before India crowns a new equine superstar, the event curtain raiser shared a series of big announcements by the host, the R.W.I.T.C and the sponsor, McDowell Signature. The first was the appointment of Abhay Deol as the brand ambassador of the event as a personification of the concept underlined by the Derby as the event for the ‘Bold And The Beautiful’.
The second was in terms of money and even as we see heady numbers being thrown around in the world of sport, Indian horse racing is clearly not being left behind. While significantly, this year’s McDowell Signature Indian Derby will carry a stake of over Rs. 2.18 crores, the overall prize money on the race weekend on the 5th and 6th of February will exceed even that as fifteen of the seventeen races will be sponsored by USL.
Mr. Amrit Thomas, the Executive Vice-President – Marketing of the group stressed the implications of the association. "The McDowell Signature Indian Derby is an iconic event and USL is proud to be associated with this high-profile race for the top-class thoroughbreds. This is the most coveted crown in horse-racing. With 27 years of our continued association with the Indian Derby, it is .JPG)
perhaps the longest extended corporate association for an elite sport in India. The MISD is a 'Signature' moment that crowns the best horse in India and is a shining example of a great lifestyle sporting event that firmly places Mumbai and India on the world Derby map," he said.
The biggest announcement was however made by the Chairman of the RWITC. Mr. Vivek Jain disclosed that the Derby sponsorship deal had been renewed for a massive twenty eight crore rupees over a five year period. He said, “It is the biggest sponsorship deal in the history of the Indian racing and perhaps the biggest in terms of stakes for any individual sporting event in India. I am thankful to the USL and to Dr.Vijay Mallya for the faith and confidence they have placed in the RWITC. We will ensure that the McDowell Signature Indian Derby will hold its own place in the annals of sporting events in the country."
The international entertainment for 2011 will include a Freddie Mercury tribute, the Pussycat Dollies and Shaolin Monks. Top international jockeys including Richard Hughes and possibly Christophe Lemaire will be in action in the Derby and the Saddle Up cocktail - the traditional Derby drink named after Dr. Vijay Mallya's great race horse – will all add to a truly spectacular event.
With the stakes rising each year, about thirty thousand people from different walks of life will rub shoulders on Derby day. Some will see the race while others will be busy reveling in all that the afternoon promises them. Some will win a few rupees while others will lose a bit more. Either way however, all will go home and narrate how they witnessed a great champion, spoke to a celebrity and most importantly, made a promise to return to witness this great day the following year.
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