PRIVE Karl Umrigar Turf Championship draws high quality field
Posted on - 26 Mar 2011
PRIVE Karl Umrigar Turf Championship draws high quality field
The Karl Umrigar Turf Championship made its debut at Mahalaxmi last March as a season ending inter generational championship. This was made possible thanks to the generous 1 million contribution by the late jockey's siblings Neville Umrigar and Tina Shroff. The inaugural running was fittingly claimed by Pesi Shroff whose Diego Rivera won in style.
The race gets a big boost this year with the partnership of the House of Tatas through Tata Housing and the brand PRIVE. A joint contribution by Tata Housing and the Umrigar family of a whopping 25 lacs, made it possible for the RWITC to offer a 5 million purse- making it India's biggest prize for a race open to horses beyond the classic age.
The race is a fitting tribute to the legendary Karl Umrigar who was a darling of the crowds and shot to the top in a few short years before tragically succumbing to a freak accident on the track in 1979.
With the Indian St.Leger having been moved to Pune, a race of this type is perfectly positioned at the end of March as a match between the classic and older crop. The presence of the star four year old Ocean and Beyond, pitted against the Super Mile one-two in Mr Greedy and Onassis and the C N Wadia winner Native Knight ensures a high quality participation for the rich stakes.
It is hoped the partnership grows to take the prize money of this race to about 1 crore. With the Turf Authorities rejecting RWITC's plea to change the Invitation Cup to an inter-generational race, the Club has done well to frame an alternative as a precursor, for a race on the lines of the Arc and Dubai World Cup.
The day will also feature the presentation of the PRIVE Racing Excellence Awards which made its debut last year at an evening function. With the RWITC having had a slew of big events, it was felt more appropriate to give them away this year during the races. The format is another first for the RWITC by awarding points for performance over the combined Pune season and through the Mumbai season till date. The point formula also is a bit more all rounded than the TAI formula and is restricted to Western India based professionals and horses.
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