Experiencing Royal Ascot at RWITC By Shailendra Awasthi
Mumbai: Experience pays. A closer look at the way the 300-odd punters in the public enclosure of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse picked up the winners of England’s Royal Ascot races substantiate it. They didn’t know the international horses, they didn’t know the race distance. They only had the guide sheet, provided by the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), that gave them information about the runners and a few tips. What really worked for most of them was that they knew some of the topclass riders, having seen them riding here before, and that’s what they majorly banked upon.
“I knew Hughes will win,” said a jubiliant Shyam Patil as he rushed to encash his 15/1 winner Strong Suit, who Irish rider Richard Hughes guided to a scintillating victory in the Jersey Stakes, the first of the three races slated for the evening. The 52-year-old Malad resident had seen Hughes winning back-to-back Indian Derby crowns in Mumbai in the last two years. “The club’s form-sheet showed Havane Smoker at 5/2 as the possible winner but I knew Hughes is a great rider,” he added, as he collected a dividend of Rs 158 for a tenner!
In the more aristocratic settings of the RWITC’s swanky club house ‘Hooves’, sitting in front of a huge digital screen, sipping beer on a chilly evening, are people who are more knowledgeable thanks to the internet and their high connections at the Ascot. For them, picking the winner is very tricky as the races at Ascot are very competitive.
“I have been following international racing out of passion,” says Navroze Kotwal, a doctor from Pedder Road. “I’m happy that our club is providing this opportunity to us. European race timings are more suitable for us.”
RWITC chairman Vivek Jain was overwhelmed by the response. “We may have more international racing here in future. The betting approval by the state government has done wonders. We may even have regular inter-venue betting on the giant screen for our patrons in future,” he said.
