ROYAL WESTERN INDIA TURF CLUB, LTD.
Race Course, Mahalakshmi, Mumbai – 400 034.
NOTICE
To: Owners / Trainers / Breeders.
Re: Stabling accommodation at Pune and Mumbai Race Courses.
The Club has been facing acute paucity of stables in Western India, particularly in Pune and this year the problem has aggravated owing to a huge increase in the number of two year olds coming into Western India thereby increasing the total horse population in Western India beyond the manageable limit.
In order to surmount this problem, the Committee of the Club had constituted a Core Group comprising of representatives from the Club, Western India Race Horse Owners’ Association Ltd. and Western India Trainers’ Association Ltd. to go into the matter and make their recommendations for the consideration of the Committee.
The Core Group had series of meetings and with the unanimous consensus of the Owners and Trainers made various recommendations for the consideration of the Committee of the Club. These recommendations were considered by the Committee of the Club at its meeting held on 6th June 2011 at which meeting the Members of the Core Group were also invited to discuss these recommendations. Having deliberated on these recommendations the Committee of the Club has approved them, which are as under:-
(a) From the next Pune Meeting 2012, to cap the horse population at Pune at 1200 horses plus another 125 which may not be ready for racing and therefore can be accommodated outside the Race Course in a spelling station. This cap should be maintained considering the infrastructure available and also the impending threat of losing the rented stables very shortly and the danger and difficulty involved in getting the horses from these outside stables to and fro the race course.
(b) To cap the two year olds at 375 including growth quota and an additional 25 can be considered on merit basis over and above the growth quota, which means the total number of two year olds permitted in Western India would be 400 from 2012 onwards.
(c) The upper limit of horses for trainers should be 70 horses in Pune and 80 horses in Mumbai on course of which a maximum of 30% can be two year olds.
(d) If a trainer does not have full quota of horses or two year olds, the balance stables should be returned to the Club by March each year commencing from March 2012 and a tribunal comprising of the Chairman of Stewards, President of Western India Race Horse Owners’ Association Ltd. and the Chairman, Western India Trainers Association Ltd. would allocate these stables keeping in mind that small Owners get priority. This Tribunal would frame policies in this regard.
(e) Trainers and Owners can switch horses or two year olds from their own outside facility to the RWITC but maximum limit in RWITC should be maintained.
(f) The Club will provide vet cover at stables outside the Race Course owned / maintained by the Club such as spelling station etc when such stables are organised by the Club.
(g) No limit on the total number of licenced Trainers be imposed. However, new trainer’s licences to be granted only subject to availability of stables in Pune.
(h) New trainers can have only upto 20 stables in the first year and new Owners to be restricted to 5 horses in the first year provided the Owner finds stables within the quota allotted to his trainer. As regards the growth in the number of horses in respect of a new owner, in the second year he can have 10 horses and in the third year he can have 15 horses provided he find stables within the quota allotted to his trainer. As regards the growth in the number of horses in respect of new trainers, the trainers would come back with their suggestion.
(i) An Owner / Group can own a maximum of 66 horses.
(j) As regards what constitutes a family vis-à-vis owning of horses, it was clarified that the family unit be counted as spouse, son, daughter, etc whom the Owner has stood guarantee for. Companies having registered owners, or family as shareholders, directors, power of attorney holders, authorized agents, etc. be included in this unit. Even a quarter share owned with other outside Owners would be considered as one horse. However, if a family unit owns a full horse in shares it would count as one horse only. As regards Syndicate, a share of 15% and above in a syndicate would be considered as one horse. It was clarified that a share of less than 15% in a syndicate would be exempted from calculation as a share in a horse.
(k) Norms should be formulated for culling out of horses jointly by both WIRHOA and WITA to be placed before the Core Group. In the meantime, the present norms should be maintained. Every year in January the Core Group would meet to determine the requirement of modification, if any, in all the policies as applied to the previous year.
(l) In the normal course no transfer of two year olds be permitted upto 1st November, except by public auction or death of Owner or force majeure. However, it may be possible that there may be cases wherein the Owners may want to shift horses from one trainer to another due to various reasons such as unsatisfactory training / performance, both of them not getting along well, disputes, as a cost cutting measure, etc. Further sometimes an owner may get a good offer for his horse and he may want to sell off the horse. Such cases would be considered on merit. A Tribunal comprising of Chairman of Stewards, President of WIRHOA and Chairman of WITA will arbitrate on such cases and their decision would be final and binding on the Owner and Trainer concerned.
(m) No sale / transfer be permitted if the buyer exceeds the quota allotted as maximum to any Owner / Group and cannot be transferred to other trainers as well.
(n) Sale / transfer / lease forms ought to be lodged with the Club within one week of the date of the arrival of two year olds in a trainer’s yard failing which it would be incumbent upon the Trainer to remove such horses from the Club’s stables. The lease is to be valid atleast until the following November. The present undertaking form would no more be accepted from 2012 and only sale / lease form duly completed and signed as stated above should be entertained.
The abovementioned decisions taken by the Committee, based on the recommendations of the Core Group, are hereby disseminated to all concerned well in advance so that the inflow of horses into Western India be controlled in the manner described above. The Committee would review the norms from time to time depending on the circumstances. All Owners Trainers and Breeders are requested to kindly keep the abovementioned norms in mind for the future.
On behalf of the Committee of the Royal Western India Turf Club, Ltd., I thank the Owners and Trainers for their support and co-operation which was readily forthcoming at the time of crisis to formulate the abovementioned norms in the interest of all concerned.
By Order of the Committee,
Deputy Secretary,
ROYAL WESTERN INDIA TURF CLUB, LTD.
Mumbai: 8th June 2011.
