Shot-In-The-Arm for Racing - It's 'R 1' Now - By Mahendra Mallya
Posted on - 10 Dec 2011
Shot-In-The-Arm for Racing – It’s ‘R 1’ Now
By Mahendra Mallya
The Press Conference held at the swank Tote at the Turf on Saturday, 10th Dec 2011, was both brilliant and innovative. Brilliant in the sense, that it was revealed that conscious effort is being made to take the Royal sport to the level it deserves to be - at par with any sport in the world.
Racing, hitherto, has had a very limited patronage and the ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) is woefully ill-informed about the intricacies of the sport and the skill and finesse required to succeed in this field, not to mention the high-octane energy that racing exudes.
Although it’s an individual horse that wins a race, an entire work-force is behind that victory making it a team effort in the larger picture of the game. And it’s not that only the connections of the winning horse are jubilant. Horses, like Cine stars or sport stars, have a commendable following as do the professionals in the game. Hence even an ordinary race-lover gets an equal amount of thrill when his/her favourite horse wins. The punching of the fists in the air, the bellow in chorus as the horse noses the winning post, is never confined to the jockeys and the trainers or the owners alone. The general public are the most vocal in their roaring and cheering. The hype and euphoria created by Jacqueline and Becket in recent times, is a perfect example of the huge potential this sport possesses in terms of setting the stands ablaze. Therefore, it was immensely pleasing to know that R 1, the new ‘Avatar’ that racing will henceforth go by, is off the blocks with a bang!
The efficient Enrico Piperno, the charming ‘horseman’ Ms Emma Spencer and the knowledgeable Mohit Lalvani settled the audience at the outset. It appeared that this was another press conference on a Classic eve. However, when Mr Pandey, the MD of Radio Mirchi was invited to speak, he enlivened the proceedings with a crisp address. His witty remark about why Radio Mirchi opted to associate with horseracing citing “the common factor was we too have ‘jockeys’ on our rolls” was well received. He then went on to elaborate that Radio Mirchi is appreciative of class and has always looked to project and promote high-profile events and the Indian Classic fit the bill aptly. He stressed on the need to expand the visibility of the sport to a much larger reach.
Mr Ravi Dhariwal, CEO of the Bennett Coleman Group, then took the lead in expressing how the sport can reach every household and create a much larger awareness among the vast populace of the country. “We wish to change the way horseracing is viewed and package it in a manner that would attract the newer generation”. Mr Dhariwal claimed that the media giants would step up the promotional campaign for horseracing across several lingos that would reach out to all sections of people throughout the country. He said that racing deserved to be perceived in its true perspective as an exciting sport and the thrill it generates needs to be taken to every living room possible. This was met with loud applause in the audience.
Mr Vivek Jain, Chairman of the RWITC, then took over and while thanking the sponsors, stated that R 1 was just the right way to look ahead and take horseracing to a much higher level. “Horseracing has got everything. We now need to promote racing more aggressively and the R 1 concept is just what was needed. I am sure with the wide reach and the expertise that Bennett Coleman are known to have, we are making headway at a good pace, in achieving one common goal. We kick off with the Radio Mirchi Indian 1000 Guineas tomorrow (11th Dec) and this race is where fastest fillies finish first”, he added, stressing on the play with words.
One gentleman, who was mentioned by every speaker as the one to have brought about the collaboration, was Mr Anil Singh the chief of Procam. Anil, they all agreed, was instrumental and ‘very persuasive’ in putting things into place and the R1 branding is all set to roll due to his active involvement and persistence. “I am happy that R1 has finally taken roots and I am personally convinced that the sport has a lot to offer in terms of entertainment and joy to the public. Like every competitive sport, racing too is closely contested and has its own stars. There is a lot to racing and that, the masses are not aware of. This is why I thought that the sport needs to be projected well and invite all sections of people to experience the thrill of racing”, he said.
The big moment arrived when Mr Vivek Jain and Mr Ravi Dhariwal opened a make-shift horse-stable door to reveal the R1 Logo. Soon, an impressive looking thoroughbred horse stepped on the stage through the door wearing the attractive R1 branded silk drape with full racing gear on. That was one breathtaking moment and the pulse in the audience started racing (pun intended)! The flash bulbs began blinking incessantly and the entire team of organisers posed with the ‘equine host’ of the moment for the photo-ops.
It was also revealed that Mr Jim Ramsey, one of the finest producers and directors in the world, had been assigned the task of providing the R1 a ‘global touch’. Mr Ramsey is among the top producers in the world, the man behind production of contents for Channel 4 racing, the Dubai World Cup, World Series Racing, BBC Racing and also the Priz De L Arc de Triumphe. With his rich experience and awesome expertise, the reins of the R1 project surely are in best possible hands.
With a huge camera crew on board capturing every imaginable angle, the super slo-mo cams et al, the coverage for the Radio Mirchi Indian 1000 Guineas (Gr 1) is expected to be as extensive and as exciting as it can get. The crew have been directed to follow and zoom-in on the connections and the crowds alike, to get the tense expressions of the gripping moments, the ecstasy and the emotions - as and how it happens! Complementing the elaborate arrangements will be the fast girls; read three-year-old fillies, all 15 of them, fast and furious. All of them ready to generate those pulsating moments.
R1 will be aggressive covered in several languages and across the country in the print, radio, internet and the Television media. Ten Sports will beam two hours of live action, taking them to the homes all over. Promos will run across Ten Action+, Zee Cafe, Zee News, Zee Studio, Times Now, ET Now, Zoom and other regional channels as well.
The entire event was grand and well thought out. The script for the conference was defining. The collective focus was on giving racing its due. This was, perhaps, the most effective press conference in recent times.
The wand for the magic of horseracing has now been waved. The effect will show this afternoon. Would it inspire Black Magic Woman? That would be Smashing, would it not?
