Two Million Races & The Mid-Day Trophy on Sunday - By Gitanjali Gurbaxani
Posted on - 22 Dec 2011
Two Million Races & The Mid-Day Trophy on Sunday
By Gitanjali Gurbaxani
Last Sunday, race goers witnessed a long day at the races at the Mahalaxmi race coarse, with a card of ten races being framed and 105 horses having been accepted. Trainer Imtiaz Sait proved his ability to transform the well bred horses in his yard into galloping machines, when the sparingly raced Bangalore Derby winner Pronto Pronto showed a clean pair of heels to his rivals in the Grade I Casino Royale Indian 2000 Guineas. Richard Hughes did not have to do much astride this compact looking gelding as he proved to be far better than his opponents. He won this top class race of a mile with a measure of comfort.
This Sunday, come and witness an element of the fashion and glamour world as they will transcend into the sporting arena to witness another colourful day, and yet another spectacular race of three year olds and over, who will run a distance of nine furlongs to vie for the Grade 3 Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia Trophy, that carries a total stakes of Rupees One Million. H. H. Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia was considered a pioneer of Indian Horse Racing for much of his life as he was a keen sportsman and a lover of horses. He was a leading owner in Western India and actively encouraged horse racing. After his demise, the RWITC Ltd., instituted The Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia Gold Cup for his lifelong commitment towards Horse Racing in India. This race got a graded status, (Gr. 3 ) in 1987.
Other highlights on this Christmas day are the Macau Magic Million and the MID - DAY Trophy. The Macau Magic Million, brought to us by the Macau Tourism is a race for two year olds only, to be run over a distance of 1000 metres and carries a total stake of Rs 1.2 Million besides a trophy valued at Rs. 25,000. The Mid-Day Trophy race is in recognition of the Media Partnership between Mid-Day Multi Media and the RWITC Ltd., this being the fourth consecutive year of MID - DAY's continued association as media partner. It is premium branded horse racing event on the lines of a Classic Racing Day. Traditionally, this is the day when socialites of this metropolis make it a point to be present at the Mahalaxmi racecourse, to grace the Mid-Day party, adding glamour to the afternoon's proceedings. It is an exciting proposition, as there are very few sporting events where guests make a profound effort to dress to kill, this one being one of them. After an over indulgence in the Christmas Day delicacies, they get stuck into a feast of horse racing that will satisfy even the heartiest of appetites.
This Sunday will see some of the most promising three year old maiden horses making their debut in the MID - DAY Trophy, at the Mahalaxmi racecourse over a trip of six furlongs, which carries a purse of Rs. 4,00,000 besides a trophy valued at Rs. 30,000. In the past, on this day, Mid - Day has had some superstars like John Abraham and Akshay Kumar grace this event and give away the Mid-Day trophy. This year, Abhishek Bachchan will grace the turf and do away with the honors, making it an eventful afternoon of racing. So come along and enjoy an afternoon of glitz, glamour and horse racing at the Mahalaxmi.
(Gitanjali Gurbaxani is a Club Member of the RWITC and an avid race enthusiast for several years)
