At a meeting attended by Chairman of BTC, Dr K.M. Srinivasa Gowda, Chairman of RWITC, Vivek Jain, Chairman of RCTC, Deepak Khaitan, Chairman of HRC, Surender Reddy, and Mr Balarama Das, representing MRC, it was unanimously decided to convert the Invitation Cup to a weight-for-age race, as the Invitation Cup has outlived its utility, with the growth in prize money of the McDowell Indian Derby, which makes this race the championship four year old race in India.
Mr Vivek Jain confirmed that the Committee of the RWITC has agreed to the recommendation, and the Club will actively participate in the process to ensure the change is in place from the 2013 running itself in Kolkata. “ A Committee, with representation from all Clubs has been set up, to come up with a tentative program, the idea being the weekend becomes a carnival of the best racing in the country, on the lines of the Breeders’ Cup in the US, or the Arc de Triomphe day in Paris. We hope to convene a Chairman’s meeting towards the end of April to make a firm decision, with all details in place”, added Mr Jain.
It is expected the prize money for the Invitation Cup will be substantially increased from its present level of Rs 1 crore. A decision on the subsidiary Grade 1 races, and on inclusion of other races will be part of the recommendations of this special committee.
It was also decided to amend the point system formula for the Awards Ceremony held on the eve of the Invitation Cup, as it was agreed that it gave an unfair advantage to Chennai, which has no outstation participation. Professionals/ horses from this centre get an unequal weightage in the points tally, as they dominate racing at Madras Race Club without all-India competition. The Chairmen of the TAI, have decided to petition the Chairman of MRC, to ensure fairness in the process so the deserving are duly honoured at each year’s Awards to determine the national leaders in the industry.
