July 30, 2010: The Madras Race Club has informed the other turf clubs in the country that it is unable to host next year’s Invitation Cup weekend races citing financial reasons. The MRC had agreed to host the Invitation Cup in March this year at Mumbai.
By: Sharan Kumar

July 24, 2010: The Sohna Stud Farm has already raised the profile of Indian bloodstock by buying one of the most fashionable stallions to stand in India. Noverre’s first crop in India is being bought by high profile owners who aim to win the plums in the country. Summit Surge who won the Gr 2 York Stakes on Saturday was the latest addition to the list of illustrious performers of the progeny of Noverre.
By: Storm Again

July 20, 2010: The dam of four-year old filly Eastern Aria (Halling) which won the Listed Plantation Stud Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday is in India at the up and coming stud farm in Haryana namely the Hazaara Stud Farm. Badraan (Danzig) has a yearling colt by Sharmadal in India.
By: Sharan Kumar

July 15, 2010: China Visit breaks the jinx could well be the catch line for the promoters of Usha Stud Farm after their resident stallion produced his first Derby winner through Moonlight Romance. The three year old filly, out of a Derby winning mare Wandering Star, won the Gr 1 Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, the most prestigious race of the Bangalore Racing Calendar last Sunday.
By: Sharan Kumar

July 11, 2010: The British Bloodstock Marketing and Tattersalls hosted a reception for Indian breeders in Bangalore on Saturday which was attended by the leading lights of Indian racing industry. With the restrictions on importing breeding stock from England having been lifted, the Tatersalls affords excellent opportunity for Indian breeders to supplement their stock qualitatively.
By: Sharan Kumar

July 11, 2010: Richard Hughes steered Moonlight Romance to victory in the Derby. The rider should get a lot of credit for the Derby success but there is no denying the fact that the filly should get all the applause for her willingness to respond to her pilot’s call.
By: Tom Krish

July 9, 2010: My confidence level is high and I am sure Sun Kingdom will deliver the goods the Gr 1 Kingfisher Bangalore Derby. Sun Kingdom, who is an emotional horse, has matured into a top class performer, says Irfan Ghatala who trains the favourite for the Derby.
By: Tom Krish

July 9, 2010: The Bangalore Derby has the status of a national Derby as the best three-year old horses take part in this glamorous event. The Derby is coveted by every race horse owner in the country. The Bangalore Derby has a fascinating history with its share of near misses and exceptional achievements against all odds.
By: Sharan Kumar

July 8, 2010: The Haryana based Sohna Stud Farm celebrated the sensational victory of Music Show in the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes (Group I) at New Market on Wednesday as the three year old filly beat the best of her contemporaries including the French and English 1000 Guineas winners. Music Show is by Noverre who is the resident stallion at Sohna Stud Farm. The first crop of Noverre in India is due to race in November next year.
By: Sharan Kumar

July 7, 2010: The National Horse Breeding Society of India is organizing a seminar on Thursday in Bangalore to discuss ways and means to get the ban on free movement of Indian horses to foreign countries lifted. The important agenda is to look into the possibility of setting up special zones for movement of horses internationally as per EU Regulations.
By: Sharan Kumar

June 25, 2010: The BTC Managing Committee, led by N Harindra Shetty can successfully negotiate with the government for new land and time only if the club members and others from the fraternity offer complete cooperation and don’t throw hurdles in the path. For the record, the Bangalore Turf Club has filed the Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court on Thursday.
By: Sharan Kumar

June 24, 2010: Chief Minister Yeddyurappa assured that he would give land and time to Bangalore Turf Club provided they started work at the land that the government was going to allot shortly. He said this in an informal chat with this writer after Meet The Press programme organized by the Press Club of Bangalore and Bangalore Reporters Guild on Thursday.
By: Sharan Kumar

June 14, 2010: Villoo Poonawalla’s death last Tuesday has caused a big void in racing world. Being the wife of one of leading faces in Indian racing, she was easily the most recognizable person in horse racing at Pune and Mumbai. She was a great racing enthusiast and led in the winners owned by the family with great delight.
By: Our Correspondent

June 9, 2010: The Bangalore Turf Club is to move the Supreme Court with a SLP. At a meeting of the former chairman of the club held on Wednesday, it was resolved to take the matter to court and also continue negotiation with the government even if such a dichotomy may result in adverse consequences. Serious reservations have been expressed over the suitability of the proposed land which the government intends to allot.
By: Sharan Kumar

June 8, 2010: It may sound ironical but at this point of time, Bangalore Turf Club has no other go but to approach the Supreme Court for its survival. It was BTC’s mistaken belief of being the owners of the race course land which was the reason for the club to approach High Court for redress in preference to the negotiating table with disastrous consequences.
By: Sharan Kumar

June 8, 2010: The hurdle in the way of BTC getting land to relocate its activities is being resolved at least going by the fact that about 120 acres of land at Doddasonehalli (in Doddaballapur) about 36 kilometers from Bangalore is awaiting sanction. The land for this purpose has been identified and the file containing this information has been forwarded to the government for approval.
By: Sharan Kumar

June 5, 2010: Champion jockey Ryan Moore landed a sensational Classic double with a stunning seven-length victory on Workforce in the Invester Epsom Derby on Saturday. Just 24 hours earlier Moore had scooped his first Classic on Snow Fairy in the Investec Oaks, becoming the first jockey to ride the Oaks-Derby double since Kieren Fallon in 2004.
By: Racingpost

May 27, 2010: The New York state legislature has approved a $25-million loan to keep Belmont Park racing and the Saratoga Race Course season intact as the clubs were facing imminent threat of closure due to financial crisis. Bangalore Turf Club has been contributing substantially to government exchequer without getting anything in return and yet asked to shut shop. BTC can cite examples world over to strengthen its case.
By: Storm Again

May 20, 2010: The summer season is universally perceived as the last racing season at the Bangalore Turf Club premises. The High Court of Karnataka has fixed September 22 as the deadline for the race course to shift and unless the club manages to get either government’s mercy or favorable response to its Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court, racing faces an uncertain future in Bangalore.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 18, 2010: Galloping Acres which once enjoyed pride of place in Indian breeding through its stalwart stallions Everyday II and Road To Glory has been making earnest efforts to reestablish the farm. The stud farm’s latest acquisition is C P West (Came Home ex Queen’s Legend (Dynaformer) who comes from the highly successful Gone West family.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 17, 2010: The Bangalore Turf Club has made a generous offer of additional package of Rs 1.25 crores in addition to the stake money published in the prospectus for the summer season at their Managing Committee meeting held on Monday. This should pave the way for the summer season to start unless there is a last minute hitch created by KROA and KTA.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 12, 2010: The first two days racing of the Bangalore Summer Racing Season has been consumed by irrational ego clash between KROA, KTA and BTC. There is a callous disregard on the part of race horse professionals who are increasingly turning trade unionist in their attitude.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 11, 2010: It is time to get on with racing burying all the contentious issues especially at a time when survival of racing itself is in question. The race horse owners and trainers should not come in the way of the club preparing to meet all its statutory obligations.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 10, 2010: The Bangalore Turf Club may well take the services of astrologers to predict the start of the Bangalore Summer Season in future as year after year, the start of the season has been jinxed. On a serious note, the club has also not taken any legal step to file an SLP in the Supreme Court nor has it initiated dialogue with the Chief Minister and is found wanting on all fronts.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 8, 2010: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has terminated the lease of RWITC land and asked the turf club to vacate its premises in 30 days for breach of lease agreement. The notice, coming as it did after BTC lost its battle with the State Government in the High Court, has come as a big dampener for racing enthusiasts.

May 8, 2010: While BTC is in deep mess, RWITC has suddenly found itself in troubled waters as the Bombay Municipal Corporation has terminated its lease and asked the club to vacate its premises in 30 days for breach of lease agreement. The alarm bells are surely ringing for the sport. If we don’t pay heed, we will be writing the obituary of the sport before long.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 4, 2010: The Bangalore Turf Club floored the Karnataka Trainers Association with a well disguised googly on Monday which has effectively diluted the ability of the association to fight the club against the recent decisions taken. The KTA had precipitated a crisis by getting some of its trainers to surrender their license but the matter has taken an interesting turn following BTC’s action of handing the licenses back to trainers and asking them to comply with rules of racing.
By: Sharan Kumar

May 1, 2010: The trainers based in Bangalore surrendered their license on Friday in support of their demands causing a piquant situation. The Bangalore Turf Club and the Karnataka Trainers Association are at loggerhead over certain demands put forth by the professionals. Though the issues are not insurmountable, there is a lack of will to address the issues by dialogue on the part of both parties concerned.
By: Sharan Kumar

April 29, 2010: The Bangalore Summer Season is set to start on Saturday, May 15 amidst uncertainty about the future of racing at this centre following the Karnataka High Court‘s directive to the Bangalore Turf Club to vacate the premises by September 22. The Bangalore Turf Club has decided to permit outstation horses to participate in the Summer Season as before.
By: Sharan Kumar

April 12, 2010: Kerataka, the dam of Keredari who recorded an impressive four length win in the Listed Loughbrown Stakes over seven lengths at Curragh on Sunday, is in India. The three year old is rated highly and he is expected to run a mighty race in the Irish 2000 Guineas
By: Storm Again

April 10, 2010: One hopes that in this hour of crisis, the BTC Managing Committee and its members act in unison, enlist the support of all sections of racing community to save the sport form extinction in Bangalore. The club also needs to take the fellow turf authorities and the race horse breeders into confidence.
By: Sharan Kumar

April 6, 2010: There is no ray of hope at the moment as the best in BTC lack conviction. The turf club on its part has also not made any attempt to elicit the support of fellow turf authorities and use their good office to retrieve the situation. The authorities seem to be preparing for a shut down judging by their recent actions.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 28, 2010: Brazilian horse Gloria de Compeao provided a perfect finish to an exhilarating evening of great racing action at the magnificent Meydan, in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday. Gloria de Campeao, who had finished second best in the last edition of the race, almost made the entire running and survived by the skin of his teeth to hold off a late surge from unheralded Lizard’s Desire to win the racing’s richest race, the Dubai World Cup.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 28, 2010: Musir with Christophe Soumillon in the saddle produced a storming run down the Meydan straight to out gun his stable companion the three year old filly Raihana and Kevin Shea to win the UAE Derby. In doing so he gave trainer Mike de Kock a remarkable fifth UAE Derby winner, and maintained the stranglehold that he and Saeed bin Suroor have on this race, as the only two trainers ever to win it.

March 28, 2010: The Dubai Kahayla Classic, sponsored by EMAAR, the opening race of the Dubai World Cup night, went to Qatar after the Julian Smart trained Jaafer burst to the front in the final two hundred meters to beat the highly regarded No Risk Al Maury by five lengths.

March 28, 2010: UK based jockey Royston Ffrench had the most prestigious win of his career when local galloper Al Shemali upset a classy field in the Dubai Duty Free, sponsored by Dubai Duty Free.

March 28, 2010: Kinsale King announced himself as a potent new force in the global sprint ranks by taking out the Dubai Golden Shaheen, sponsored by Gulf News.

March 28, 2010: The newest race on the Dubai World Cup programme as well as the evening’s first thoroughbred race was the US$1 million Al Quoz Sprint, sponsored by Emirates NBD. The Group 3 race is run along Meydan’s 1200m straight course and attracted a full field of 16 runners with the winner’s prize going to the New Zealand-bred Joy And Fun, a Hong Kong invader, who scored by three-quarters of a length and covered the course in 1:09.80.

March 28, 2010: Dar Re Mi surged up the Meydan straight to fend off a super-strong group of turf champions to win the US$5 million Dubai Sheema Classic, sponsored by Guangsha Group.

March 26, 2010: The US$5million 2010 Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic looks the most open renewal ever of the 2410m turf feature with a quality maximum field of 16 declared. It looks highly significant that Frankie Dettori has elected to ride Cavalryman of the Saeed bin Suroor-trained runners given that he won the Super Thursday prep race, the Group 2 Dubai City of Gold, on stable companion Campanologist.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: Sponsored as its name suggests by Dubai Duty Free, the US$5million 1800m Group 1 Dubai Duty Free is always one of the strongest races on Dubai world Cup night and this year is no exception.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: The first Thoroughbred Group 1 of the night, the Gulf News-sponsored Dubai Golden Shaheen will be contested by the smallest field with the maximum field of 12 declared. Run around a bend and on Tapeta for the first time, the US$2million 1200m dash looks competitive nonetheless with Godolphin`s Gayego likely to start favourite.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: The 2010 UAE Derby, sponsored by The Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, is surely the best ever renewal of the Group 2 1900m contest, to be run on the All Weather track for the first time. Remarkably, only two trainers have ever won the US$2million contest and that statistic looks likely to remain intact with Saeed bin Suroor (six wins) and South African Mike De Kock (four) both well represented.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: Replaced as the opening Thoroughbred race by the Al Quoz Sprint, the US$1million Group 2 Godolphin Mile, kindly sponsored by Etisalat, is the first All Weather race on the night for the Thoroughbreds and again the maximum field of 14 will go to post.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: The first of seven Thoroughbred races on the card, the Group 3 Al Quoz Sprint, over the straight 1200m turf course and kindly sponsored by Emirates NBD, has attracted the maximum field of 16. Added to the Dubai World Cup card this year, it offers a US$1million purse and it looks wide open.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: The traditional curtain raiser on Dubai World Cup night, the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic, kindly sponsored by Emaar, is the only Purebred Arabian race on the card and has been won by some of the very best of the breed in the past.
By: Storm Again

March 26, 2010: BTC has no money in its coffers. They don’t have a contingency plan. They don’t’ have a long term plan. Sadly they don’t even have vision! The club should open channels of communication with the Chief Minister and try to earn some goodwill and extension of time instead of approaching the Apex Court because if the decision goes against it, there would be no hope left at all.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 26, 2010: The World`s richest race, US$10million Dubai World Cup, will be run on Saturday at the Meydan Racecourse on the All Weather track. The field in fray is arguably the most competitive renewal since the race was first run in 1996. Last year, the race was won by long shot Well Armed from America who destroyed his 13 rivals, recording an astonishing 14-length record-winning distance.
By: Storm Again

March 23, 2010: There is a crisis of leadership at BTC and the present people at the helm seem to be incapable of bailing the club out of the present impasse. The internecine quarrels among the present managing committee have only hastened the present scenario. The least they can do is to resign, owning moral responsibility for the debacle.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 22, 2010: The Division Bench of Karnataka High Court dismissed BTC’s petition against termination of lease and directed the turf club to vacate the premises by September 22. The High Court has not directed the government to provide alternate land for relocating the existing race course. The High Court’s judgment closes all escape route for Bangalore Turf Club.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 21, 2010: Like a true champion, Jacqueline took pride and pleasure in the thrill of victory and suffered the odd loss with dignity.. She always wanted to be better than the rest and sought challenges and relished the thrill of fulfilling them. Trainer Pesi Shroff pays a tribute to the champion filly as she embarks on a new career in the Nanoli Stud Farm after her glorious conquests on the race track.
By: Pesi Shroff

March 21, 2010: Monday is BTC’s day of reckoning as the High Court of Karnataka has posted for orders on a batch of writ petitions which will impact racing in India in a big way. The matter has been listed as item number 2 in Court Hall 2 before the division bench.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 14, 2010: Jacqueline, who caught the imagination of racing enthusiasts by her remarkable feat of bagging four Indian classics, has been retired from racing as her joints were flared up after the epic battle with Becket in the Invitation Cup. Jacqueline surely was one of a rare kind.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 5, 2010: The Gr 1 Major P K Mehra Memorial Super Mile is the most competitive race of the Invitation Cup weekend. As many as half a dozen contenders come into the reckoning though in the end it may boil down to Dancing Dynamite, Celestial Way and Diego Rivera.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 5, 2010: Jacqueline has remained unconquered after her loss by a whisker to Aboline in the Kingfisher Derby. Jacqueline has won an unprecedented four Indian classics in spectacular fashion though her win against Becket in the Indian Derby was achieved with a degree of difficulty. Can Becket halt Jacqueline’s amazing run in the Gr 1 Vandrevala Indian Turf Invitation Cup?
By: Sharan Kumar

March 5, 2010: Padmanabhan trained Classerville who is out of an Oaks winner has the class to make his mark in the Gr 1 Vandrevala Foundation Stayers Cup over the grueling trip of 3000 metres which is slated to be held on Saturday.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 5, 2010: The Gr 1 Vandrevala Foundation Sprinters Cup has traditionally been a graveyard for favourite though in the last two editions of the race, all time sprinting sensation Oasis Star changed this trend. On current form, Karthik Ganapathy trained Forest Flair has an edge over the opposition.
By: Sharan Kumar

March 4, 2010: Former Chairman of the Turf Authorities of India P G Belliappa believes that the time has come for a rethink on the format of the Invitation Cup. This subject has come up often at Turf Authority meetings but despite the many suggestions proffered, status quo has not been disturbed.
By: P G Belliappa

March 3, 2010: The Indian Turf Invitation Cup weekend races which see four Gr 1 races being run are the most eagerly looked forward to event in the Indian Racing Calendar. RWITC will play host to this year’s edition after a lapse of six years. The weekend action promises high quality racing.
By: Sharan Kumar

February 19, 2010: Indian sprint champion Oasis Star who was widely expected to win in the sprint race at Meydan held as part of Dubai Racing Carnival on Friday disappointed with a below performance which fetched her only the fourth spot. Global City under Frankie Dettori, checked in well clear of the rest.
By: Storm Again

February 6, 2010: A classic winner , in my opinion should have following minimum attributes
By: Chanakya Kaushik

February 5, 2010: Indian sprint sensation Oasis Star went down fighting to So Shiny in the opening race at Meydan on Friday. A winner of the UAE 1000 Guineas at last year`s Dubai Carnival, So Shiny was a first success at Meydan for Jerry Barton, who saddled six winners at the 2009 Carnival.
By: Storm Again

February 3, 2010: Jimmy Unwala who is due to graduate from the Darley Flying Start is bringing a batch of 12 trainees to witness the running of prestigious McDowell Indian Derby in order to create awareness about Indian racing among these future industry leaders as also to highlight the virtues of the all encompassing training programme.
By: Storm Again

January 31, 2010: The Bangalore Turf Club which had been kept on tenterhooks by the government could heave a sigh of relief only on Sunday night as the license for conducting racing and betting on other centers was inordinately delayed.
By: Sharan Kumar

January 30, 2010: Seven-year-old Dancing Forever (Rahy), winner of the Gr.1 Manhattan Handicap and third in the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Turf behind Conduit and Eagle Mountain, has been bought to stand in India and is one of the most significant purchases by an Indian breeder this year.
By: Sharan Kumar

January 28, 2010: The Bangalore Turf Club failed to get any substantial relief form the High Court as the proceedings were adjourned till February 10 on Thursday. The court ordered for status quo to be maintained till such time. The club has been advised to implead itself in the PIL against the allotment of land at Chikkajala.
By: Sharan Kumar

January 26, 2010: Padmanabhan trained Becket is the overwhelming favourite to win the Gr 1 Poonawalla Bangalore Derby. The got abroad colt has exceptional qualities and if the mile and half trip is not an issue, he should romp home in splendid isolation.
By: Sharan Kumar

January 5, 2010: In an interesting development on Sunday, the RWITC Stewards came down heavily on racing Baron M. A. M. Ramaswamy’s trainer Karthik Ganapathy and jockey T. S. Jodha by suspending them both for six months starting January 18. Paul Mulrennan has been suspended for 10 days and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for dangerous riding on Spellbinder.
By: True Blue