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Record hike in stakes for Bangalore Summer Season

  April 15 , 2014
   

The Bangalore Summer Season, set to start on Saturday, May 17 will see a massive increase of about 30 per cent in stakes, subsidy and incentives, perhaps the highest ever effected by any turf club in one racing season The summer season will see the turf club give out Rs 22 crores as against Rs 17 crores given last year. The Bangalore Summer Derby, Colts and Fillies Championship will also offer higher guaranteed stakes.

The Bangalore Turf Club has sought to implement several measures to bring about healthy changes in the way racing is run. Successful implementation of any rule depends largely on the way it is administered and the will to go ahead with the measures opposition notwithstanding. The club has already brought into effect from March, the rule that if a horse runs continuously 10 times without touching the board, such a horse will not be permitted to race anymore and has to be compulsorily retired. This is to prevent trainers who were giving runs for years before bringing the horses way below their mark to bring off gambles against the run of expectation which was denting the image of the sport. It is heartening that such a step has been accepted by the owners and trainers of the club. The effect of this measure was that certain horses which were still in the process of being brought down further in handicap scales were hurriedly tried and some of them even won during the fag end of the winter season!

Clever people are capable of playing within the margin to bring off desired results. A horse can be made to run on board occasionally and use the balance of runs for bringing it down in handicap. Stiping is very critical to ensure that professionals don`t get away giving endless runs. Just like it is a constant battle between the pharmacologist and toxicologist in the use of drugs and its prevention, the same is the case with malpractices in racing. It is a continuous struggle on the part of the authorities to ensure fairness in racing while the professionals try and use ingenious ways to beat the system. The turf club has appointed Australian Wayne Wood as Director of Racing and he is expected to take charge in the first week of June. Appointing eminent people to the post by itself is not an end unless the environment helps them become effective in their job. For this to happen, day to day interference from the powers that be has to stop.

At the end of the winter season, the handicapper has dropped all horses by six points. With the horses closely matched in scales, such a drop will ensure that good horses benefit at the expense those who have been brought down with a view to bring off a coup. Interestingly, multiple winners of races are in the lowest category against those who have been merely given runs which is sure to hurt their chances. Such a method is now fraught with danger because a horse which gets dropped below zero has to immediately go out of racing.

The handicap scale has now been compressed to 55 kgs which means a spread of 110 points across all classes. The process will continue to compress the scale further to bring it down to 50 by the year 2016. Compression of scales will make things difficult for horses which have not been tried and merely brought down in class. Right now there is heavy concentration of horses in the lowest classes as every professional tries to bring his horse to the lowest class for achieving his target. Better horses in this class are bound to spoil many a well thought out plan of the professionals.

The lowest category races in Bangalore are more competitive for this reason alone. The turf club could consider giving lesser stake for lower category races and increase substantially for higher category races so that it encourages professionals to try their horses even in higher category. Such a step would surely be beneficial to promote healthy racing.

The Bangalore Summer Derby will offer guaranteed stake money of Rs 2.5 crores thereby ensuring that the race retains the tag of being the second richest race in the country. The Summer Derby rates alongside Indian Derby and Invitation Cup. The Summer classics have always been a pointer to all classics in the country, including the Indian classics. As such, the competitive element of these races has always been well respected. The Colts Championship and Fillies Championship too have been made attractive with Rs 40 lakhs as added money. Going by past experience, the total stake money may well touch Rs 75 lakhs.

There was criticism that racing was mainly sprint oriented and very little was done to promote long distance races. However, the authorities have sought to remedy this by having long distance races as sweepstake races in all classes with attractive prize money to boost participation in these events and also to encourage professionals to come out of their cocoon. A few mile long races have been framed for the first time for maiden three year olds during the summer season.
There won`t be any restriction on the participation of outstation three year olds in respect of maiden races during the summer season.. Older horses above the rating of 50 are also permitted to race during the summer season. In order to promote greater participation of outstation horses, local trainers have also been permitted to acquire about 50 outstation horses and no restriction will apply to their participation in races though in the first year they are not eligible for subsidy. About 100 outstation horses are expected to arrive for the short two and half month season. A graded race features each week end`s racing.

Dilip Thomas owned Nefyn has done a great service to his contemporaries. His back to back success in the Sprinters Cup as an eight year old has made the authorities to increase the age of retirement of horses from seven to eight!

 
 
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Total Comments : 3
Posted by pisces on ( April 18 , 2014 )
Let us hope that a new policy towards better punter friendly facilities, seating arrangements, and a good canteen eventually are given a thought as this will inturn generate the much need revenue to fuel investments towards a better racing envirnment.
 
Posted by ramana sreeram on ( April 21 , 2014 )
BTC should ensure the telecating races w/o interruptions such as advts. etc., during the paddock parade and warming up of horses till reaching starting gate. Preview of past races may be aborted, which are irrelevant and wasting livecast period.
 
Posted by s.Visvanathan on ( April 21 , 2014 )
SIR VERY NICE
 
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