Historical Background
Racing in India
is a legacy of the British Raj. Though it is well documented that
the British were always serious in the business of efficiently
running the Empire, they invariably found time for sport and
recreation, and wherever they went, they created the necessary
infrastructure for its pursuit.
It must be
remembered that in India, the British presence depended for a very
long time on its military strength. The armies of the 18th and
19th centuries were cavalry-oriented and the overwhelming
involvement with horses inevitably meant that equine sports like
fox-hunting, polo, point-to-point racing, steeple chasing and
flat-racing were to the fore.
Almost every
cantonment in India had a racecourse and race meetings were
organized as far back as the 18th century. In fact, the Madras
Race Club, which celebrated its bi-centenary in 1978, was founded
before the first Derby was run at Epsom.
It was inevitable
that some prominent patrons of the British Turf at the time, in
particular titled aristocracy and officers of the army, were sent
out to India on postings. During their stay in this country, they
devoted their leisure time to the establishment and development of
racing in India.
Calcutta was the
centre of British power in the early days of the Raj and, quite
naturally, became the leading turf centre. The institution of The
Viceroy's Cup at the Hastings Race Course in Calcutta in 1856 gave
further impetus to racing and became an event of tremendous
prestige. Lord William Beresford, who served on the Viceroy's
staff, won it with his black gelding Camballo in 1881. Myall King
gave him three further successes in the race.
Racing in the
early days was conducted with cavalry horses, chargers imported
from Great Britain and Arabs. As in the formative years of British
racing - and especially on account of the kind of horses used -
the majority of the more prestigious events were run over long
distances.
In the Victorian
era, around the turn of the century, the British Raj was getting
more and more 'Indianised'. Indians began to find a place in the
administrative, industrial and social environment of the country.
It was only a matter of time before the local elite began to take
an active interest in racing.
The Maharajas
were amongst the first Indians to be bitten by the racing-bug and
early princely patrons of the Turf included Cooch-Behar, Burdwan,
Baroda, Idar, Morvi, Kolhapur, Rajpipla and Mysore. Many of them,
as also industrialists like textile tycoon Mathradas Goculdas,
extended their interest to the ownership of horses in England.
In the early part
of the present century, racing in India received a further boost
when two pillars of the British Turf - the Aga Khan and Sir Victor
Sassoon - extended their patronage to this country. Thoroughbreds
began to be imported on a larger scale. The Army, too, set up its
Remount and Breeding stations, using imported stallions for stud
purposes, and Thoroughbred breeding in India began to take shape.
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From just 40
Thoroughbred foals of indigenous production added to the racing
population in 1938, the number rose to 226 by the mid 'forties.
The advent of the Second World War saw a substantial reduction in
the broodmare strength in England, and many of the mares so
disposed off by studs in that country ended up in India, leading
to an even further increase in the number of foals bred here.
The racing season
of 1942-43 marked a watershed in India racing and breeding and
heralded the present era. In that season for the first time, the
Indian Classics were run. To begin with, there were only three
such events framed - the Indian 1000 Guineas, the Indian 2000
Guineas and the Indian Derby - and all were run at Bombay. In the
inaugural year, the Maharaja Gaekwar of Baroda’s grand filly,
Princess Beautiful, won all three classics.
The following
year, the Indian Oaks and the Indian St. Leger (run initially as
the Governor-General's Cup) were added. Indian racing could be
said to have come of age. It needs to be mentioned that from their
very inception, the Indian Classics were restricted to horses bred
in India, and this restriction continues to this day.
By the late
'forties, the involvement of the British in India was on the wane
and though the cantonment racecourses remained, meetings were no
longer conducted on many of them and racing came to be
concentrated in the metropolitan cities of newly-independent
India. Racecourses in places like Baroda and Coimbatore
disappeared, although there are "Race Course Roads"
still in existence in these towns!
Worse was to
follow. The misguided notions of conservative politicians
threatened the very existence of the Indian Turf, as gambling was
sought to be banned in newly independent India in 1949. A
temporary stay of five years was granted for the breeding industry
to wind up its affairs.
As a direct
consequence, the production of racehorses plummeted and the status
of horse racing in India became grave. Fortunately, better
counsels prevailed – the role of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in
accepting the briefs presented by the National Horse Breeding
Society of India was noteworthy. By the mid-fifties, the threat
had passed and racing was once again on a sound footing.
The Royal Western
India Turf Club Ltd. - responsible for racing at Bombay, Pune and
Delhi -, the Royal Calcutta Turf Club which conducted racing at
Calcutta and the South India Turf Club which oversaw racing at
Madras, Ootacamund, Mysore, Bangalore and Hyderabad, were the
independent racing authorities in India in the early 'fifties.
Subsequently, the
South India Turf Club split into the Madras Race Club - conducting
racing at Madras and Ootacamund, the Bangalore Turf Club Ltd.,
which regulated the meetings at Bangalore and Mysore, and the
Hyderabad Race Club, which conducted its own racing in the Deccan
metropolis of Hyderabad. In the late 'seventies, the five
independent clubs came together to form a loose federation
entitled the "Turf Authorities of India". The
organization exists as a joint, consultative forum while retaining
the independence of jurisdiction of its constituents.
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The pattern of
the 5 Indian Classics was followed by other turf clubs and brought
about the establishment of "Regional Classics". In 1963,
the Indian Turf Invitation Cup (2400 m.) was instituted. Meant to
bring together the top representatives of the Classic crop, it was
first run at Bombay and then in rotation at Calcutta and Madras.
At present, it is run at Bangalore and Hyderabad as well, each
centre getting its turn in a 5-year cycle. In 1980, the Sprinters'
Cup (1200m.) was added and a year later the Stayers' Cup (3000m.).
These events, open to all ages, are conducted at the centre whose
turn it is to stage the Invitation Cup.
During the
seventies, there was a severe shortage of racehorses. Imports of
racehorses were banned, while import of breeding stock was highly
restricted. Nevertheless, breeding of racehorses was regarded as a
"sunrise industry" and a number of new stud farms sprung
up.
In 1982, a
committee was formed by the Turf Authorities of India to go into
the pattern of racing and after four years of deliberation, the
committee formulated its list of "Graded Races". There
are, admittedly, several aspects of the pattern that invite
critical comment. However, on the positive side, its very
establishment represented a welcome start and it is hoped that in
due course it will be refined realistically.
Around this time,
the issue of licences for import of breeding stock was somewhat
liberalized and the production of Indian-breds surged ahead.
Racing in India
received a grave set-back in 1986 when the Government of Tamil
Nadu first nationalized and then abolished racing, for political
reasons, in that state from May 1986. The issue went before the
Supreme Court of India. By virtue of a stay order, racing
continued at Madras and Ootacamund, after a brief hiatus.
Thereafter, in
199x, the nationalization and abolition were struck down by the
Supreme Court and a degree of permanency was imparted to the
Indian Turf by the court’s observation that racing was a game of
"skill".
Present status
By the
mid-nineties, racing was going through a boom in India and few
would have forecast the downturn that followed. At that time, a
number of "Million races" were instituted, large numbers
of broodmare were imported, and annual foal production scaled new
heights. In 2001, the situation has once again become somewhat
grim in view of the weak economy and the usurious taxation levels
that have encouraged illegal betting.
The balance
sheets of a majority of the race clubs are awash in red ink and
owners are deserting the game in droves, as prize money is unable
to keep pace with inflation. The only silver lining is that Indian
racehorses have proved themselves in the markets of Singapore and
Malaysia and a continuous inflow of capital for the better
racehorses is likely, thereby ameliorating the lot of the owner to
some extent.
The Racing
Year
The racing year
in India runs from the beginning of November of one year to the
end of October of the following year. Two year-olds make their
debut in November when the Winter meetings of the major racing
centres commence.
The Classics
The Classics are
meant for the crop which is three-years-old at the start of a new
racing year. The Guineas races and some of the Oaks events are
contested by members of that crop as three-year-olds; the
remaining Oaks and all the Derbys as well as the St. Legers and
the Indian Turf Invitation Cup are contested by members of the
same crop who have just turned four. In other words, the Classics
of 2001/2002 are meant for the crop foaled in 1998.
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