Sunday, July 14^th will see a new champion emerge at the Bangalore Turf Club as a full house of 18 three-year-olds are set to line up to push their way and vie for the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby crown. The Kingfisher Bangalore Derby (Gr1), run over 2000 meters, is one of the most prestigious and well-promoted races with a host of ‘off track’ events compiled as a lead up to the D day.

One of the traditional ceremonies that took off last Sunday was the unveiling of the trophy for the Kingfisher Derby. The ‘Silver-Horse’ trophy, valued at about Rs 160,000/-  is specially hand crafted to mark a landmark race not only for Bangalore, but the entire nation. In fact, the Kingfisher Derby is running the McDowell Signature Indian Derby close, in terms of both hype and stake money. In fact, the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby hit the highest stake money mark in 2011, toppling the Indian Derby as the richest race in the country. Both these races are sponsored by Dr Vijay Mallya! The glamour quotient too is catching up as was evident during the trophy handing over ceremony last Sunday. Local heartthrob, cine artist Ragini Dwivedi, famous for her role in the hit kannada movie ‘Shiva’ was the chosen one to unveil the exquisite trophy.

Ms Ragini was cheered by the crowd and the young lady soaked in the atmosphere taking to the racecourse like duck to water in a manner. She was warm towards the crowd and articulate in her short speech highlighting the pleasure and privilege she felt in being associated with the Kingfisher brand. “Whatever Kingfisher does, they do it in style. It’s an honour to unveil the trophy for such an exciting and classy race. I have been here (BTC) before but that was for a shooting sequence for my movie. The Bangalore Turf Club is a beautiful location and the horses are such lovely creatures, yet fierce competitors. I have ridden horses before and I can tell you that the feel of cutting the wind as you canter is a wonderful experience. The jockeys though have a tougher task on hand, each doing his best to outdo the other. So the finish is going to be a great thriller. Dr Vijay Mallya is a keen sportsperson and has added a lot more glamour and glitz to a race of such importance. The very fact that Kingfisher has associated with the Bangalore Turf Club for as long as 26 years, speaks volumes  of the value this one race brings to the racing fraternity. The whole city is abuzz with anticipation to see a new champion emerge from this fiercely contested race. I wish all the participants the very best on the day,” said Ms Ragini.

Mr Gurpreet Singh, was overjoyed at the mounting enthusiasm for the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby. “It has been a long and successful association between Kingfisher and the Bangalore Turf Club and the fondness for the Kingfisher Derby has increased by the year. This is the 26^th year that we have associated with the Derby and Kingfisher has always stood for excellence in chosen fields. Horse racing is a royal sport and Kingfisher takes pleasure in supporting events of such magnitude and genuine class. It is our endeavor to take racing to the younger generation and showcase this as a sport of great excitement and there is so much skill required to taste success in this field. We have lined up several promotional activities at various pubs and malls to create awareness about horseracing in general and the significance of the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, for the section of the people of Bangalore that are not familiar with racing.”  said Mr Gurpreet Singh, just before handing over the trophy to the Chairman of BTC, Mr Kumarswamy.  

“I thank Dr Vijay Mallya for his long association with the Bangalore Turf Club and the generous sponsorship over the years. The Kingfisher Bangalore Derby has been the most sought after race. We are gearing up to accommodate the massive crowd that throng the racecourse and we welcome all our racing patrons to witness the richest race of the season. There are special prizes on offer, with a car as the bumper prize for a contest in nominating winners for selected races. The stakes money for this one race will be in the region of Rs 2.25 crore of which the winners share would go over 1.35 crore. The BTC has put in every effort to ensure the day is of high quality and I assure you that the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby day is going to be a memorable one for those at the Bangalore racecourse and those watching it on our website away from the venue,” said Mr Kumarswamy, Chairman, BTC.

As a lead up to the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, after the trophy handing over ceremony, another event - Breakfast with the champions’ was held this morning. Electronic and print media were present to watch the Derby aspirants go on their final prep work. A small section of the media was new to the nitty-gritty of horse racing. A special tour of the stables and the equine swimming pool was conducted for them. Trainer Irfan Ghatala was hospitable and invited the media persons to his stables and there they were shown the procedure of shoeing a race horse. Irfan was elaborate and patient in answering the barrage of questions that the media threw at him. Shutterbugs and videographers captured the special moments as the ‘Nalbandh’ (farrier) went about his task skillfully. A round of the swimming pool and photo-ops marked the end of the exercise.

‘Pub Crawls’ and Mall Activation through the week will mark the spreading of the “D” word to Bangaloreans across the city. A simulated race will be played at select Pubs around Bangalore and revelers will have unexpected thrills at nominating the winner on the computer-programmed race throwing random winners. Those who pick the right winner will receive a special invite to the UB Stands along with betting vouchers that can be used to bet at the totes on the Derby day. Friday evening will usher in another popular event – the Post Position Draw. Here the connections of the horses are invited to draw the gate position themselves, for their horses, following which the famous Kingfisher party will spurt to a lively start. The Bangalore Turf Club too will host a party for its members to wring in the richest race of the Bangalore Summer Season.

Eighteen three year olds will line up for the big one. The race wears an open look, jockeying for positions will be crucial, considering the conditions are going to be rather on the softer side with rains lashing the city over the last couple of days. With predictions of more rain for the morrow, it is most likely that the ‘kickback’ factor will be a concern for the jockeys following at the backend. Hope the weather Gods do no play spoilsport and allow the record crowd expected to get the complete thrill that the Kingfisher Bangalore Derby always brings.