The Calcutta Cold Weather season kicks off on the auspicious All Saints Day of November 1. The Club has several novel features in store for turfites and a whopping Rs 14 crore plus up for grabs for the professionals.

The meeting will comprise 35 race days and will conclude on March 29, 2014.  There are 247 races scheduled to be run during these five months, of which 89 will be cup events.

The Club has approximately 618 horses in station, comprising 198 two-year-olds and 420 older horses. A further 30 older horses are expected to arrive in station to compete during the season.

On the professional front, there are 20 ‘A’ licenced trainers at the moment. Notable monsoon absentee Bharath Singh comes back into the fray to compete with the likes of sibling Vijay, last winter champion Patrick Quinn and upcoming star Manvendra Singh. The other notable professionals who will be worth following are the seasoned Daniel David, the ever-focussed Arti Doctor and the wily Javed Khan.

Among the riders, 30 jockeys have been issued ‘A’ licenses and 32 ‘B’ licenses. Also on view will be 13 apprentice jockeys.  Prominent among those to don silks will be local Monsoon champion Christopher Alford, last winter champ Shailesh Shinde,  Imran Chisty, Suraj Narredu,  P S Chauhan, Neeraj Rawal and S John.

With an eye on the future the Club is pleased to inform patrons that an Apprentice Jockeys School has been inaugurated at the RCTC.  Currently there are eight students from all over the country learning the intricacies of race riding and all matters concerning the horse. 

A welcome addition for the local railbirds throughout the year, for both Calcutta live racing and ISBO days, will be a permanent all weather TV screen measuring 32ft x 18ft, imported from Hong Kong. It has been installed opposite the stands, along side the other display boards. As was introduced last monsoon, the popular SHP pool will also be displayed. After all, nothing like making a smart buck even if your chosen horse comes second.

 Keeping in mind the safety of the jockeys and the well being of the horses, new railings from Barrier International have been installed around the course. The Stewards of the RCTC have taken a consensus decision to send all pre and post race horse samples to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Racing Laboratory for analysis. 

The classics and other important races scheduled to be run during the season are as under:

Calcutta 1000 Guineas (Gr.3)                                       November 23, 2013

Calcutta 2000 Guineas (Gr.2)                                       December 7, 2013

Nanoli Stud Gold Cup (Gr.2)                                        December 14, 2013

Calcutta Oaks (Gr.3)                                                    December 21, 2013

The Indian Produce Stakes                                            January 1, 2014

RCTC Gold Vase                                                          January 1, 2014

Champions’ Sprint (Gr.3)                                               January11, 112014

The Eveready Calcutta Derby States (Gr.1)                   January 12, 2014

Indian Champion Cup (Gr.1)                                         January 23, 2014

The Champagne States                                                 January, 23 2014

The Queen’s Cup (Gr.3)                                               February 8, 2014

Governor’ Cup                                                            February 15, 2014

Calcutta Million (Gr.2)                                                 February 15, 2014

The Grand Annual Handicap                                        February 22, 2014

The Calcutta St. Leger (Gr.3)                                       March 8, 2014