That the dark clouds over the Pune landscape would linger on way beyond the end of the monsoon, was not something the RWITC or the racing fraternity had bargained for. First the huge blaze which destroyed the upper deck of the Grandstand at Mumbai raised a doubt on the prompt start of the Mumbai season, and a second fire, weeks later, virtually brought the scheduled repairs to our prime stand to a halt. The progress on this remains sketchy. However, with some bravado, the Committee yet decided to commence racing all the same, sans the stand, not even suspecting a large shadow loomed right over its shoulder. The outbreak of equine influenza which spread like wildfire over the Pune stables on the last weekend of racing snuffed out any remote possibility of a timely start to the Mumbai season. It is unfortunate that the fever reported at the farms in the Pune region and also at the stables in September was glossed over as being of no real consequence. What is clear is that the suddenness, magnitude and intensity of the epidemic caught everyone on the wrong leg. Post-mortems are academic, but when normalcy returns, a serious debate on crisis management for the future would be imperative. The current news is that new cases of fever are on the downgrade and hardly a dozen odd horses have temperatures above 102, if reports are authentic. However, cough and nasal discharge is still widespread. It is expected that the symptoms would entirely ease off in a few weeks. The crux would be the rest and recovery phase and how the debilitated horses respond to the stress of fast work. Keeping this in mind, a tentative date of January 15 has been set as the earliest possible to commence racing in Mumbai, though this would be reviewed periodically. In the gloom of a series of bad news, the highlight of a glorious Pune season was lost sight of. Sponsorships surged 33% to a record high of Rs 86.80 lakh, which saw each weekend with a distinctive sponsor. Attendance was up 10% and it was heartening that every big day saw a rise in numbers. Tote and fixed odds betting was up by over 15% on a per day basis. Most of the top races had record prize money and for the first time the Nanoli Pune Derby had a purse in excess of Rs 50 lakh. The season ending O Awards, a first time Oscar style ceremony was a riotous success, conducted with style and aplomb and much appreciated by those present. We hope to make this event a flag bearer for racing awards. That brings us to Mumbai racing. It is disheartening that months of effort to bring in top quality sponsors will be destroyed by the delay. We had sponsors from day one through to the end of March. Most of the early season sponsors have agreed to postponements. Unfortunately, we have lost Longines and Johnnie Walker. A truncated season will make my task, as head of Marketing, a most onerous one - in retaining our sponsors and accommodating the rescheduled ones. A season of record prize money and super events was on the cards, but it is now lost in the realms of fantasy. The owners will face the brunt of the hardship, but in view of the colossal loss the club will incur, may have to be patient in their demand for subsidy from the Club. It will be a tight-rope operation in view of the dual disaster of renovation expenses and the loss of race days and sponsorships. There is no decision on the Indian classics. The Indian Derby, almost surely, will face a postponement. It is a pity there is a huge doubt on the staging of the Invitation Cup in Mumbai. Hardly the scenario we envisaged with a new sponsor in Hirco eager to make a splendid debut to racing sponsorship. Thankfully Hirco remains committed in spite of such uncertainty and the economic environment. It is said that situations such as this distinguish the men from the boys. One cannot fight nature. I am sure there will be learning lessons for all and with our collective effort, it will not be long before one hears the thunder of hooves at Mahalaxmi.