Night Racing, or more appropriately evening racing on this weekend, thought impossible for long, is potentially the dawn of a new era for the RWITC. 

It was exactly ten years ago that Dr Vijay Mallya, who was bidding to become Chairman of the Club, had made this his election plank. The proposal however fell through, in spite of The UB Group’s sponsorship, as it was linked to unfettered rights to be given to the liquor giant for sale of its products and other F&B. A feasibility study showed that the capital investment would only pay off or be subsidised by food and liquor revenue. 

A decade has gone by and the introduction of what is seen to be a path breaking initiative has been on the backburner. Efforts by the newly formed Working Group by conducting a trial on Saturday and Sunday to have three races each day between 7 to 8pm under lights will test the technical feasibility as a starting point for its long term future. Night Racing has been hugely popular in Hong Kong and Singapore, though not as widespread in the U.S. or Europe. Our Club, which has several firsts to its credit in the promotion of the sport, hence has pulled off another coup by this experiment. Whether the live telecast of racing, web streaming, converting race days to entertainment hotspots, social media, communication and advertising, charity linked to racing, media and hospitality alliances, the RWITC did it first and the RWITC did it best. 

The sharp decline in attendance this season and the objective to draw a younger, newer audience makes night racing the magic potion that could well catapult the sport into a new stratosphere. Unlike the Far East, where betting is the main draw and convenience of time makes this tick, in India it will have to be backed with some serious tamasha if it is to sustain over a period of time. Hence the opening day has a host of food and liquor, live music and I believe even a laser show and fireworks are planned- a virtual big bang start!  

Comparison with the blazing success of The Indian Premier League is both odious and relevant. Cricket had a huge image makeover by the loud music, shorter format and the cheer girls that appealed for the fun element, but the underlying reason for making it a money spinner was the passion for the game and TV audiences at the end of day. And ultimately for this dream for horse racing to be not a one off wonder, will be the integrity of the sport and its professional stewarding that will count for much, much more. Unless the public has confidence in the fairness in the conduct of the sport, night racing may well be seen as a gimmicky effort which will fade away once the initial euphoria is over. 

One can only hope for the sake of the sport that this huge leap that has been bravely taken proves to be a winner. Capital and running costs are a concern yes, and will have to be addressed, but when there is a will, a way can be found. A way must also be found to see this is sustainable by new ideas and innovation. If the product is good, as is promised, sponsorship support is there for the asking. Its quite possible that fun off the track will steal the spotlight away from the lit up green, but who cares if the turnstiles are a rolling!