Today, when one stands in the weighing room at Mumbai/Pune which was once off-limits to all but those with an interest in the forthcoming race, one cannot help but feel a deep sense of regret, that we will never again experience the true spirit of theSport of Kings of days gone by.

And let me tell you why that is so. It is simply because in the past, Horse Racing was governed by individuals who understood the sport, who encouraged excellence, who willed a Champion to win, who took decisions on merit and not on how many votes they were going to lose or gain, on account of that decision.

An institution can flourish if it is managed by able administrators.Sadly, the decline in the RWITC is evident. The management's primary goal should be to ensure that races are run on merit as their responsibility stretches far beyond pleasing the voting members of the Club.

The Be Safe debacle in Mumbai where the one of the Owners of the winning horse, while himself a member of the Managing Committee of the RWITC was permitted to enter the Stewards room as the spokesman for the rider of the losing horse and justify the ride of Suraj Narredu was in poor taste and unacceptable to thecommon punter. However since Dhunjibhoy had the majority, this concession was permitted. The loss of a Champion was secondary. Nowhere in the world wouldthis be contemplated let alone allowed. Clearly there was a conflict of interest.

The Dhunjibhoy camp made many promises in their election manifesto such as “Professional Stewards”, enquiries to be on camera for the media and public. These promises remain unfulfilled. The public wants an answer. We wish to know the truth, not just the version of the Stewards. Make public the documents and hold the enquires in camera so that the common race goer may see the process first hand.

The latest incident where the ex Chairman of the Club, Vivek Jain is seen to be calling the shots from the wings to ensure that his elected members can do his bidding in the appeals of Jadhav and Shroff is even more disturbing and unethical to put it mildly. We simply hear about morals/ethics and taking the high ground but we do not see these words being translated into actions.

If a Member of the Board of Appeal is incapable of acting independently, then he has no business to be holding that position. Likewise a Member of the Managing Committee member has no business to attempt to control the outcome of an Appeal.

Mr. Jain has worked tirelessly to ensure that that the Government enforces a "Code of Conduct" and puts a stop to parties and gifts prior to elections as it was affecting him and his team. Instead, we wish Mr. Jain had worked as hard topromote the sport. The RWITC seems to have become the domain of a few powerful individuals with their own agendas. In a year, two, five years from now, wewill be left clearing the debris left behind.

Today when one reads the racing news, all that is covered is the politics between the two factions, whereas in the old days, Champion horses were given front-page billing. A film producer standing for elections is now being thrust on us in the news. This is not a matter that holds the interest of the racing public.

With all due respect, we do not wish to read about a Dhunjibhoy or a Jain and their agendas of self-promotion. Instead, we would much rather read about an Elusive Pimpernel, a Squanderer and others like them.

On behalf of all of us common people that love the sport of horse racing, I appeal to the entire Committee and the Board of Appeal of RWITC: "Step back and view the mayhem that you collectively have caused. Change your attitude, promote racing, not yourselves and conduct this wonderful sport with the honour and dignity it truly deserves."