While addressing the media on Friday, Deepak Khaitan, the managing director and vice-chairman of Eveready Industries India, said: “I would love to see families from all strata of society coming to this gala event on Sunday for entertainment and not just gambling. Like the Triple Crown in the United States, I would like it to be package of three major events of the season. Our company is one of the leading brands of batteries in the world and since racing is my passion, I am really keen to lend a helping hand wherever possible.” He recalled his glory days at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club with a twinge of nostalgia.

“My father led in his first winner as early as 1949 and I tasted my first success on the turf in 1984. Thus, you can well understand that my family has enjoyed a long association with RCTC. I remember when Elusive Pimpernel ran in the Invitation Cup of 1995, people flocked from far and wide to get a glimpse of this wonder horse.” Thereafter, a somewhat humble Khaitan conceded that his flashy chestnut Hall Of Glory is running in Sunday’s mega event, The Eveready Calcutta Derby Stakes, “merely to represent my colours”. He added: “We are sponsoring this event to popularize the ‘sport of kings’ further in this part of the country as the current management of RCTC headed by Chairman Cyrus Madan and his CEO Gen JR Mukherjee is doing a great job.”

The idea of building half-a-dozen or so off-course totalisators spread across the metropolis is close to Khaitan’s heart. “It would give the game a big boost and help in eradicating the stigma attached to the sport in this country.” “You will have noticed that racing at this centre has been far more open this season, not just the red-and-golds or goldie-brown as the media like to dub it,” said Khaitan – referring to his own colours and those of MAM Ramaswamy respectively.

In a more jocular vein, Khaitan added that though the generation next of the Khaitan household were not keen followers of thoroughbreds, he was hoping that his grandchildren may take to the sport someday and keep the Khaitan colours flying high at this centre. “Right now, my kids are following in their uncle’s footsteps who is more into golf,” he added with a smile, referring to Aditya’s love for the green. The total prize money for this year’s Derby is an attractive Rs 1.07 crore. The winner takes home a large portion of this – almost Rs 63 lakh. Eveready Industries is putting up Rs 30 lakh, while RCTC is adding an equal amount. The rest is from the accrued sweepstakes. Unfortunately, the field of eight runners is not as attractive as the prize money. The immortal lyrics of the song:

‘Where have all the (flowers) gone? Girls have picked them every one’; would be apt for this year’s Calcutta Derby – all one needs to do is replace the word ‘flowers’ with ‘boys’. In this case of course, boys and girls would naturally refer to colts and fillies respectively. Of the eight runners in the fray for Sunday’s mega-classic, six are fillies. Out of the two males in the line-up, only one (Hall Of Glory) has any realistic chance of landing the spoils. The other, Tintoretto, is likely to be used as a pacemaker for the Pesi Shroff-trained pair of Xisca and Alice Springs. As Tintoretto is owned by the connections of Xisca, it shows a certain amount of magnanimity on their part to enter a pacemaker which may actually aid their stablemate, owned by one of the country’s premier owners,

Dr Vijay Mallya. In the Oaks, it was clear that the lack of a genuine pacemaker hindered the fashionably bred filly Alice Springs (Razeen-Allinda). Two other factors contributed to her narrow defeat at the hands of the 10-to-3-on favourite Xisca. One was the fact that she was given too much to do at Calcutta’s infamous hairpin and the other was a slight check that she received as front-running Strike A Deal was fast coming back at her. A smoother ride in the hands of Chris Hayes could see her get the better of her stablemate.

As for Xisca, she has left no doubt in the minds of punters that she won the Calcutta Oaks fair and square, without any hard-luck stories. The bay filly by China Visit out of Altimara has a wonderful turn of foot as is certain to be kept off the pace by French ace Stephane Pasquier. Thus, a battle royale is in the offing. As an added attraction, there will be a carried forward Jackpot Pool of Rs 10 lakh added to the day’s collection.