Following an inordinate delay in the start of the Bangalore racing season, the Bangalore Turf Club managed to host its first racing weekend of its summer programme against all odds just recently. The bumper card that went underway at Bangalore has not only set the ball rolling for the sport’s conduct in the country but also set the tone for an exciting phase for other turf clubs as they unveil their respective monsoon season at Pune, Hyderabad and Mysore shortly.

The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) is all set for the inaugural day of its monsoon season on Sunday which goes underway on Sunday, 21 July. The RWITC administration has designed a compact season consisting of 20 meetings which promises an action-packed horse-racing experience with prize money worth nearly Rs 11 crore on offer for the winning connections.

The Indian St. Leger (Gr.1) and the Pune Derby (Gr.1) will feature the over three-month long racing season with several million races including the SA Poonawalla certainly adding charm to the competition. The St. Leger and Derby will be run on September 22 and October 13 respectively. Both these Group 1 races will be sponsored by the gaming company Horse Power Sports Limited (HPSL). Once again the spectators can expect a relishing three-day racing fiesta which starts with the running of the prestigious Independence Trophy on August 15.

The horses under training remain more or less the same as last year with around 690 equines stationed in the stabling facilities here. Trainers Altaf Hussain and Sheraz Sunderji, two highly successful trainers in Western India, were snatched away by death in quick succession recently and their presence will be sorely missed by the racing fraternity. Hussain passed away last November soon after the conclusion of the Pune season while Sunderji breathed his last earlier this month, shortly after surrendering his trainer’s license.