Due to the unseasonal rainfall witnessed in the past few weeks at Mumbai, uncertainty surrounds the start of the Mumbai racing season 2025-26, which was scheduled to start on 23rd November 2025. Following the conclusion of the Pune racing season, the administration of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) had decided to start the movement of horses from Pune to the Mahalaxmi racecourse on November 10. However, the club’s planned timetable to get the stables and the racetracks suitably prepared for the arrival of the horses from Pune for the forthcoming Mumbai racing season got derailed by the unexpected rainfall.

To tide over this problem and ensure that the racing prospectus for the Mumbai season holds good, the RWITC managing committee was of the opinion that it would be in the interest of all the stakeholders to conduct the first day of the Mumbai races at Pune on November 16. However, it is reliably learnt that the trainers vehemently opposed this move and insisted that season should start at Mahalaxmi racecourse even if it is delayed. Consequently, the turf club's managing committee left the decision to the stewards’ body which, following its consultation with club’s officials and the members of the Western India Trainers Association, agreed to postpone the first race meeting from November 23 to November 27. The stewards also revealed that in case the rainfall in Mumbai persists, the situation will be reviewed and the club will act accordingly which means that, if the situation demands. the first race meeting could be held at Pune racecourse on November 16.

Although the ambiguity as far as the movement of horses to Mumbai is concerned remains, the weather has shown improvement as the cloudy skies have made way for the sun to shine brightly. Yet, it will be a few days before the club decides the actual date when the professionals would be given the green signal to start shifting their horses. In all probability the movement of horses could start around November 17.