You got to doff your hat to the management committee of the Mysore Race Club (MRC) spearheaded by the chairman, KT Balakrishna. Back on track after five long months, hard hit by the glanders disease, MRC has done exceedingly well to frame a competitive card of eight events and in all the eight races, a dozen horses will come under the starter's flag on the opening day (May 27).   

Unlike the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC), who failed to generate entries resulting in small non-competitive cards framed in the first three weeks after BTC started their summer season on May Day, MRC wisely chose not to rush and slowly yet surely got the track in ship-shape condition before the start and the trainers immensely pleased with the tack and the prevailing climatic conditions following a couple of thunder showers are ready and willing to race their horses in the effort to earn the advertised four crore stakes on offer for the 11-day season.

KT Balakrishna pleased with the response to the opener, disclosed that MRC in its campus has more than 450 horses including 125 under the care of a dozen trainers, who made MRC their base after the Madras Race Club shut shop early last year. "This apart our big events of the season, the Mysore Fillies and Colts Trial Stakes and the two Million events, the Mysore Summer Million and the MRC Million on the final day will feature a good number of quality horses from the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC), " said Balakrishna adding that the professionals at this centre after the long break are raring to go. 

The chairman revealed that the committee has roped in a couple of sponsors for the main events and the effort is on to get all the plums sponsored. "My committee is working on that and hopefully we will get a good number of events sponsored by the many sports promoters in the royal city," said Balakrishna. 

100 betting terminals will start operations on the first day. And that's a good number taking into account that more than 20 bookmakers too will be operating in the bookmakers' ring. 

So all said and done, the stage is set and the thunder of the hooves will provide a lyrical ring to what on cards promises to be a highly competitive summer season.