Mumbai ready for its maiden night race

LIGHTS, CAMERA, OFF THE BLOCKS RWITC : conducted a mock race ahead of the main event on Saturday. Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury

After last year’s successful preliminary run of the evening race, the Royal Western India Turf Club Ltd (RWITC) has framed 19 race days under floodlights, which will commence from Saturday, January 9, at Mahalaxmi Race Course.

The course has always enjoyed an iconic status and the RWITC is universally looked upon as the premier race course in the country. Zavaray S Poonawalla, Chairman of RWITC, who won the bid of Rs 1.15 crore as a sponsor to the title rights of evening racing, will be hosting this event for 19 days between 4 pm to 8 pm, followed by a range of food and leisure activities until 10 pm.

Fat purse

The opening ceremony under the lights will take place post sunset on the race track before the evening race commences. The feature of the day is a Rs 30 lakh race. “The Zavaray Poonawalla Evening Racing Triple Million” will take place at 7.30 pm and the winner will be presented with a glittering trophy worth Rs. 10 lakh in front of the Grand Stands.

The Club had a mock race on Thursday evening. Nine horses participated under the floodlights. Poonawalla said, “The feedback provided by the jockeys was positive and we look forward to a successful evening racing as planned on Saturday.”

Jockey A Sandesh, who rode in the mock race, told

The Hindu , “I think this year’s lighting is better than last year. I found it to be very good. I have ridden in Hong Kong, Macau under the floodlights and this is as good as the same. Horses were also responding well.”

Praveen Thampi, Creative Director, Illumania Designs, who has been given the contract for lighting up the race course, said, “Last year was basically a trial run that was on an average a basic criteria. But this year, we have designed it as per the international standards or better than international stadiums, including Meydan Race Course in Dubai.”

Free seating

Zavaray Poonawalla said, “We are pleased to inform that in our endeavour to make as many free seating as possible for members and their guests, we are temporarily strengthening the New Stand, wherein around 300 to 400 members/guests could be accommodated on a first-come-first-serve basis. Seating arrangements via nice benches has been created in front of the Members’ Stand, which will accommodate around 300 to 400 people.

Vivek Jain, chairman, Marketing Group, RWITC, told The Hindu, “Evening Racing is a great innovation. We have worked very hard to make it a spectacular success. We hope we will succeed in getting a new, young audience to the turf.”