Royal Western India Turf Club
Encyclopedia
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n sports club, into horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, established in 1802, which runs the Mahalaxmi Racecourse
Mahalaxmi Racecourse
The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a horse racing track in Mahalaxmi neighbourhood, of Mumbai. The track is oval shaped with 2400 m straight chute, spread over approx. of open land in the heart of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land known as Mahalakshmi Flats. Built in 1883 and modelled on...
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, and the Pune Race Course
Pune Race course
Pune Race Course is a racecourse located in Pune Cantonment, western India. Built in 1830, it covers . The land is controlled by the Indian Army....
.
Its also runs an helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
History
Mahalaxmi Racecourse
The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a horse racing track in Mahalaxmi neighbourhood, of Mumbai. The track is oval shaped with 2400 m straight chute, spread over approx. of open land in the heart of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land known as Mahalakshmi Flats. Built in 1883 and modelled on...
(from November to April), including the McDowell's Indian Derby
McDowell's Indian Derby
The McDowell's Indian Derby is a horse racing event held on the first Sunday of February at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai, India. It is one of the premier sporting activities in the city. It was first run in the year 1943. This inaugural running of the Derby was won by a wonder filly Princess...
in February and Pune (from July to October), while Delhi races under its Rules.
Its first meeting was held 10th–11th January 1798, with two plates run in heats. Breakfast was served on the high grounds opposite Colonel Jones’ house and Captain G. Hall saluted the last race with fifteen guns.
Captain G. Hall, Sir Charles Forbes, A. Campbell, P. Hadow and others formed the Bombay Turf Club in 1802 and they acquired land in Byculla to conduct racing; the balcony of the clubhouse was used as a private stand for the Members. Shortly thereafter the name was changed to the Western India Turf Club.
For the major part of the nineteenth century, racing continued to be held at Byculla until in 1883 the venue was shifted to Mahalakshmi on land made available by Sir C N Wadia. The race course was originally built under the direction and supervision of Major JE Hughes.
During this time Calcutta held the upper hand in Indian racing, but as the twentieth century dawned, Bombay became the “City of Gold.”
The first running of the Eclipse Stakes of India in 1923 gave Bombay a race to rival the Viceroy’s Cup. New stands were commissioned in 1925 and then in 1935, King George V bestowed the privilege of prefixing the club’s name with “Royal.” In 1943 the first Indian Classics were run and when 21 years later the Indian Turf Invitation Cup came into being, Mahalakshmi was the chosen venue for its first running.
Pune, 3 hours drive south-east of Bombay, the other centre at which the Royal Western India Turf Club conducts its racing is quite different. It is a monsoon track and is where the main Club House (with accommodation and ballroom) is. The track is tighter and has a shorter run-in, with the variable underfoot conditions making for some expected results. Many horses from Calcutta traditionally come over to Pune for their “summer spelling” and get ready for the big Cup Races on their home turf in the winter.
Membership
The club’s membership stands at about 7,850 with the “club” class (the only category allowed to vote) members at 1,675.Broadly speaking, the categories of membership are: Life, Club, Stand and Invitee.
Entrance fees for Life membership stands at Rs 1,000,000 or roughly equivalent to US $22,000. Life members who have had a direct interest in racing for at least 5 years and wish to apply to convert to "club" class will have to pay a conversion fee of Rs 100,000 or roughly equivalent to US $2,200.
The membership base, in particular the club members, represent India's upper crust. Some of the more prominent members include:
- Vijay MallyaVijay MallyaVijay Mallya is an Indian liquor and airline baron. The son of industrialist Vittal Mallya, he is the chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines. His United Spirits is world's second largest liquor maker, by volume...
: Chairman of the United Breweries Group, Kingfisher AirlinesKingfisher AirlinesKingfisher Airlines is an airline group based in India. Its head office is Kingfisher House in Vile Parle , Mumbai. Kingfisher Airlines, through its parent company United Breweries Group, has a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red....
and Force IndiaForce IndiaSahara Force India Formula One Team, the trading name of Force India Formula One Team Limited, is a Formula One racing team based in Silverstone, United Kingdom which currently holds an Indian licence. The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian businessman Vijay Mallya and...
F1 Team. - Cyrus Poonawalla: Chairman of the Poonawalla Group, which constitutes the Serum Institute (world’s largest producer of Measles and DTP group of vaccines) and Poonawalla Stud Farms, to name a few.
- Madhur Bajaj: Vice Chairman of Bajaj AutoBajaj AutoBajaj Auto is a major Indian vehicle manufacturer started by Jamnalal Bajaj from Rajasthan in the 1930s. It is based in Pune, Maharashtra, with plants in Chakan , Waluj and Pantnagar in Uttaranchal. The oldest plant at Akurdi now houses the R&D centre Ahead...
, world’s fourth largest maker of two-wheelers.
Facilities
- Pune: Accommodation of 25 rooms & 4 cottages, Ballroom with 300 capacity, Bar, Victoria Room and Lawn.
- Bombay: Mini Clubhouse (ie restaurant), Card Room, Bar Lounge and Health Club. There are plans to build accommodation, tennis courts and swimming pool.
External links
- Royal Western India Turf Club – official Web site.
- History: Royal Western India Turf