Feel good’ factor swamps RWITC administration

By Usman Rangila

April  5, 2004

There is strong likelihood that the media managers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are ardent racegoers or probably have accurate knowledge of the functioning of the Royal Western India Turf Club. For, the feel-good factor, which the BJP-led NDA government is utilising to highlight its achievements of the last five years in power, has always been in vogue with the RWITC administration.

Be that as it may, the committee members and the officials of the RWITC are so enamoured with this feel-good experience that they remain blissfully ignorant of the rotten manner in which the sport of horseracing is being conducted in Western India. Over the years, the racing public has cast aspersions on RWITC authorities about their inability to conduct racing in a free and fair manner. The situation still persists yet successive administrators of this premier horseracing institution in the country have refused to pay any heed to all criticism of this sort. Small wonder if the racegoers are gradually losing faith in the administration. 

Apart from the infamous decision that was arrived at in the Gold Star case, there exists a long list of incidents where the RWITC authorities are accused of being biased in their approach. The main grouse of the common punter as well as those who are passionate about horseracing is the “kid-glove” treatment meted to habitual offenders. There also exists a strong feeling among the racegoers that there is a select group of professionals who fall in the category of “untouchables”. Untouchables not in the sense of the caste system that was prevalent in India some decades ago but these are untouchables as shown in the Kevin Costner movie of the same name. These “gentlemen” go about committing crimes with impunity as if to suggest that they’ve been granted unqualified immunity by the club.

“Not allowing a horse to run on its merit”, is the term commonly used by turf club authorities to describe the hooking of a horse in a race. Usually it is the favourite horse that becomes a victim of such tactics and it is the common punter who stands to lose his hard-earned money. A cursory glance at the number of favourites that have lost in these circumstances and the number of professionals who’ve been punished by the club gives a fair idea about the state of affairs of the RWITC.

Leave alone being punished by the RWITC Stewards, no professional has faced any sort of prosecution during the current racing season. If at all the Stewards have punished any offender, the Board of Appeal rushed to their rescue. This is precisely the reason why racing patrons allege that the authorities are hand-in-glove with the offenders. Who is to blame if there is an overpowering feeling among all section of racegoers that all the enquiries, investigations and decisions taken by the club are nothing but humbug? 

The stipendiary stewards being employees of the club are at the mercy of the managing committee and are being accused of being amenable to the members. Questions are being asked whether the stipes are allowed to perform independently and are they willing to do so? The answer is anybody’s guess. Restoring the confidence of all sections of racing patrons in the sport and the administration as well should be the priority of the current management. Sadly, there is no hint of any such exercise being initiated by the club. If the situation doesn’t improve in the coming days, fears are being expressed that the near violent demonstrations witnessed on March 21 will become the order of the day at Mahalaxmi.