The seemingly harsh seven-year suspension meted out to jockey Ronald by the RWITC Stewards of the Club, for his alleged involvement in “dishonest, corrupt, fraudulent and improper practices in the stables,” may be historic but it has apparently failed to impress the racing fraternity one bit. Further still, serious doubts are being expressed over the exact motives behind the theatrical manner in which the entire enquiry was conducted.

It may be recalled that the RWITC Stewards had directed the stipendiary stewards to conduct an enquiry into the withdrawal of two horses — Star of Nature and Always Certain, during the Pune season last year. Interestingly, all the initial suspects in this case were let off by the stewards and instead Ronald was pronounced guilty subsequent to a de-novo enquiry instituted by the Stewards of the Meeting on May 1. Ronald was finally suspended for seven years on May 3.

However, there are certain RWITC members and owners, who are keen observers of this game and have strong reservations about the conclusion reached by the stipes and the stewards. But, except for a race horse owner Mr Nazir Shaikh, the others refuse to come out in the open for fear of reprisal. Yet, all the questions raised by this agnostic minority do seem pertinent in the context of the entire enquiry.

Mr Shaikh in a letter addressed to the chairman of the Stewards of the Club, Mr Shyam Ruia, has criticised him for not handing over the case to the police. “It is well known that Ronald is only the front for a far deeper malaise that has resulted in at least 4 or more medication malpractices. Therefore, it was only fit for the Stewards to hand over the matter to the police, who have the means to interrogate all suspects and where more names could have surfaced. By not doing so, you have opened yourself to the allegation that the Stewards are attempting to shield the major culprits,” wrote Mr Shaikh. The owner, who has a good number of horses at this centre, goes on to ask, “Even if the police enquiry was to reveal nothing, was there any harm in at least trying?” 

Another owner, who has all along been tracking this case but wants to remain anonymous, pointed out certain developments which should serve as an eye-opener. Giving a detailed account, he informs: “It was quite surprising to see the inaction of club authorities. Do you know that the first case in this series was reported as early as December 2, 2001, when Danger Zone was withdrawn? During the same Mumbai season three more cases were reported, yet the club chose not to take the matter seriously. The withdrawal of four favourite horses under mysterious circumstances would’ve surely prompted any other racing club into taking swift action. Yet nothing happened at RWITC. Having slept through almost the entire Pune season 2002, the stewards finally woke up when Always Certain and Star of Nature fell victim to the same modus operandi observed in Mumbai. Ultimately, the RWITC got its act together and rounded up several suspects employed in the yards of trainers Arti Doctor and Jaggy Dhariwal. 

During the course of interrogating these suspects, stipendiary steward Mr Shujaat Hussain, who was investigating this case, got an impression that those involved in this racket have to be a close-knit group of people operating inside the RWITC premises. Otherwise, Mr Hussain felt, none would dare execute such dastardly acts single-handedly inside the RWITC stabling area. Slowly but surely Mr Hussain came very close to cracking the case. And suddenly he was transferred to Delhi Race Club. This provokes me to doubt the intention of the RWITC stewards.”

“Whoever was pulling the strings during this enquiry has done a very good job. But, I refuse to buy the theory that jockey Ronald is the kingpin behind this racket, something which the Stewards are now trying to prove. Ronald’s involvement, if at all there is any, would be akin to that of a small cog in a big wheel,” concludes this one-time owner of several horses. 

Echoing similar thoughts another club member said: “Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is the first severe punishment ever given by Mr Ruia. Take the manner in which this enquiry proceeded and the timing of pronouncing the judgment, it has left ample scope for misgivings. The presence of an IAS officer, who is a government nominee, at the end of the trial also seems to be a deliberate attempt to show that the club does not tolerate corrupt practices. Ironically, the trainers, syces, jamadars, assistant trainers etc are all aware of the identity of the real culprits. The only ignorant lot, it seems, consists of our Stewards and the stipes.”

Such voices may be isolated but there is an unmistakable undercurrent of resentment flowing through a silent majority of racegoers, who are not satisfied by the manner in which this whole enquiry was conducted. 

According to latest reports, Ronald has taken a legal recourse and has sought a stay on his punishment. A local court has granted the club a week’s time to file its reply and the matter will be up for a final hearing shortly. Jockey Ronald’s steely resolve to seek justice from the court of law may cause further damage to the credibility of the RWITC.