Dubai may permit Indian horses to fly in directly
By Sharan Kumar
Oct 31, 2004
After years of sustained efforts, things appear to be falling in place, with the racing authorities in Dubai considering allowing Indian horses to fly in there directly to take part in races during the Dubai racing festival. The Dubai team of officials is visiting India in the first week of November to inspect the isolation facilities at Mumbai. The authorities have agreed in principle to work towards such feasibility. It may be recalled that last year two Indian horses namely Classical Act and Zurbaran took part in the Dubai racing festival after taking the circuitous to reach Dubai by transiting via Malaysia to USA and then staying there for 40 days before reaching their destination. Such a route had put a tremendous strain on the financial viability of such ventures. It also put the horses out of gear as they were out of action during quarantine time.
Mr. Fin Powrie, Chief Steward of Dubai Racing and Director of United Emirates Racing Association, had visited India in the month of July to familiarize himself with Indian racing and was pretty optimistic that things would turn out in Indias favour. Indian horses are certainly welcome to race in Dubai, Fin Powrie had said. ``The racing authorities are sympathetic to the ordeals that Indian horses had to undergo while reaching Destination Dubai. Quarantine procedures will soon be in place facilitating easier movement of Indian horses, he had promised.
Chairman of Royal Western India Turf Club Mr. K N Dhunjibhoy said the move to permit Indian horses to go to Dubai had some exciting possibilities. `` Things are moving in the right direction and soon hurdles in the free movement of Indian horses would be a thing of the past. There is also a possibility that Indian mares could be sent to Dubai for purposes of covering which could enhance the breeding standards in India as well, he opined. ``I must compliment trainer Padmanabhan for his efforts in bringing about this eventuality, he added.