Indian horses most welcome: Powrie

By Sharan Kumar

July 23, 2004

Things are looking up for Indian horses. After trainer Padmanabhan managed to take Zurbaran and Classical Act to race them during the Dubai Racing Carnival early this year, there is a distinct possibility of Indian horses reaching Dubai directly from India. Indian horses are certainly welcome to race in Dubai, said Fin Powrie, Chief Steward and Director of United Emirates Racing Association on a recent visit to India. Both the Indian horses, which raced at Dubai, had to be sent to USA first for the mandatory 40 days quarantine and then flown to Dubai, consuming both money and time in the process. ``The racing authorities at Dubai have certainly taken note of the circuitous route that Indian horses had to take in order to take part during the Dubai Racing Carnival. We are amazed by the efforts made to race Indian horses in Dubai. We know that the biggest stumbling block for free movement of horses is the quarantine regulation and talks are afoot between the Ministry of UAE and Indian government so that Indian horses could reach Dubai directly,'' added Powrie. Expressing optimism, he said that ``Quarantine procedures will soon be in place facilitating greater mobility of Indian horses,'' There is a big Indian presence in Dubai in every walk of life.

Powrie, the Australian who is at the helm of affairs at Dubai, was on a visit to India to familiarize himself with the Indian racing set up and breeding operations. He was on hand to watch the Bangalore Derby and then went on to visit some of the leading stud farms in the country like the Kunigal Stud Farm and the Poonawalla Stud Farms. He had talks with the National Horse Breeding Society and expressed satisfaction that some progress will be there before long. Explaining the reasons behind expanding Dubai World Cup into a six-week carnival of racing, he said that the Royalty want Dubai racing to be the high point of world racing and they were very keen on getting more countries to take part so that Destination Dubai becomes the agenda of sporting enthusiasts visiting the country during its World famous shopping festival.

Mr. Zavary Poonawalla, Mr. Fin Powrie (Director of Racing & Chief Steward, Emirates Racing Association), Mr. Padmanabhan & Mrs. Sharmila Padmanabhan 

Powrie said that out of the 21 million US dollars up for grabs, the stake money for the World Cup day itself was 15.25 million. This year, more money would be pumped into the races during the carnival and the addition of four million US dollars would enhance the total stake money. Subsidies are in place to make it attractive for those in Macau and other lesser-known entities to make it to the carnival. ``In short Dubai wants to offer an attractive off-season alternative to Europe and the rest of the World.''

``I had a totally different perception of Indian horses and racing. I must confess that I am impressed with what I saw. Zurbaran and Classical Act may not have performed as well as one expected them but a beginning has been made. With helpful quarantine regulations, things can only improve,'' Powrie said. ``Quite a few horses which did not have the rating to compete on the big day, earned their place by performing in lead up races and then went on to cement their place in some of the invitational races of the World like the Hong Kong Invitational,'' added Powrie.

In just nine years of existence, the Dubai World Cup has already attained a unique place in the world of racing. 89 horses from 17 different countries took part in the 2004 edition and Dubai is equipped to quarantine about 180 horses. ``I am sure Dubai Racing Carnival will become a significant and integral part of international racing just as the many events that carry the tag of history and mystic about them,'' added Powrie.

Zavary Poonawalla who accompanied Powrie during his Bangalore and Pune visit, said that he would be glad to offer subsidies to Indian horses going to Dubai well in time for the carnival to acclimatize and prepare better rather than reach in the last minute. Dubai racing authorities offer a subsidy of US 2000 dollars for transportation. They also provide excellent stabling accommodation and other facilities for the trainers.