RWITC calls off Mercedes versus Imperialism race

By Usman Rangila

February 15, 2005

The marketing sub-committee of the Royal Western India Turf Club has been forced to pull the plug on their much-publicised plan to race a Mercedes car against a Thoroughbred horse on Sunday. Speculations about the club having to abort their plans were rife in racing circles here since Tuesday afternoon after the RWITC postponed and later hurriedly called off its proposed photo-shoot to publicise the event. Initially the club refused to comment on these reports but just hours later a formal announcement about the club’s decision to cancel the race was made. According to Mr. Sunil Jhangiani, Managing Committee member of the RWITC, the event was called off due to logistic reasons.

"The race has been called off. It is because of logistic problems and the handicapping was also posing a big problem for us," informed Mr. Jhangiani. "We are trying put something else in place and will inform you of the decision in due course," he added. When asked if the decision to call off the race was taken to avoid any controversy after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had raised objections towards a horse being asked to compete against a machine, Mr. Jhangiani gave a guarded reply, "I am also hearing these reports but so far the club has not received any objections. In any case the horse and the car were not going to go flat out, but it hardly matters now."

In a bid to draw crowds to the Mahalaxmi racecourse, the RWITC had earlier announced that it would host an exclusive race where a horse named Imperialism was to be ridden by trainer and ex-jockey Pesi Shroff, and it was to compete against a Mercedes car on Sunday. This race between an equine and a machine was to coincide with the running of the Eclipse Stakes of India on Sunday, February 20.