The stuttering start to the Bangalore Winter season once again came to a grinding halt with trainers scratching all entries for this Saturday's races.
The issue this time was a letter sent to the Karnataka Trainers Association by the Bangalore Turf Club prohibiting trainers from using mobile phones on all Bangalore race days as well asking for the KTA office, which is inside the BTC premises, to be shut during the Bangalore races.
The trainers claim that this move on the part of the club management was unwarranted and amounted to victimisation of the trainers. They wanted to know why only trainers were being stopped from using mobiles when owners, club members and bookmakers were being allowed to use their phones after paying a fee. The BTC management asked the trainers to put down their views in a letter and promised to look into the matter at their next meeting scheduled for Saturday, November 18. In the meanwhile they wanted the trainers to go through with the races for that day. The KTA refused to give such a letter and insisted that the BTC immediately revoke their order.
With both sides refusing to bend and the trainers scratching all their entries from this week's fixture, racing had to be cancelled.
The lack of maturity and flexibility shown by both the parties in this latest stand off at the BTC reflects poorly on the state of racing in this centre. This has become the norm at Bangalore where racing seems to be last on the agenda while misplaced priorities seem to have taken centre stage.
