The highpoint remains sponsorships,
which at a cumulative 65 lacs is an all-time record for a Pune season,
and up well over 100% from the 29 lacs the Club obtained just two
years ago. There was a time when only the Pune Derby and Independence
Cup found sponsors, and we now have a sponsored race almost every
weekend! What is even more heartening is the presence of seven
first-time sponsors, and it was months of effort that finally paid
off.
In addition to the huge direct benefit to the Club, the sponsors bring
in a special glitz to the day with entertainment, prizes and a new
guest list. We have, on the anvil, a wine tasting festival, a whiskey
and fashion event, a casino night and a chance to win an all expenses
paid trip to the Dubai Gold Cup next March. And more, as we go along.
Chateau Indage, Diageo, Capricorn Stud, Ganga Developments, PRA
Realty, Amanora and Casino Goa will sponsor a race at Pune for the
first time. We hope they will be here to stay. Interestingly almost
all the leading stud farms around Pune support our program.
The season's highlight will be the Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, sponsored
yet again by Nanoli, and they have upped their contribution by 25% to
15 lacs. Another high point will be the newly introduced Johnnie
Walker Race Day, with six sponsored races in conjunction with Smirnoff
over the weekend with a dash of flair and fashion and a huge pre event
marketing blitz.
The two traditional Derby trials, the F.D.Wadia and the S.A.Poonawalla
get a boost, with guaranteed prize money going up to 12 lacs, though
the actual purse could well touch 15 lacs each. The newly introduced
Ganga Melrose Million is another top prize for the juveniles.
The RWITC has taken steps to improve the funding of its group races
and has also moderately revised their penalty structure in the
interest of equity. Tightening of participation norms by outstation
horses, as followed by other clubs, will provide a more level playing
field for the Western India owner. In addition, liberal pro-owner
norms for dividing and declaring races void will ensure that almost
every race advertised will be run, as far as possible.
The Club hopes to maintain its level of dialogue and transparency with
all sections of the fraternity namely owners, trainers, bookmakers,
punters and the Press to ensure a smooth and efficient conduct of the
season.
