Indiarace caught up with B Puttanna, President, Karnataka Trainers Association and sought his views on the state of affairs at the Bangalore Turf Club, as also on the ensuing winter season starting later this week. He spoke candidly and indicated that the views expressed by him were those commonly shared by the trainers collectively .This is what he had to say:

On Winter Season 2007-08
We are all eagerly looking ahead to a long and tough season. The quality of race horses at this centre is exceptionally good, and the competition is going to be very keen. Horses will have to be at their very best to win a race.

On Tracks and Stables
The track as usual is lush green and in top condition. We must compliment the people responsible for it. It would not be out of place to say that it is the best maintained race track in the country.
As regards the stables, the less said the better. There has always been a great shortage of stables in Bangalore. This year, with the demolition of over a 100 stables, the demands have increased. It has become a real tight situation. We learn that the new team at the helm of affairs at our club is keen to take up construction of 200 stables on a war-footing. It is hoped that the noise and pollution generated by this project is not going to disturb the peace and quiet of the horses in the existing stables. Cleanliness and hygiene are two issues that the authorities need to address.

On Prices of 2-year Olds
The prices being quoted for two-year olds have skyrocketed this year. New owners with big bucks are entering the sport and are happily paying the prices being asked by the breeders. Wide publicity and higher stakes have attracted large corporates and big businessmen into buying horses. All in all, great news for the breeders but bad news for the small owners. We may soon see the smaller owners making syndicates in the near future.

On Sponsored Races at BTC
We are way behind RWITC as far as sponsored racing is concerned. There are many Million races for youngsters at the Mahalakshmi race course. We miss that kind of action at the BTC. It is because of these opportunities that the better youngsters in the larger stables at BTC are shifted to Mumbai during the winter season. The moment they go a brilliant gallop on the training track, they are loaded onto a horsebox and shifted to RWITC. Our loss is their gain.
We need a good marketing committee in place at the BTC which should make all-out efforts and attract big sponsors, in order to take the racing at the BTC to a higher level.

On Prospectus and Other Administrative Mattters
The prospectus for the coming season is well-planned and we were all quite happy to see it. One must accept that the racing at the Bangalore Turf Club has a nationwide following. The ever-increasing tote collections reflect the confidence of the punting patrons in the system put into place by the elected representatives of the club members at our club. We all look forward to a great season of racing in the coming months.