There have been many who have said that the turf club is being harshly
criticized and that the authorities are doing their best to resolve the
issues to the satisfaction of all concerned. The facts are contrary to
what the supporters of the club have been led to believe. It does not
give anyone thrill to run down an establishment. The following
happenings in the last one year justify the claim that Bangalore Turf
Club has been mismanaged and there is need for drastic overhaul.
1. The start of last year's Bangalore Summer Season was delayed by a few
days because the turf club was adamant about forming a committee to look
into the vexed problem of PF issue of syces which was threatening to
cause great harm to the sport. After much ado and several meetings, it
was decided to the form the committee and also to have a corpus fund. No
such committee was formed and the managing committee went back on its
commitment and denied that they had given any assurance in this regard.
The start of the winter season too was affected as a result and the club
again conceded to the demand of the racehorse owners and trainers to
form a committee. The committee has since been formed but no report has
been forthcoming despite the lapse of five months.
2. A new clause was incorporated into the trainers' licensing condition
which required them to given an undertaking that they would be
responsible for all the liabilities with regard to running their
establishment. After the trainers went on strike, the BTC saved its skin
by giving temporary licenses to the trainers for a period of three
months with an assurance that the trainers' problem would be addressed
within three months. A year has gone by and the trainers continue to
operate on temporary license. The BTC has not been able to solve the
problem. It was BTC which caused the problem by incorporating the clause
and is now not in a position either to enforce or withdraw the same.
3. The start of the regular Mysore season in August was interrupted
because of a strike by syces, disrupting the work barring one stable.
The management did not take an active role in solving the issue and the
situation came to such a boil that outsiders came in and bashed up the
syces in front of the authorities; causing a law and order situation
which finally paved the way for a truce. There was a total breakdown of
the club's authority in its own premises. A dangerous precedent has now
been set where force is seen as a method of solving problems all because
the BTC management absolved itself of its responsibility.
4. The relationship between the Stewards of the Mysore Race Club and the
Stewards of Bangalore Turf Club has soured. Punishments handed out by
the Mysore Race Club are not respected and set aside to suit certain
interests, giving scant regard to the fact that the professional Stipes
are the same for both clubs. By their actions, the BTC has questioned
the authority and the integrity of its own officials. Jockey Imran
Chisty who was suspended for nine months for not permitting Space Girl
to run on merits was given a total reprieve without advancing sufficient
reasons for the decision. The BTC Stewards were also badly embarrassed
when they disregarded the decision of the Mysore Race Club Stewards and
they let off jockey Vijayan for not permitting his horse Kilspindie to
run on merits. The decision put them in poor light as the horse came and
won twice in succession.
5. The winter season too was disrupted because the Stewards in their
wisdom decided to close down the trainers' office during racing hours
and also stop trainers from using their mobile phones. Both the
decisions have been since annulled after much acrimony and loss of a
racing day. Why take a decision and then go back on it? The time and
energy spent on taking such decisions could well have been better
utilised. The act of BTC was akin to that of Mohammed bin Thuglak
6. In another quixotic decision, the authorities introduced a new clause
that all those wanting to become racehorse owners needed police
clearance. The same was withdrawn after much heat and threat of
disruption of races.
7. That egos come to rule the mindset of the Stewards is evident by the
fact that jockey Silva Storai who was suspended for 14 months for not
permitting Niccoletto to run on merits was reduced to mere six days by
the Appeal Board thereby putting everybody in an embarrassing situation.
Either the Stewards body acted with grave prejudice or the Appeal Board
disregarded established norms. Either way, the BTC's reputation took a
severe beating as no reasoned explanation was forthcoming.
8. One of the government nominees took up the issue of Silva Storai and
even threatened agitational approach. The matter has since reached the
courts.
9. There were riots in the turf club for the first time after more than
15 years as agitated punters, upset at the way racing was run, took law
into their hands. The BTC Stewards did not go deep into the causes of
public anger and instead made jockey C.Alford a scapegoat while the real
culprits were not even questioned. The fact that the Stewards were wrong
in punishing Alford has been proved by the subsequent poor performance
of the horse in question despite change of stables.
10. No arrangements were made in advance for stabling of two-year olds,
causing much havoc despite being aware of the problem. The problem is
still to reach its logical end.
11. BTC's attempt to prevent Mysore Race Club from raising additional
finances by running a fixed totes odds betting with RWITC. The Mysore
Race Club is an independent race club but just because it is not an
independent turf authority, is BTC justified in bullying a small club
which is contributing immensely to the growth of racing in the country?
This big brotherly attitude has caused a loss of goodwill between the
two clubs. The BTC's argument that fixed odds betting is not legal does
not seem to stand scrutiny as the RWITC has been operating this system
without any legal problems for the past few years.
12. There was an inordinate delay in licensing apprentice jockeys. The
issue dragged on for more than one year. Even after granting licenses,
the same was held up for a month for reasons other than racing. The
apprentices did a fine job, winning about 10 races in a month thereby
highlighting how trainers and owners were handicapped in the absence of
jockeys claiming allowance. This was another instance of the Stewards
dragging their feet when it came to taking decision concerning racing.
13. It is open knowledge that no norms are followed when it comes to
licensing professionals. More often than not persons with clout are
granted licenses while others, who are probably more deserving but are
not as influential, lose out.
14. Poor maintenance of the race track. The committee took powers on
itself to oversee track preparation and ordering water for the track
resulting in total chaos upsetting the established norms. The track
during the Bangalore Winter Season was the worst in the turf club's
racing history.
15. Under utilization of existing facilities due to lack of a proper
policy. One example of this point is the swimming pool for horses which
could not be used for long periods this winter season as there was
either no water or not enough for horses to swim.
16. Lack of concern for the safety of horses. Even after the death of a
horse, that bolted and fell over the parapet wall into the underground
stables, was reported on this site, it took more than five months for
follow up action.
17. Refusal to provide media facilities for disseminating information,
throwing accepted norms out of the window.
18. Not making an attempt to find an alternate piece of land to set up a
new race course despite being under constant threat from the government
to shift the race course. The existing space too is shrinking alarmingly
due to road expansions on either side of the course.
19. Strike by syces, race horse owners, race horse trainers, and
punters, demoralized officials and the government move to ban racing.
What else highlights the ills of the club better?
The list is really endless. The present dispensation hasn't been able to
contribute value added service to either the race horse owners or to the
punters who form the lifeline of the club. They haven't been able to
solve old problems and new problems are cropping up each passing day,
only to put the sport in grave danger. All is not hunky dory just
because the members who elect the managing committee are not
complaining!
