The
C.N.Wadia Gold Million this Sunday will mark the festival of Holi with a
riot of colour and extravagance, that has now become a trademark of the
Wadia Day. The festival of colours will be celebrated in style on the
lawns of Mahalaxmi with a fashion and dance spectacle that will prelude
the running of this time honoured classic.
The Gold Cup, now a million for the first time in its long history, gets
a change in nomenclature by virtue of the Wadia Group guaranteeing the
rupee one million purse. The race has a small field but that should not
detract from the quality of the event. The day is known for its
pageantry and will showcase the upcoming stars of Mrs. Maureen Wadia's
models which in the not so recent past has been the stepping stone to
Bollywood glory.
In keeping with RWITC's marketing philosophy, a plethora of prizes from
the sponsors group ventures, Britannia, Bombay Dyeing, Bombay Burmah, Go
Air and Gladrags will be on offer, and to lend a touch of sobriety, the
Bravery Awards for the physically challenged children of the Jerbai
Wadia Hospitals will be presented.
The C.N.Wadia, a Grade 2 race, and the only mile and a half terms race
for older horses in Western India has been given a well deserved boost
in prize money. Unfortunately, the trainers have not supported this
initiative, with only four likely runners. The sponsors and the public
like to see good sized fields and such disinterest in targeting big
prizes is a poor omen for the sport.
Mrs. Wadia's enthusiasm and drive gives the day a special feel, and
coming as it does after a month of high visibility events, still
attracts a big attendance and holds its own even amongst the biggies.
The RWITC has promoted its major events as carnivals of sport and
leisure, which has seen a smart up tick in the attendance and betting
graphs, and the Gold Cup day should further boost the favourable
statistics.
The five big days of racing in February in Mumbai, saw cumulative
attendance at 55,000, up a not too bad 10% on last year. More than
keeping pace was totalisator collections, which, at 7.19 cr on these
days, was up more than a crore, or 20% on last year. These figures cock
a snook at those who keep crying hoarse that racing in Western India is
going downhill, when the figures don't quite support these claims.
The Wadia Gold Cup, a day when steeds and studs jostle for a spot in the
sunlight, will be one more effort on our part to give racing its
rightful due.
