The Hindu : Sport / Racing : Horse : Bangalore Summer Meeting from May 17

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Friday, May 16, 2008
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Bangalore Summer Meeting from May 17

BANGALORE: The Bangalore Summer Meeting will begin from Saturday, May 17 and will conclude on Friday, August 8. Racing will be conducted over 26 days. The meeting will be held on Saturdays and Sundays except during the last two weeks. Concurrently summer races are being held at Mysore spread over 16 days during the period from May 21 to July 23.

Estimated outlay

Estimated total outlay for the season would be Rs. 12.60 crores covering stakes and incentives as compared to Rs. 11.10 crores paid last summer. Stake money has been increased by 11%. The delayed summer meeting has warranted a change in the racing schedule.

The revised programme for the first 10 days has been published and prospectus for the remaining 16 days will be published, once the date for the running of the Kingfisher Derby Bangalore is finalised in consultation with the sponsors.

The Kingfisher Derby Bangalore will be sponsored as in last summer, with an added money of Rs. 60,00,000, inclusive of the Club’s contribution of Rs. 30 lakhs, as against an added money of Rs. 50 lakhs during the previous year.

The Club will guarantee a total of Rs. 1.05 crores for the above race. In addition, the following races are being sponsored during the meeting:The Usha Stud Bangalore Summer Million, carrying an added money of Rs. 8 lakhs, inclusive of the Club’s contribution of Rs. 4 lakhs and The Fernhill’s Palace Juvenile Million, carrying an added money of Rs. 8 lakhs, inclusive of the Club’s contribution of Rs. 4 lakhs. This race will be sponsored by M/s. Maheshore Heritage Palaces Resorts and Spas Private Limited.

Mr. Jayant Shah (Chairman and Senior Steward) said pursuant to the recommendation of the International Racing Conference at Paris, regarding the increased physical weight of jockeys, the minimum riding weight of the jockey has been raised to 50 kgs from 47 kgs.

The rating system has been restructured as overlapping between two consecutive categories being six points, as compared to 11 points previously, present categories are 80 & above, 60-85, 40-65, 20-45 and 00-25. As a result, the band of weights in a race will now be from 50 to 62.5 kgs (difference of 12.5 kgs) as compared to 47 kgs. and 62 kgs (difference of 15 kgs).

Rating of horses has been dropped uniformly by six points after the conclusion of Bangalore Winter Meeting 2007-08 and the scale of weights has been compressed to 60 kgs. Rating of un-raced horses has also been revised to 28 from 34 in respect of colts, gelding and horses and to 25 from 31 in respect of fillies and mares.

Statutory penalty for winning a race after publication of weights will now be five kgs, instead of seven kgs. The apprentice jockey’s allowance has been revised.

If he has not ridden ten winners then an allowance of four kgs is permitted, if he has ridden ten winners it is three kgs, if he has ridden 20 winners it is two kgs and if he has ridden 30 winners but not ridden 40 winners it would be one kg allowance.

No rider would be permitted to more than 2 kgs overweight, except with the prior written permission of the Stewards. The probability of overweight beyond 2 kgs, will be notified well in advance.

The Committee of the Bangalore Turf Club Ltd., has appointed Mr. Fin Powrie, as advisor, racing, with effect from April 1, 2008.

Payment of 20% incentive on stakes earned by local horses in ordinary races will continue as in the previous summer.

Payment of 20% incentive on stakes won by local horses bred in Karnataka will continue as in the winter meeting, and 20% incentive on stakes earned by local horses in ordinary races will continue on the same basis, as during the last winter meeting, in respect of owners not having interest in more than five horses.

Foreign jockeys

The Chairman said that apart form 100 Indian jockeys, two foreign jockeys will also participate during this season, Ms. Liza Jones and Wayne Smith.

About 860 horses including 126 outstation horses are stabled in the BTC premises and about 740 horses are expected to participate during the season as against 775 during the previous summer meeting.

Conduct of enquiries has been formalised and any enquiry into the infringement of rules of racing will be preceded by serving of a written formal charge against the professionals.

The Club has initiated the process of inviting tenders for installation of a giant display board. Scale of testing of horses in training for presence of steroids/ hormones has been increased from 2 to 10 per month.

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