Bangalore's glitterati cheered the winner of the Kingfisher event yesterday, but the reality about the heritage venue's inevitable closure soon came back to haunt them
Bangalore's glitterati cheered the winner of the Kingfisher event yesterday, but the reality about the heritage venue's inevitable closure soon came back to haunt them
A dark horse won the Kingfisher Derby at the final event of Bangalore's heritage racing venue yesterday, amid nostalgia for the century-old turf in the heart of the city.
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Good-looking Abolin beat hot favourites Gypsy Magic and Jacqueline to fetch his owner D Khaitan Rs 79.29 lakh in a race that saw record stakes, adding up to Rs 1.32 crore.
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As the excitement mounted, punters and horse lovers appeared to have forgotten that Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) was seeing its twilight days, but the closure thought soon came back to haunt them.
The present venue is a five-minute drive from the Karnataka secretariat and almost all important government offices. Its location, in Bangalore's expensive central district, is a big plus, and helps it draw patrons from the very rich to the very poor.
"It's very sad," said C Alford, the jockey who rode the winning horse. "Some things are not in our hands."
Khaitan, the owner of the winning horse, was non-commital. "I have nothing to do with the issueu2026 it is a government decision," he told MiD DAY.
While many thought it was the last Derby here, Nirmal Prasad, secretary, BTC, said, "This turf will have a Derby in November."
The government is considering Beggars' Colony on Magadi Road, an hour's drive from the present venue, as an alternative site.
Chikkajala, another alternative, is caught in litigation, while Hegde Nagar, off the new airport road, isn't enthusing anyone.
The government had been talking of Mysore as an alternative, but it now feels that venue is low on capacity.
"The BTC has a thousand horses, while the Mysore Turf Club can house only 400," said Seetharam, chief security officer, BTC. "I hope the BTC won't be closed so soonu2026 the government will take at least three years to build an alternative."
Sushma, heroine of a couple of Kannada films, said, "This is the part of our heritage, and I can't imagine the club closing."
Ambarish, his actress-wife Sumalatha, and titular king Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wadiyar were among the VIPs enjoying the race.
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