Election ends, politics continues. That holds true in Mumbai’s racing circles as well, as the latest ‘stinging’ issue looks like culminating in the court
Election ends, politics continues. That holds true in Mumbai’s racing circles as well, as the latest ‘stinging’ issue looks like culminating in the court
MUMBAI: In horse racing, pulling is perceived as an offence. Strangely, that is the only thing seems to be happening in the Royal Western India Turf Club. The members of the club, who include the rich and big of the city, are busy pulling one another’s leg, and there’s little good-humoured about it.
“The bad blood in the club was never as bad,” says a member of the ruling faction of the club.
The overwhelming impression one gets at the Mahalaxmi is that of power struggle and ego-clashes. The punters today talk more of power and politics than races and horses. “I’ve not seen such a polarised and politicised ambience at the Mahalaxmi,” says Cimy Pirdy, a regular to the racecourse for the last 30 years.
Since the elections last December, when a new body came to power at the RWITC, the club has been in news for the infighting. Cyrus Poonawalla, the chairman, is blamed for unleashing a witch-hunt against his rival faction, led by former chairman his one-time friend Khushroo Dhunjibhoy.
“They are running the club with a mindset of vendetta,” says the former chairman, stating he will take legal course if the ‘victimisation’ did not end.
Vinayak Case
The acrimony between the two factions was expected to fade after the elections. But since the sample-tampering incident, in which a jamadar was caught mixing water in urine sample of a horse called - ironically - Glory, temperatures have started running high again. Apart from the jamadar, the managing board of the club suspended its trainer Vinayak Gaekwad, who is a trainer for Dhunjibhoy.
But the former president argued that vicarious responsibility cannot entail a suspension and claimed Vinayak was unfairly punished. The suspension, eventually, was reduced to five and half months but Dhunjibhoy insists it was done in haste and vindictive intentions. The horse eventually came clean.
“They showed undue haste in punishing my trainer,” charged Dhunjibhoy. “They did not wait for the sample to return from tests. And they announced the punishment in just two and half days.
The chairman and his cronies are unleashing a witch-hunt,” he said stating his champion jockey Mallesh Narredu was also being harassed by the steward who have kept calling him for hearings for no reasonable offence. “If they don’t stop the harassment I’ll be forced to go to the court,” he threatened.
But a ruling party member brushed aside the charges saying Dhunjibhoy was crying wolf. “There is no basis in his allegation,” said Vivek Jain, a key member of the ruling faction. “It was just a coincidence that the two trainers (CD Katrak was the other) punished by the club belonged to the former president. Every case was given a fair hearing and one trainer did not even make appeal against the 9-month suspension.”
Pegasus
Another contentious issue hotly debated among the club members was the termination of Pegasus contract for the renovation of the club premises. The contract for about Rs 150 crore was given to Pegasus by the previous body but it was terminated by the present committee.
Sting Story
The biggest allegation was the ‘intimidation’ tactics by a close aide of the chairman who has allegedly asked a member to skip an appeals board meeting.
Mohit Lalvani, who reports for this paper, claimed he was threatened by member Captain Jamshed Appoo and released the tapes of their conversation. Next day, he was allegedly called by the chairman to his house and Lalvani taped that conversation too. While it is being termed as a sting operation, Lalvani said it was done in his self-defense.
Poonawalla, who is in London, refused to comment on the issue. Captain Appoo, who Dhunjibhoy says runs the club, is also abroad, and did not wish to react but Jain said the issue, rather the issues, could be discussed in the special general body meeting expected to be called some time in July.
The racing season may have ended but the ‘pulling’ goes on in the RWITC.
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