Bengaluru: Jockey Krithik Gowda set a new record for Bengaluru’s first-ever Kambala, clocking an impressive 9.09 seconds in the quarterfinals of the ‘Negilu Kiriya’ category on Sunday.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Gowda raced down the tracks with a pair of buffaloes, owned by Kakkepadavu Ramaiah Bhandary, breaking the previous record of 9.16 seconds set just minutes before.
Earlier in the evening, Bolamballi Parameshwar Bhat’s buffaloes secured victory in the ‘Kane Halage’ category, a display of strength rather than speed.
Buffaloes in this category must splash water on banners tied to poles at heights of 6.5 meters and 7.5 meters. Appu and Kittu, Bhat’s buffaloes, emerged victorious as the water touched a height of 6.5 meters, reportedly the same buffaloes featured in Rishab Shetty’s blockbuster hit Kantara.
As of 8.30 pm, the quarterfinals were going on, determining the lineup for the later semifinals.
The ‘Negilu Hiriya’ category quarterfinals progressed slowly, with a race every 30 minutes.
Water pipe bursts
A burst water pipe near Maharaja Kare track at 4.40 pm caused a brief delay, but it was quickly resolved.
The races were expected to continue until at least 1 am, a Kambala Samithi member said. Finals are likely to be held around 1 am. As of 12 am, the semifinals were still going on.
Lakhs flocked to Palace Grounds, with numbers surpassing 2 lakhs by 6 pm on Sunday. Saturday recorded around 2.3 lakh attendees, and the Samithi expected the total to reach 5 lakh by the end of the night.
Visitors were confused while following the race, especially in front of the main stage — Dr Puneeth Rajkumar Vedike, as announcers yelled details of the racing buffaloes into the microphone even as political leaders delivered their speeches, creating a cacophony. On the stage in the evening were political leaders C T Ravi, B S Yediyurappa, B Y Vijayendra, and others.
Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai said the Kambala Samithi will seek a dedicated 30 to 45-acre area for a Kambala Premier League.
Traffic moved at a slow pace due to bottlenecks along Ballari Road throughout the day.