Bangalore Turf Club hopeful of getting licence in time

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Turf Club is hopeful of getting the licence from the State Government on Thursday so that it can kick off its Winter Season as planned from November 1, the prospect of which appears bleak at the moment.

During a surprise visit to the BTC on Sunday evening, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah warned that he won’t issue the licence if the club fails to assure the government that they would exit the current premises in the next two years.

While most members of the club are in favour to shift base to Kunigal, where the state government has promised them 120 acres of land besides six acres in the current facility to conduct club house and betting activities, a delay in putting the promises from both sides on paper could result in the licence being withheld.

Former BTC chairman R Manjunath Ramesh, who addressed a press conference on Wednesday to unveil the Winter Season schedule as well as a three-year partnership between the club and Zavaray S Poonawalla, said they are burning the midnight oil to get the licence.

“We are very hopeful of getting the licence and hopeful of starting the races on November 1, which is the first day of the Winter Season. We are expecting the licence by tomorrow evening (Thursday),” said Ramesh.

When asked what the club intends to do if the licence doesn’t come through, Ramesh chose to remain optimistic. “There are no signals from the government suggesting that they would not issue the licence. The land issues are there, which we are in talks over the last two days. We will finalise the talks very soon.”

Ramesh also said a decision has been made to shift base to Kungial but the process of putting it into paper will take time as a Special General Body Meeting has to be called for and passed with two-thirds majority. “It has been agreed to move to Kunigal. For betting operations as well as clubhouse activities the government has agreed to give us about 4-6 acres here. We are working on all of these.”

Meanwhile, Poonawalla said he was delighted to forge a three-year partnership with BTC through which stake money for all the big races will receive a substantial push. “The Power Sponsorship Scheme stands out as a game-changer for horse racing. The forward thinking model is designed to attract a broader spectrum of sponsors with greater ease while also committing the club to increase its contribution towards stakes.”

Under the new model, next year’s Summer Derby is expected to offer Rs 5 crore overall as prize money, a 150 per cent jump from Rs 2 crore offered this year. The same prize money hike will apply to all the classics.