Bangalore Turf Club to begin winter season from Nov 1

The Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) will hold its winter season from November 1, the club authorities decided on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the BTC received the nod from the State government to conduct racing without spectators. Sporting activities with a ceiling of 100 spectators were allowed in the Unlock 4.0 instructions by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“We were the first one to announce the resumption of racing and other clubs of the country followed suit. We are thankful to the Karnataka government for giving us the permission,” BTC chairman Vinod Sivappa told DH.

The BTC is set to issue the prospectus for the first five days of the season in the coming days. “We have decided to start on November 1. In the next two days, we will issue a prospectus on our official website,” said Harimohan Naidu, a BTC managing committee member.

Preparations for the season got underway from the beginning of the month but Covid-19 continues to be the biggest challenge for BTC. “There are predictions that coronavirus cases could peak in the October-November period. So god forbid there are no lockdowns,” hoped Naidu.

Chairman Sivappa too hoped for smooth sailing. “It has been a long wait. There was no racing for six months. Now we don’t want to be lethargic. We are eager to get back on track. We are looking for racing patrons to come back in ten folds,” Sivappa said.

As part of the preparations, the BTC is working on creating an online-betting application. Once the number of people involved in the season is finalised, the Club will form the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).