Punters on rampage after favourites stumble on turf

'race' riot

The Bangalore Turf Club's winter meeting began on a disastrous note here on Friday, with a serious accident during the first race triggering huge protests from punters.

When the day's first race — the 1200-metre November Plate — began at 2.15 pm, veteran jockey Suraj Narredu, astride Will To Win, looked set to clinch the contest. However, in a dramatic turn of events, the horse lost her footing in the final furlong and wobbled, leading to jockey's fall.

Senior jockey Y S Srinath (astride race-favourite Aceros), who was right behind the fallen horse, lost control as well and fell to the ground. Completely rattled by the mishap in front of him, jockey Kiran Rai, who was powering Sir Piggot to the front row, crashed to the ground.

With the fancied horses out of the picture, the unheralded Naayab, ridden by Imtiaz Ali Khan, emerged the winner. The result was a huge jolt to punters who had put their money on the favourites and never imagined a lesser-known horse to bag the first place.

The punters were furious as BTC stewards didn't declare the race null after the incident. Upset with the BTC stewards' decision, punters, who numbered around 1,500, vandalised the arena and demanded a refund. With the situation running out of control, police resorted to lathi charge. The races for the day and Saturday too were cancelled.