The Asian Racing Conference ends in a blaze of glory - By Vivek Jain
Posted on - 03 Feb 2016
The Asian Racing Conference ends in a blaze of glory
By Vivek Jain
The 36th Asian Racing Conference went through without a hitch, and the RWITC can deservedly take a bow on hosting a top drawer event, that will go down as one of the best held in its history.
Ever since Winfried Englebrech Breges, Chairman, ARC handed the flag to us at Hong Kong’s 35th ARC Closing Ceremony, there was a sense of both excitement and nervousness, as we had a huge responsibility to emulate Hong Kong who had done a splendid job.
The TAI gave the RWITC the responsibility and over 18 months of hard work, and several ups and downs and endless meetings, we pulled off a wonder, to the applause of the racing world.
Starting with the ARF- Oaks Day with an eight race all sponsored card with four international contributors and the gracious presence of Princess Zahra Aga Khan, our foreign delegates got a taste of a day at Mahalakshmi. With joint branding, music and fanfare, we showed off Indian racing at its best.
The business sessions drew packed audiences, and some of the top speakers were Tom Ascher, CEO Longitude, Jocelyn de Moubray, Winfried Bresges, Chairman, ARF, Frank Gabriel, Director, ERA, Andrew Harding, Director HKJC, Louis Romanet, former Head of the IHFA, Jim Ramsey, Bill Nader, Brian Kavanagh, Johnny Weatherby and more.
The opening ceremony, hosted by Kabir Bedi, featured a song and dance introduction to India, the speeches and an electrifying act by Jacqueline Fernandez. The middle day featured a top class fashion by 29 designers, a Sufi dance by Zia Nath and a rare Parsi sit down dinner for over 600! The closing ceremony proved to be the show stopper with a mind boggling act by Shankar Mahadevan, a tribute to Bollywood and the Flag Handover to Korea, the next venue for the ARC.
The packed week was rounded off by a visit to the Poonawalla Farms, where a top class champagne brunch was served in true Poonawalla style to over 100 appreciative delegates.
