IPL of Derby Kicks off, to Travel to More Cities - By Anand Altekar I ET
Posted on - 12 Dec 2011
IPL of Derby Kicks off, to Travel to More Cities
By Anand Altekar
Economic Times
Mumbai
The sun was bright, the breeze steady, the beer chilled, and all eyes on the wet, lush green turf. It was a perfect day for an afternoon out on the turfs. On Sunday, over fifteen thousand eyes were set on the race course of Royal Western India Turf Club at Mumbai for R1, a derby presented by Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd and Procam International. Sunday’s race, titled Radio Mirchi Indian 1000 Guineas, was the first of over 13 races planned to be held in cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.
Anil Singh, managing director, Procam International, has an ambitious plan to change the face of the sport into a more modern one. “We've rebranded the sport in R1. The R1 is all about vitality; it's youthful and it’s more contemporary. It's easier for people to relate to it,” he said. The maiden event drew an approximate crowd of fifteen thousand viewers and celebrities like veteran actor Dharmendra, actress Sameera Reddy and TV host Kamal Sidhu. The king of good times Vijay Mallya was there too, happily seeing some green after all the red he's been facing. The crowd went wild not just because of the thundering sound of horses running at breathtaking speed, but also at the presence of the evergreen actor who was cheered by the entire stadium.
Top horse owners SM Ruia, Vijay Shirke, Darius Rafaat presented the prize-winning horses Alma Mater, Botswana, Black Magic Woman, which are considered among the top of the country's equines by the sport's avid followers. “It's got fashion, it's got icons, it's got glamour, horses and beautiful people. It's all about getting the right mix, the right dish. Now we want to get people more connected in the newer surroundings,” Singh gleamed. “We have the social glitterati of Mumbai who get exposed to racing. In many ways, a perfect day,” said Vivek Jain, chairman of RWITC.
The R1 brand is an umbrella brand for derby races which will feature 13 races across Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore with Kolkata and Hyderabad being planned as well. Procam International, one of the world's top sports and leisure companies, has teamed up with Bennett, Coleman & Co for this. “People are really excited. We're got a great response of 15,000 to 20,000 people. We want to make the sport younger. What IPL is for cricket, we're going to make R1 for derby races,” said Ravi Dhariwal, chief executive officer of BCCL. The races will be telecast on leading sports channels every Sunday for two hours. The total business from the prize money is almost . 200 crore, according to Singh. Jim Ramsey, who is considered among the best producers of racing content, has been hired to do the video job of all R1 races. Derby had recently taken to a lot of illegal betting because of high taxes levied by the state government in Maharashtra. Vivek Jain said he has met the chief minister and has requested that the taxes be reduced so the sport is cheaper for everyone.
Sunday's race had a track length of 1,600 m. Alma Mater, the prize winning horse owned by SM Ruia, won . 33.30 lakh.
