In Ooty, historic horse racing battling heavy odds

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Surpassing the annual flower show and the forest reserves, it used to be the biggest tourist attraction in Nilgiris. Nearly dead level — with no pitch or slope — and brilliantly green, yet nestled in the mountains, the Ooty horse racing course was among the finest in India — and it still is. But, with the 129th racing season - 2015 slated to begin in a few weeks, Madras Race Club, the organizer, is battling low spectator attendance, as they have been over the last few years.
With at least 10 to 12 race meetings in a day, the events used to happen three days a week on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday for two and half months starting mid-April.
“It used to be so beautiful to see the Ooty race course with over 7,000 to 8,000 horse race lovers, especially on Derby race day. Gone are the days and the charm. Now, we spot only a few hundreds,” says secretary of Nilgiri Hoteliers’ Association N Chandrasekar.
As far as hoteliers are concerned, horse racing doesn’t figure in the tourist calendar any more though the big names in the sport still come and the events have lost none of their quality and top-notch performances. Last year , the classic ‘Nilgiri derby Stakes Grade – I’ cup was won by the horse, ‘Marmaduke’, owned by racing icon, MAM Ramaswamy and ridden by jockey N Rupa, the only woman jockey in the country. “The Ooty race course is the best in India as far as the climate is concerned but the track can be challenging with tricky bends,” she said in an earlier interview to TOI.
In its more than 100 years of remarkable history, the famous Ooty course has witnessed many rare distinctions. “I have been a keen follower of the Ooty racing since the mid-sixties. One of the memorable events the historic course witnessed was M A M Ramaswamy winning the ‘Nilgiri Derby’ through his ward ‘Great Spectacle’ thus achieving a double century in the classics, a racing Guinness record, on May 7, 1995,” says K Bheeman, a racing enthusiast and Nilgiris resident.
Some 500 racing horses would arrive in Ooty for the 30 race meetings. As many as 15 trainers and about 40 jockeys would take part. Till the late 70s, the eight- day racing was held from April to mid-May.
The 1980s saw a tremendous boost — the golden age of Ooty racing — when the racing season would stretch until June. Racing became the lifeline of the Blue Mountains and thousands of summer jobs were linked to the stay of professionals, besides tourism.
The decline started for racing in Ooty, as for many other sports, in the 1990s when television and cricket combined to serve up a mass spectator sport that dealt a severe blow to games associated with lifestyles. The younger generation seems to have little inclination for the races, say old timers. “Cricket has eaten up almost all the games. Of course, in spite of its lost glory, racing in this hill station is still a great spectacle,” says a die-hard racing enthusiast.
MRC officials say they are doing their best to keep the tradition going. This year’s season would go on until mid-June. “To increase the crowd we are planning to do live streaming of the events so racing enthusiasts all over India can watch them,” said an official who didn’t wish to be named. At the venue, MRC is also planning for a giant wall viewing facility to attract tourists.