Zen and the art of getting the crowds into the race course: Shaolin monks perform at the paddock. The entertainment has been skewed towards the members side

Cosseted and catered to all these years, the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) member is a pampered visitor to Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The members, who inhabit the first lawn of the racecourse, wearing their snob status along with their Pradas and Guccis, have had a good thing going for them. There has been a proliferation of eateries on the members’ lawns, as the RWITC sought to make Mahalaxmi a family-entertainment zone. Music and events have turned the members enclosure into a page 3 hangout and facilities have been upgraded periodically, with seating, reserved boxes, betting enclosures and the latest in TV screens.