After the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) last week issued ultimatum to the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and followed it up with unilaterally cutting off the video signal of Pune races to Bangalore, the southern race club has also hardened its stand by making clear that it has neither any plan nor intention to restore either the signal or the damaged relationship with the premier western India turf club. In an interview to racing website indiarace.com, BTC chairman Satish Chandra made it clear
Pune: After the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) last week issued ultimatum to the Bangalore Turf Club (BTC) and followed it up with unilaterally cutting off the video signal of Pune races to Bangalore, the southern race club has also hardened its stand by making clear that it has neither any plan nor intention to restore either the signal or the damaged relationship with the premier western India turf club. In an interview to racing website indiarace.com, BTC chairman Satish Chandra made it clear.
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"We made one big offer. We are willing to pay Rs 2.5 crore net and that actually works out to Rs 3.10 crore, taking into account that we only get Rs 59 lakhs from RWITC," he said, "it is an increase of 48 percent, and that's huge." BTC resolve not to give into RWITC's demand has turned the crisis into a deadlock that may continue with both parties not willing to give an inch, and drawing their battle lines.
To make matters worse for RWITC, the BTC chairman and his colleagues on the committee also roped in the Mysore Race Club management to toe their line, thus closing the final door through which the Pune race club hoped it would continue to get revenue as most Bangalore punters had thronged the Mysore racecourse last weekend to bet on the Pune races. Both the Karnataka race clubs have decided to cater to Hyderabad races on Sunday when there will also be a race card framed at Pune by the RWITC.
The BTC's hardened stance was the result of all stakeholders and decision makers of the Bangalore race club unanimously throwing their weight behind chairman Satish Chandra who minced no words in criticizing the RWITC for selling their worldwide relay rights to a German company named TSMG for only Rs 1 crore. "Their decision to cut off signal to BTC who have offered Rs 2.5 crore defies logic," he remarked.
Zavaray Poonawalla, chairman of RWITC, had already made clear last week that the BTC had regularly shortchanged them for many years despite signing a contract to part with 23 percent of the net profit they make from the Mumbai and Pune races, and unless they make a respectable offer to resolve this issue, RWITC will stick to its stand. With both race clubs reaching a point of no return, it is the punting community in Bangalore and Mysore that will continue to suffer as they will not be able to bet on Pune races, and some of them may be forced to walk into the embrace of illegal bookmakers who are likely to have a field day.
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