CHENNAI: Dubai Princess was raring to go on Sunday, as were the Duke of Tuscany and Knotty Charmer. As were the 100 other prize-winning horses from around the country gathered at the Madras Race Club on Saturday and Sunday for the much-hyped 16-race Rs4 crore prize money HPSL Royal Arion Indian Turf Invitation Cup 2025.
The venue milled with more than 4,000 people, horse owners, spectators, govt officials, consuls general, celebrities, jockeys and trainers, watching the races, calling out bets, cheering the jockeys dressed in flashy blues, yellows and reds (fans whistled and clapped as Scotsman David Allan, among the more popular jockeys there — who in 2020 had said that he might not return to India for racing — galloped onto the track).
In the stands, rumours flew almost as fast and furious as the hooves that galloped across the turf. Was this the last big race Chennai was going to witness? Did the invitation cup signal the end to a racing season and a two-century legacy?
“We have four more racing days till March 23,” says a horse owner. “After that, god only knows. We can only request the govt to continue the racing until we find an alternative racing location.”
“The invitation cup is among the most prestigious events in the racing calendar as only the best horses, the winners from derbies around India, are brought in,” says Ramesh Jeevarathinam, whose horse participated in the weekend event. “We’ve had more than 100 horses coming in from other cities.”
R Subbiah, who writes about racing, says the season in Chennai ends in Feb as it starts getting too hot to race. “Racing would then move to Ooty till June. But since the Ooty Race Course has been closed, the races scheduled there have been moved to Chennai, which is why we are continuing into March. There are talks that another round of racing may begin again in Chennai in Aug, but there is no confirmation,” he says.
Last year, the govt shut down the Ooty Race Course, leased by the Madras Race Club, citing revenue arrears. For nearly 250 years, Chennai has been home to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious race courses. However, since 2024, the govt and the club have been locked in a legal battle. While the govt has allowed club activities and scheduled races to continue, sources say the club is seeking assurance of an alternative location for stables and horses but nothing has been confirmed so far.