In 1537 racing in India started to evolve, 150 years after Kempe Gowda founded Bangalore. The birth of Bangalore Turf Club happened in December 1, 1920. Four stewards namely Major R.H.O.D Paterson, Sir Leslie Miller, Major J.M Holmes and C.N Suryanarain Row decided to form a race club in the city. They formulated that there should be 30 club members. The Stewards could elect an unlimited number of stand members .The admission charges was Rs 20 for both types of memberships. Men had to pay but the entry for women was free.
The BTC was inaugurated at a general meeting on May 20, 1921. The rules of the Bangalore Race Club which were framed in three months were read and passed at the March 13, 1921.
At the beginning, non-availability of suitable horses was a serious problem. Brigadier General Sir Ormonde Winter observed in his book, Racing At Home and Abroad that, the native “country-bred” pony was hardy but unsuitable for racing. Then the city’s climate which was ideal for breeding cavalry horses was utilized. The breeding of local horses began at that time in Bangalore Race Club.
The Bangalore race course is situated amidst 85 acres of greenery in the heart of the city. It presents an evergreen sight throughout the year. It is an oval shaped, right-handed course measuring approximately 1950m with 4 sharp curves and pronounced gradients. The downhill backstretch drops 13.10m (43 feet) from 1800m to 800m and climbs 11.58m (38 feet) from the point to the winning post, with a further rise of 1.5m (five feet) from the winning post to the 1800m marker. These features make this ground truly a challenging one.
History and Significance :
The Bangalore Racecourse is considered a challenging one and renowned for being one of the best in the country; it was begun in the early years of the nineteen hundreds. By playing a significant role in off course betting the Bangalore Racecourse was instrumental in giving Indian racing the kiss of life in 1975.
It was one of numerous organisations that helped raise war funds during the Second World War. It was a big supporter of equestrian sports and charities.
A club committee was elected under the new club’s rules, comprised of Col.J. Desaraj Urs, Maj. R.H. O.D Paterson (Poona Horse), Sir Leslie Miller, Lt. Col. C.S. Rome (Queen’s Bays), Lt. Col. C. Gaunt and Lt. Col. H. Comes. Other members elected by the stewards were C.N. Suryanarain Row, Aga Abbas Ali and Shirley Tremeane.
Primarily it was a summer racing center but today it takes place frequently, with about 65 days programmed over 2 seasons, summer and Winter spread over 8 months in Bangalore. Even the 45 days of racing at Mysore, conducted by the Mysore Race Club, follows the BTC rules.
Bangalore Turf Club Ltd.
P.O. Box. No.5038,
Race Course Road,
Bangalore – 560001
Grams: HORSES
