RWITC starts to shift 900 horses

the state government has not eased many curbs on transportation of goods and movement of people due to the high number of case in the region, the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) has received permission to shift around 900 race horses and 600 syces (grooms), that were stuck at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse here due to the nation-wide lockdown caused by the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, to Pune.

The horses and syces were in isolation at the racecourse since racing was suspended on March 15 and the reminder of Mumbai season cancelled after the lockdown was imposed on March 25.

The RWITC has got permission from state Home Department to move the horses to Pune and the process has started on Thursday.

“In all 40 vehicles have been arranged to make approximately 200 trips to transport the horses and syces to Pune,” said Geoffrey Nagpal, Chairman of Stewards, RWITC.

Though both Mumbai and Pune are in the Red Zone because of the high number of cases, it was imperative for the RWITC to complete the shifting operation before the onset of the monsoon in June.

“It is critical that the horses leave as the racecourse floods in the monsoon which will cause grave danger to both syces and horses,” Nagpal added. Transporting the horses during the monsoon is also fraught with danger as the route gets blocked at times due to landslides.

SAME PROTOCOLS

Every year the horses are normally shifted to Pune as soon as the Mumbai season ends early in April. This year the schedule was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Having managed to keep the horses and humans safe and healthy in Mumbai during the two-month long lockdown, the

RWITC is confident of completing the shifting process without any hitch and keep them healthy at Pune too by following the same protocols.

“RWITC has their own quarters in Pune that have been segregated into six separate lots that will be used to house the horses and syces,” Nagpal said.

Once the horses are safely moved to Pune and settled, RWITC will wait for government guidelines for resumption of sports activities in the state before taking a call on the upcoming racing season in Pune.

“The commencement date of the upcoming Pune racing season will be decided by the committee once we have an update on the policy regarding sports activity by the government of Maharashtra,” said Nagpal.