Satish Iyer to work on the stud book
The Royal Turf Club (RTC) with a long term vision brought down Satish Iyer, a well known personality in the annals of horse racing and the Registrar in India of the country's Stud Book, to see the probabilities of making a Sri Lankan record of it. With this move horse racing in Sri Lanka will attempt its first step in eying to reach the next level, the international races.
Iyer, visited the RTC in Nuwara Eliya to help and advise the Sri Lankan horse racing fraternity on how to set up and establish the Sri Lanka Stud Book, which will function in accordance to international guidelines mainly based on records of thoroughbred horses.
"Like professional athletes thoroughbred horses travel across the globe to compete. The American bred ' California Chrome' flies all the way from the USA to Dubai to win the richest race in the world – the Dubai World Cup. The Japanese celebrated their moment in the sun when ' Delta Blues' won the Melbourne Cup in Australia - the race that brings the entire nation to a halt and is in fact a national holiday. A mare named 'Black Caviar', a world champion sprinter from Australia, who was undefeated in her 25 starts was flown all the way to Royal Ascot to win the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. A Stud Book is something like a passport for global travels and a passage for meets held internationally," Suranjith Premadasa, the President of RTC explained.
Iyer is responsible for issuing the passports for each and every thoroughbred in India, whether the horse in racing or is located at any one of the numerous Stud Farms spread across India. During his visit to Nuwara Eliya, Iyer inspected the facilities and addressed the trainers, explaining the workings of how a Stud Book is necessary for the integrity of thoroughbred racing and the importance of all horses being registered. He also walked the racecourse, complimenting on the condition of the track. Iyer also advised the Sri Lankan horse racing stakeholders on how thoroughbreds in India are blood typed and micro-chipped to ensure that nothing is left to chance or compromised when it comes to overseeing the sanctity of the breed in India.
"This will be a huge step in the right direction for horse racing in Sri Lanka and for the RTC, who are instrumental in trying to get this exciting spectator sport back on the map. Each and every thoroughbred in every country that boasts of thoroughbred racing has a passport. It’s not issued by the Foreign or Passport Office, instead it is issued by what is called the Stud Book Authority of the country where the thoroughbred is born, bred and raced. This is exactly what the RTC proposes doing", stated Wayne Wood, the Chief Executive Officer of RTC.
The RTC initiated Sri Lanka's first ever horse auction last month when it handpicked 16 thoroughbreds who are proposed to walk the ramp on August 6, in Nuwara Eliya following the usual race day programme. RTC has taken the importation of horses to another level by assisting to upgrade the Chennai Quarantine facilities, as well as building transit stables in Tuticorin for Horses to rest until they are loaded onto three specially built padded containers for shipment to Sri Lanka, ensuring that the horses are safe and comfortable on their way here.
The RTC will unleash its second season on August 6 under the theme 'Charity Race Day' and will continue its activities with an average of a race every two weeks until mid May next year. The club hosted a successful inaugural season during March and May this year.