THUNDER OF HOOVES AGAIN AT MAHALAXMI

Its been a long wait, like all avid race goers I hope that it was worth waiting for. Mahalaxmi racecourse will be abuzz again, the tracks will be set ablaze by the choicest thoroughbreds of the country, premier events due to curtailed season will be in quick succession, keeping interest in the young horses optimum.

As I said I hope it was worth waiting for, because two major fires have affected infrastructure, recent visits show not satisfactory progress has been made, but then we avid race goers have been adjusting with insensitive authorities who haven't achieved much for the comfort of a race goers and in turn there is a loss in numbers of the patrons and glamor of the racing at Mahalaxmi.

I just can't help but wonder at the religious race goers who brave the high taxes, lack of comfort, lack of decent viewing TV sets, adjust with hundred year old chairs to cheer our favorite thoroughbreds on turf, this season we will not complain about the facilities, we will not complain about the messy cloakrooms and stinking air near them, nor will we complain about the sorry sandwiches, and ancient snacks which are more repulsive than palatable, we will not complain because Turf club is passing through trying times and we wish them godspeed to solve the issues and then make things better for all of us.

What we will complain about is the standard of racing which had plunged to abysmal depths in Pune. We simply hope that racing is conducted fairly, and no bomb shells like Pune explode on turf taking followers of form to cleaners. I am hoping that while infrastructure is being rebuilt, racing itself will be great and attract punters and patrons back in larger numbers.

Members enclosure is large and current numbers of members are insufficient to fill the place up, the idea of a member signing for the guests is ancient, because at the gates anyone who wishes to get in the members enclosure is admitted after his name is jotted down on any signed form that's available and anyone and everyone who knows this loophole is admitted without questions asked.This entry farce must come to a halt as it definitely is a deterrent to honest guys wanting to be at the race course but it is beyond their status to get into the non member enclosure which is in terrible condition and these guys are not aware of lax rules prevail ing at Mahalaxmi gates.

It will be advisable for the turf club to issue day / weekend passes to enclosure, maybe even season passes to anyone interested and following a certain dress code, it will attract younger patrons who can develop interests other than watching cricket, films or visiting a mall. I am sure turf club can launch promotionals and hand out members enclousure passes to youngsters via campaigns on FM or malls, 50 free season passes or hundred weekend passes, 10 passes for derby could attract new people to the race course, why doesn't anyone do it?

However I am sure with such a curtailed season coming back on tragic accidents at the race course, this year we must excuse the turf club for not bettering the infrastructure but I sincerely hope from next year Mumbai and Mahalaxmi gains it premier position in the country with top class facilities for paying public including AC lounges and Plasma and LCD televisions, and modernized cloakrooms and outlets of class food products and beer/ spirits reasonably priced, unlike gallops and finally and most necessary comfortable seating. In days of red lounges, Turf club has seating of stone age. Let racing become an exclusive entertainment, and regain it's stature as King of sports.

All the infrastructure will be useless if racing continues the way it has been in last part of Mumbai season and all of Pune, there was no consistency in performance and handicapper rendered redundant. Few owners and their connections land three/ four winners, cashing huge CDTQ (i.e Kainchi's or Cross, Double, treble, Quadraple) while punters face the problem of keeping track of too many sleepers who return winners when least expected, especially when their connections fancied horses run behind them.

Mumbai Ring is beset with illegal bookies, some in this profession from quarter century and they have never been picked, funny thing is owners and trainers also bet with them. This is something against the spirit of fair racing. Mumbai ring is a clear indicator of which favorite is out of the race, anyone who bets late, knows what's going to happen. This shows that things are not right, tough action has been taken against some professionals last season, I wonder why repeat offenders are not banned forever, guys like Riyaz Sheikh will be allowed to become trainers in future, is there a code of discipline in place?

All punters are advised caution as the racing begins, I am not sure how fit the horses are and what's their form after the equine flu, the card of 20 race s on the opening weekend will throw up no more than six or seven first favorites, and as the recent history of racing in this part of the world has shown, form and bloodlines matter lesser and lesser.

I expect Pesi Shroff to continue his domination, Buzz is that CD Katrak, Bezan and SS Shah have nice type and forward youngsters, I expect Mansoor Shah to elevate his position further, I expect Altaf Hussein to land a few more successful gambles, I hope Ivor fernandes retires and Vinayak to display on turf all his knowledge and experience, it beats me why he remains on the fringes and not in top five. I expect Rehanullah Khan also to do well this season and hope Narendra Lagad reduces the number of fancied runners from his stable in the races, we never know which horse he is going with, does he?

Mallesh will dominate the saddle, let the guys get as many foriegn imports, Mallesh is the best. I hope Neeraj Rawal gets good mounts and C Ruzaan finds his touch back. From all other jockeys I expect TS Jodha to do well, his ridership in Hyderabad has been excellent so far. We racegoers have high hopes from races at Mahalaxmi this year, I am hoping the average punter has good fun and is not taken to cleaners and lost to the turf club forever, like I know we have lost a few staunch racegoers after Pune season...let the show begin...and let it be successful...Mumbai has to lead the way if racing has to survive in India.

'Pakistan- Difficult Times Ahead'

In my last post I wrote about clouds of war in Pakistan, now with increased US drone attacks and candid proclamation that USA considers Pakistan a new battle front the prediction has come true.

We all know they teach wrong history in Pakistan, the main problem is that they do not take lessons from history as well.

In the twentieth century cold war era, US went on an arms race with USSR, the results of USSR matching USA in that race are well known, USSR is no longer in existence, it's economy was shattered and the union disintegrated.

Pakistan would have been well advised to learn from this and stop huge military expenditure, however it didn't and today stands on brink of a disaster which could have been well avoided. Pakistan has let itself become a victim of an economic offensive and today has become a destitute state with a begging bowl in it's hand, no Nostradamus is required to predict consequences.

Barack Obama on his first day proclaimed that USA is involved on two fronts, one in Afghanistan another in Pakistan. This contains a declaration of war against Pakistan, however the Pakistani leadership goes ahead and giving a blank cheque to China to negotiate with India with promise that it will agree to whatever China decides. This is the first major indication from Pakistan that it's cornered and on brink of defeat.

Time is running fast, the best Pakistan can do is to mend it's ties with India, indulge in quick quid pro quo, they will have to give more to get less, but then Pakistan has a chance of eliminating terror that they have been supporting so far.

Choices are hard and they need to be taken, and taken fast, before Pakistan is relegated to history books like USSR was.

'PAKISTAN' - CLOUDS OF WAR

In December maps were floating on the internet thanks to a Pakistani publication as to how most of India will become a part of 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan" by 2020.

Snide observations were made by Indians across the world, the illusions and delusions of Pakistan are still increasing, a state that lives on charity, a military that cannot arm itself without US & China, as a nation that is the most spanked schoolboy in foreign policy issues by world, it appears Pakistan is resorting to last semblance of show of self respect and defiance akin to defiance shown by dictators like Hitler who committed suicide and Saddam Hussein before he was hanged. reasonable thinking and sensible approach is the last thing that is in their minds.

Problem is that wrong information makes people think they do the right thing, even Ajmal Qasab while gunning down scores at VT station thought he was doing the right thing, but the world does not think so, there is a clear distinction between the world view and Pakistani view at the moment.

Economics sanctions will only further help disintegrating Pakistan which today is nothing more of a threatening beggar in world community, and her disintegration may let the nuclear assets of Pakistan fall in hands of Terrorists, who then will target the west with impunity. That's the only reason USA has been funding Pakistan in garb of war against terror in which Pakistan has made a complete fool of Americans. If USA could it would have taken stern action against Pakistan. truth is that it cannot.

So what's holding up rest of the world into taking action, answer is very simple 'possession of nuclear bombs' by Pakistan. That's about all, and in the end it will take courage by a nation to be prepared to take a nuclear hit if it militarily strikes Pakistan, which is a huge deterrent. Thus the policy of any strike against Pakistan will be targeted to cripple nuclear assets of Pakistan. This means the west is now belling the cat, and that cat is India. After Mumbai carnage our western friends are overtly and covertly encouraging India to exercise it's rights as a sovereign nation. With elections around the corner a war with Pakistan and a win will guarantee ten years of power to Congress party which otherwise is sure to lose these elections in India.

A totally different war is in the offing compared to earlier wars with Pakistan, India has become mightier, and economic powerhouse and will launch a shock and awe strikes that we have now come to see, but Pakistan is not Afghanistan or Iraq, it has a committed army and arsenal that will hurt India, there will be collateral damage, once we accept this fact, accept it will hurt, then the result is a foregone conclusion, Pakistan will lose the war terribly.

That brings us to the final question, what is the final objective of the war? Do we wish to occupy Pakistan? I am sure none of the Indians want to be saddled with crores more to feed and generations indoctrinated to foment trouble, so occupation of Pakistan is not a viable objective.

So do we let Pakistan to disintegrate into smaller states, that will result in those states being amiable to states not friendly with India so we will be back to square one. It would be all exercise in futility.

So what's the option? the above argument clearly shows military option is not worth any objective. Economics sanctions will fragment the state and nuclear assets proliferated, it's a bloody catch 22 situation. This situation is the only reason that Pakistan is defiant, unwilling to co-operate and laughably calls itself a responsible nation!

The leaders of the world have a peculiar problem, let's see how they deal with it. India must NOT allow the world to fire a gun off it's shoulder without world committing to equal responsibility, otherwise results could be disastrous.