The Mysore Race Club is located in Mysuru, a city that is as charming as it was a century ago. This spectacular city is situated at the base of the Chamundi Hills. And over the years, the club has earned many accolades as the finest scenic racecourse in India.
Mysore Race Club boasts of having superb facilities for racing patrons and professionals and it is still adding to its facilities. Currently, it has an ongoing 800 stables construction project. It is said that the new stables will have exceptional ventilation.
The club occupies a 152-acre piece of land, which is a property of the Indian government. The Mysore Race Club is in a lease agreement with the Indian government for the land.
Its scenic location makes it one of the most sought after race clubs in India. Moreover, its serene atmosphere makes it a perfect racing ground.
History of the Mysore Race Club
The Mysore was founded in the 1890s by the then incumbent Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wadiyar. Initially, the club was located in Kebekatte Bungalow. This was on the western side where the club is currently situated.
For 30 years, races were held at the Kebekatte racecourse. That would change in 1920 when a new race track was constructed at the present location. The move to construct the new race course was initiated by two Wadiyar rulers; Kanteerava Narasimha Wadiyar and Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. These were two brothers sharing the same vision. They also jointly owned numerous horses and fine riders.
The new race course was oval, with paddocks, and a Grandstand. This race course is still used today. At that time, all horse racing activities at the Mysore Race Club were under the jurisdiction of the Calcutta Turf Club aegis. It was the only authority presiding over the Indian subcontinent. The entire racing calendar consisted of 6 days with the Maharaja Cup being the highlight of the horse racing season at the club.
After Indian attained its independence in 1947, some changes occurred. In 1951, the Bangalore Racing Club took control of the racing activities at the Mysore Race Club. This would be a fruitful era marked by a massive expansion of the Mysore Race Club. The clubhouse would be constructed later in 1982. By 2000, the racing season had been extended.
Over the decades, the club impeccably preserved a record of the fastest timings achieved in almost all the horse race categories. This includes the Venetia record of 1975, where one horse did 1000 m in 1 min 02s. Another notable record was set by the Beloved Prince, which cruised 2400m in 2 minutes 40.20s in 1978. The most recent outstanding record was set in 2018 when the horse, Sir Cecil, cruised 2000m in 1 m 59.05s.
Mysore Race Club kept its chairman, stewards, and a committee separately, while still under the control of the Bangalore Turf Club.
In 2014, the club became fully autonomous. It now functions independently as a fully-fledged, well-respected race club in India.
Besides being registered, the Mysore Race Club is an esteemed member of the Turf Authorities of India. This is the highest-ranking horse racing authority in India.
Mysore Race Club membership
Due to its size, the Mysore Race Club is considered to be an exclusive club with about 250 members. In each financial year, members are elected to the club. This happens in March every year. The election process is based on the available vacancies at that particular time and it is done through a free and fair secret ballot election.
Members of the clubs enjoy numerous privileges. For example, there is a special first-class stand set aside for them. This is where they assemble to watch horse races. Even though this grandstand is old, it is renovated as often as possible to provide maximum comfort for the members.
Besides that, the club still preserves some of the outstanding century-old features.
The members can also enjoy a world-class clubhouse owned and operated by the Mysore Race Club. This magnificent clubhouse overlooks the breathtaking Chamundi ranges. And it comes with a restaurant that serves a variety of cuisines.
The Mysore Race Club racing track
With a width of 30 meters, the Mysore Race Club race track is 2000 m in length. As you approach the winning post, this grass track tends to be narrower. For fast work, there is a sand track set aside and an inner reverse track as well. Additionally, the club has a bund school that is designated for trotting. More racehorses are accommodated by the inner sand track, which is mainly used for morning workouts.
As part of the race track growth and maintenance, the club relies on a sprinkler irrigation system.
The track has been used for a long time, but the club management does incredibly well to maintain its pristine condition. With numerous features, this track stretches both the horses and the jockeys to the maximum.
Racing seasons
The Mysore Race Club has three racing seasons
- Summer season- May to July
- Monsoon-August to October
- Winter- November to February
Initially, the Monsoon season, which is also referred to as the Mysore Races, was the only racing season at the club. This went on for over a century.
The club hit its centenary milestone in 1991. And in 2000, two more seasons were added. This was after the club massively expanded its facilities to hold a full-year horse race calendar.
The summer and winter seasons stretch to about 12- 14 race days. Nonetheless, the Monsoon season is much longer as it consists of 16 racing days. Races take place from Tuesday to Saturday.
A season is made of 100-120 races. 350-500 horses are expected to be involved in racing activities each season. 40 to 50 jockeys holding the type A or B licenses are allowed to participate in horse racing each season. All the races fall between 1000m to 2400m categories.
Being a highly respected club, the Mysore Race Club holds Grade I, II and III races. In recent years, the aggregate stake for the competitions has been as high as £320,000.
The winter season stake amounts to £ 400,000 while the monsoon season has a stake aggregate amounting to a staggering £600,000.
Most common high-stake events at the Mysore Race Club
The most notable horse racing competition at the club is the Mysore Derby. It is a Grade I race that’s held in October. This race is the finale of the Monsoon season and draws out enormous crowds. Other popular races that take place during the Monsoon season include the Maharaja Cup and the Governor’s Cup.
There are also classics and prestigious cups held during the winter and summer seasons, including:
- The Spar Million
- The Mysore Race Club Million
- The Chamundi Million
- The Mysore City Gold Cup
- The Mysore Colts
- The Continual Trophy
- The Mysore City Gold Cup
Is it legal to bet at the Mysore Race Club?
One of the most exciting aspects of horse racing is betting. That said, the Indian law allows offline horse race betting. The law recognizes horse racing as a game of skill. Therefore, punters can bet on the races as they please.
Since a famed supreme court ruling in 1996 that came in favour of horse race betting, the public has been betting offline on various horse races held at the Mysore Race Club.
In recent years, the revenue collected from betting has been the backbone of most Turf Clubs in India. Clubs recognize this and set up easily accessible counters for punters to purchase betting tickets. The Mysore Race Club employs the most recent computer technology to ensure that all betting activities go on smoothly.
The Mysore Race Club boasts of having over 200 betting counters within its premises. It also has a host of offline counters in other locations of the state. You can bet from any Mysore Race Club counter without breaking the law.
Betting on the Mysore Race Club Online
When it comes to betting on the fixtures from the Mysore Race Club online, there are several options available. However, you need to know that betting on horse racing online in India isn’t outrightly legal.
Fortunately, no one has ever been in trouble with the law for placing an online horse race bet in India.
As you venture into online horse race betting, you need to choose an established betting site that offers races from the Mysore Race Club. Some of the best horse race betting sites in India are the likes of Bet365, Betway and Royal Panda. The best part is that these online sites accept INR, which saves you from the tedious and sometimes costly process of converting INR in GBP.
The BII Final Verdict
The Mysore Race Club ranks among the oldest as well as the most respected race clubs in India. Having been operational for over a century, the club has contributed immensely to the Indian horse racing culture.
If you are a horse racing enthusiast looking for some exhilarating horse races that you can also bet on, don’t hesitate to check out the Mysore Race Club.
Related Horse Race Clubs
- Bangalore Race Club
- Delhi Race Club
- Hyderabad Race Club
- Madras Race Club
- Mysore Race Club
- Royal Calcutta Turf Club
- Guindy Race Course