“Though we are yet to receive the official communication from the state Animal Husbandry Department with regards to the movement of horses from Pune and the conduct of racing, we are very confident of getting it soon and therefore we have agreed in principle to start the Mumbai season from January 31,” informed Vivek Jain, chairman of the stewards of the club.

Jain informed that at the start, there would be two days of racing on January 31 and February 1. “That is if we receive entries for these days, but if we don’t get them, then the racing might start from February 5 onwards,” said Jain.

The horse owners have welcomed the decision. “It’s great news that they have finally decided to start racing,” said Jeffrey Nagpal, president of the Western India Race Horse Owners Association (WIRHOA). “When racing activity has already started in centres like Kolkata and Delhi, which were also affected, there is no reason we should wait,” stated Nagpal.

“We had in fact suggested to the committee to have a small programme for first two days. We can start it on a low-key note by having races over 1000 and 1200 metres first. A race for juvenile horses should also be planned,” informed Nagpal.