Delhi Race Club Guide – Delhi Race Betting In India

The Delhi Race Club is located at the heart of political power in India. It is one of the most historic racecourses in India. Delhi is India’s capital city and the racetrack isn’t far away from the Prime Minister’s office. The Delhi horse race club has a lot of history attached to it and presents opportunities to take part in horse race betting.

At Delhi Race Club, there is a single track and the racecourse’s turf is lush green grass. When the horse racing season is underway, the clubhouse has a sitting capacity of around 800 members.

Apart from this, 4,000 people can visit the Delhi Race Club to take in the best of Indian horse racing action.

Top Delhi Race Betting Sites

Is It Legal To Bet At Delhi Race Club?

Thanks to a 1996 Supreme Court of India ruling, Delhi Race Club is among a handful of private establishments in India where you can legally bet on horse races.

Since horse betting is an event based on skill and specialized knowledge, it doesn’t fall under the gambit of gambling as defined by Indian gambling laws. In the meantime, India bans every other gambling activity of note.

This means that horse betting is very popular among Indian punters. Since they don’t have access to other sports betting or casinos, horse racing provides a vital outlet for bettors. Offline betting is possible at Delhi race club.

Along with on-premise betting counters, clubs like Delhi Race Club also provide off-site betting counters in other parts of the city for added convenience.

Delhi Race Club Fixtures 2023

How To Bet On Delhi Live Race?

Since horse betting is legal offline, the online variant also resides in a comfortable grey area. There are no explicit laws banning the activity, which means that you can safely bet online on Delhi Race Club races.

It’s important to do good research on the jockey, horse trainer, and coach before you place your bets. Always look for trusted horse race betting sites like Betway and 22Bet. 

These are the best options for India-based sports bettors as they all accept deposits in Indian rupees. This feature is highly recommended for anybody who wishes to try their hand at online betting on horse races in India.

You can head to the horse racing option on the menu on the sportsbook and select the Delhi live race. You will be able to see Delhi race odds and will also be able to place bets.

Delhi Racecourse Info

The National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi is home to the Indian Parliament, Supreme Court, and residences of the President, the Prime Minister, and other important members of the elite in India. The Delhi Race Course is a prestigious institution found in the midst of all this, at a central location in New Delhi.

The Delhi Race Club is located in the Teen Murti Marg area of central Delhi, close to historic landmarks like Safdarjang’s Tomb, the Gymkhana Club, and Chanakyapuri, where the most important foreign embassies in India are situated.

The Mustafa Kemal Ataturk Road and the Safdarjung Road connect the Club to the rest of the city.

Horse Racing By The Prime Minister’s Residence

The Race Club is not the largest in India, nor the oldest. But what it lacks in size and heritage, the club makes up for by virtue of its location in the national capital.

The club counts among its members some of the most influential and powerful people in the entire nation of India. The residence of the Prime Minister of India is just a stone’s throw away.

The racetrack is located far away from the hustle and bustle one would expect from other big cities, like Mumbai or Kolkata. Despite its huge size and population, the national capital has green and tranquil environs in its core area.

The Delhi Horse Race Club is located in one such location, which makes it a very special venue in India.

Delhi’s Exclusive Membership

The Delhi Race Club is an exclusive organization with fewer than 800 members. Members of the public are allowed entry into the club on race days upon purchase of tickets.

Around 4,000 people watch the races every day in Delhi during the horse racing season. The club does not have big grandstands like some of the other horse racing venues in India. It still has some world-class features, though. These include state-of-the-art stabling for up to 500 horses.

The Delhi racecourse has a green turf track for horse racing. There are no secondary tracks at the venue. The track is largely flat and does not have any steep gradients or tricky turns. It has an oval shape.

There are handicap races held on Delhi’s turf as well. A handicap race is one where each horse is allotted a weight, according to the horse’s ability. This is done to make sure that each horse has an equal chance of winning the race.

Delhi Horse Race Details: Seasons, Calendar, Stakes & Prize Payouts

The Delhi horse racing calendar has two main seasons, like most other turf clubs across the country. Due to the intense heat of summers, no horse racing is possible at that time of the year in the capital city.

The horse racing calendar in Delhi runs from August to April. The two seasons are:

Monsoon Season

The monsoon season usually stretches from August to October.

Winter Season

The winter season usually stretches from November to April.

There are usually around 10 race days during the Monsoon Season at Delhi’s turf club, with six to seven races at each. With about 70 to 80 total races, an estimated 400 horses and 30 licensed jockeys are associated with the club each year.

However, the winter season in Delhi is the main horse racing season, with more than 30 to 35 race days taking place each year.

Delhi Race Day: Schedule & Fixtures

The biggest horse racing event in the Delhi horse racing calendar is the North Indian Derby, a Grade III event held during the Winter Season at the Delhi Race Club.

This particular race day has a different feel to it altogether. It’s a unique Blue Ribbon race in India, the only one of its kind run over the mile. In other venues, it is usually held over a distance of 2,400 meters.

The Delhi racing calendar also has other Grade II and Grade III racing events throughout the year, like the Indian 2000 Guineas, and the Kurukshetra Plate. According to the Turf Authorities of India, the Race Club is not among the six eligible member clubs that hold Grade I events in India like the Invitation Weekend on a rotational basis.

The Delhi Horse Race Club hosts many important races, including the following:

• Panipat Plate
• Hisar Plate
• Constitution of India Plate
• Winter Plate
• North India 1000 Guineas

History Of Delhi Race Club

Delhi’s racing history dates back to around 1911. That’s when the British shifted the capital of their Indian territories from Calcutta to Delhi. The British acquired vast tracts of land from local farmers in the Delhi region to build the new capital.

Behind the plan was the famous English architect Edward Lutyens. During the course of this land acquisition, a tract of land close to the center of the new city was laid aside for the royal pastime of horse racing, with the racecourse was founded in 1926.

The race club was registered for the first time as a private organization in 1940, and again in 1959 post-independence. Officially, the Delhi Race Club has been holding horse-racing events since the ’40s.

A Secondary Horse Racing Organization

Since its inception, the Delhi Horse Race Club has been under the authority of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). This means the club has to follow the horse racing rules established by RWITC.

Delhi Race Club is autonomous and has its own committee, president, etc. For the purpose of official horse racing, however, it depends on the RWITC. The latter also conducts races at the famous Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai and the Pune Race Course.

So, in essence, the Delhi Race Club is a secondary horse racing organization in India. As of now, it does not have the authority to manage races on its own. Furthermore, even though it is largely autonomous and private, the club does have a number of senior members nominated by the Delhi Government. These members tend to be senior bureaucrats.

Sadly, data related to past races and speed records are not readily available in the public domain yet. Along with thoroughbred races, the club also used to have interesting timed obstacle races known as Gymkhana races. These were terminated in 1969.