Royal Western India Turf Club Guide – RWITC Betting Tips

The Royal Western India Turf Club has been around since 1800. It continues to host some of the biggest races in India horse racing. The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) is the richest and most prestigious racing organization in modern India.

Located in the metropolis of Mumbai, home of India’s billionaires and Bollywood stars, its races are among the most glamorous events on the social calendar. In other words, the RWITC is a big deal.

The RWITC operates two racecourses in the state of Maharashtra. Besides the historic Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai, the club also runs races at the Pune Race Course. Pune is located a few hours drive from the city of Mumbai.

Mumbai is the capital of the state of Maharashtra. Located in a natural harbor on the Arabian Sea coast, it is the business capital of India and its largest city.

The scenic Mahalaxmi Race Course is located in the heart of this metropolis, in a sea-facing neighborhood called Mahalaxmi. Dr. E Moses road and Lala Lajpatrai Road are the two main links to the racecourse.

RWITC Info

Like most other racecourses in the country, the Mahalaxmi Racecourse also operates out of 225 acres of government land held on a long-term lease.

The racecourse is a blend of the old and new, with a majestic heritage grandstand and modern facilities like photo-finish cameras, state-of-the-art stables for 1400 horses, computerized betting, luxurious saunas, restaurants, bars, and even a helipad.

On the other hand, the Pune Racecourse is a smaller facility located in the Cantonment area of the city. Pune is the second-largest city in Maharashtra. It is located inland, on the Deccan Plateau, roughly 3 hours away from Mumbai by road.

The racecourse is located on around 118 acres of Army land. It has stabling facilities as well as a luxurious residential facility for its members.

RWITC Betting Sites

The Madras Race Club Trophy Mumbai Race Preview

After the excitement of the Indian Oaks on January 15^th, we head back to the Mahalaxmi Race Club in Mumbai for the next weekend’s racing action. If you are looking for Indian horse race betting odds and tips, you are at the right place.

In today’s race preview, we head to the Royal Western Turf Club in Mumbai for some Sunday racing action. It promises to be a busy day for Indian horse race enthusiasts, with 8 races on the cards for January 27, 2023, at the Mahalaxmi racecourse.

Our main event of the day is The Madras Race Club Trophy, a Class 1 race for horses rated 80 and above. This is a 1000 m sprint with a total prize purse of ₹10,00,000 up for grabs. As the sixth event of the day, starting at 7:00 PM, this race will be run under the floodlights.

There are just five horses on the race card, with ages ranging from 4 years to 9 years. If you are interested in placing a bet on this race, take a look at the odds table to find the horses tipped to win the Madras Race Club Trophy:

Odds To Win The Madras Race Club Trophy

At a casual glance, the odds are heavily stacked in favour of Endeavour, the winner of the Bangalore Turf Club Trophy (Class 1) and the Mysore Dasara Sprint (Gr 3) in 2022.

Out of the rest, Sky Fall and Mozelle have winning form on their side, with Mozelle, in particular, a good option as a long-odds pick. We are backing Endeavour to win The Madras Race Club trophy who has odds of 1.75 on Betway.

Recommended Betting Tip: Endeavour (1.75)

HOW TO BET ON THE MADRAS RACE CLUB TROPHY?

If you are in Mumbai on Sunday, nothing beats paying a visit to the Mahalaxmi racecourse for a first-hand experience of horse racing on the coast of the Arabian Sea. With the return of races under floodlights, you are in for a special experience indeed.

The Turf Club also operates betting counters on the racecourse premises where you can place a wide array of tote bets. But if you are not in Mumbai, or are unable to make it to the race club due to other commitments, fear not, there are other ways to bet on races in India.

If you are a beginner to online betting, you can rely on our online horse race betting guide to learn the basics. And if you know all about online betting, browse down to find a list of the best, most reputed online sites accepting horse race bets in India.

THE MADRAS RACE CLUB TROPHY – RACECARD, HORSES & JOCKEY DETAILS

The 2023 edition of this popular Class 1 race will feature a stallion, a mare, a filly, and two geldings. Well-known trainers like Imtiaz A Sait and NosherCama are in the contest, as are seasoned jockeys like Neeraj Rawal and A Sandesh. Let’s take a closer look at all the horses on the race card:

ENDEAVOUR – Strong Suit (USA) – Starring

Last 5 runs: 4 – 5 – 2 – 5 – 1.

The 6-year-old chestnut gelding is returning to the race track after more than three months. His last outing was a first-place finish in a Grade 3 race in Mysore in October 2022.

A member of trainer Imtiaz A Sait’s stables, Endeavour is the highest-rated horse in this race with a 107 rating. He has 6 wins and 4 places from 14 runs. His jockey on Sunday will be A Sandesh.

AUGUSTUS CAESAR – Holy Roman Emperor (IRE) – Snowy Day In La (IRE)

Last 5 runs: 5 – 4 – 2 – 2 – 3

The second-best horse in the running is this 91-rated bay gelding from the stables of trainer Altamash A Ahmed. Although his last win came on January 29, 2022, there is no doubting the abilities of this horse.

He is a proven finisher with 20 places and 7 wins out of 37 runs. The 8-year-old will be ridden by Jockey Bhawani Singh on Sunday.

GAZINO – Surfrider (IRE) – La Jocondel(USA)

Last 5 runs: 8 – 4 – 4 – 5 – 2.

The oldest horse in the race is a 9-year-old bay stallion trained by NosherCama. In a career spanning 43 runs, he has 5 wins and 28 places to his credit. But he has never raced before at 1000m.

S Zervan will be in the saddle on Sunday. Gazino has a rating of 88 for this race, which feels rather inflated given his recent performances.

SKY FALL – LeitirMor(IRE) – Classic Sky

Last 5 runs: 3 – 3 – 3 – 1 – 2.

Coming to the race in relatively decent nick is this bay mare sired by the legendary Leitir Mor. Trained by Dallas Todywalla, Sky Fall has finished in the top 4 in her last 5 races, including a win in Mumbai in November 2022.

The 6-year-old has had a decent career with 5 wins and 10 places from 17 runs. Rated at 85, Sky Fall will have jockey S Saqlain in the saddle for this race.

MOZELLE–Roderic O’Connor(IRE)-Equine Lover

Last 5 runs: 1 – 1 – 7 – 1 – 1

After impressing in her recent Class 2 races with 4 wins out of 5, Mozelle is an interesting wild card for this race. The 4-year-old bay filly is trained by Altaf Hussain and has 5 wins and 2 places from 9 runs.

Will she make it 3 wins out of 3 on Sunday? A rating of 80 suggests otherwise, but with veteran jockey Neeraj Rawal piloting her again on Sunday, anything is possible.

Betting on Royal Western Turf Club Races Online

Since offline gambling is heavily regulated and prohibited in India, the online variant also faces some legal ramifications. Due to a lack of precise laws, this aspect of gambling in India is a bit of a grey area.

But that hasn’t stopped Indian players from using online sites for gambling. In fact, horse racing has a bit of an edge here when compared to regular casino gambling. Since betting on horse races is legal in India, online betting also carries less risk.

For maximum safety, players should try to bet only on reputed online platforms. Indian gamblers usually prefer sites that accept bets in Indian currency, for obvious reasons.

The best RWITC race betting site at the moment is 22Bet. The sportsbook offers exciting promotional bonuses for new players.

Is It Legal To Bet At RWITC?

Horse race betting has a long history of legality in India dating back to the colonial era. While all other forms of gambling are strictly prohibited or controlled, the sport has received the protection of the courts over the years.

In 1996, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that betting on horse races is not gambling as it involves specialized knowledge of horses and racing conditions.

All visitors are free to bet at the counters set up in major turf clubs in India, and the RWITC is no exception. They have facilities for computerized tote betting and live screenings of races. The club even offers people the chance to bet on races in other turf clubs in India.

To provide easy access to legal betting, the RWITC also runs off-course counters all over the city, both in Mumbai as well as Pune.

RWITC Track Details

The Mahalaxmi race track was designed by Major JE Hughes in 1883. It has an oval shape and is 2400m long. It has an even, green turf surface and has been rated one of the best race tracks in Asia.

The final straight is 600m long with an option to run 1600m races on the home run using a straight chute. The Mumbai track is used for the winter season.

The track in Pune is longer at 3200m. Like the Mumbai track, this one too has a turf surface and an oval shape. There is the main track as well as a separate monsoon track built to withstand the rains.

RWITC Race Details: Seasons, Stakes, Prize Payouts

Mumbai city is prone to heavy rains during the monsoon. Since the Mahalaxmi racecourse is located close to the sea, this makes it unsuitable for racing at that time of the year. This is why the Royal Western India Turf Club operates on two racecourses. The main winter season goes in Mumbai, while the shorter monsoon season is at the Pune track.

● Winter – from November to March in Mumbai Mahalaxmi Racecourse
● Monsoon – from July to October at the Pune Racecourse

The RWITC adheres to a regular schedule of 70 race days in a calendar year. Around 560 races are held each year, involving over 1,000 horses, 600 owners, and 150 jockeys (both A and B licensed).

In Mumbai, the races go on Thursdays and Sundays from November to March, and Saturdays and Sundays in the month of April. In Pune, they are only on weekends, Saturdays, and Sundays with the odd special race day held on a Friday.

The RWITC hosts some of the most prestigious horse races in India. It has more than six Grade I main events in a single calendar year. These include:

• Indian Guineas (1000 & 2000)
• Indian Oaks
• Poonawalla Breeders Multimillion
• Indian Derby
• Pune Derby
• Indian St Leger

Of these, the Indian Derby, held in early February in Mumbai, is the biggest race of the year with a stake of just under half a million pounds. All the other Grade 1 races, with the exception of the Pune Derby and St Leger, are in Mumbai. The Mumbai Winter season alone has total stakes of around Rs 13 crore or £1.4 million, and that is excluding the Indian Derby weekend races.

The RWITC also conducts the following important races:

Mumbai

● The A.C. Ardeshir Trophy (GR.III)
● The Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia Trophy (Gr.III)
● The Ramniwas Ramnarain Ruia Gold Cup (Gr.II)
● The Kunigal Stud Breeders`Produce Stakes (G.III)
● The Dr.S.C. Jain Sprinters` Championship (Gr.II)
● The Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Eclipse Stakes Of India (Gr.II)
● The C.N. Wadia Gold Cup (Gr.II)
● The Shapoorji Pallonji Breeders` Juvenile Colts Championship (Gr.III)
● The Forbes Breeders` Juvenile Fillies Championship (Gr.III)

Pune

● The Eve Champion Trophy (Gr.III)
● The Sanjay Kakade Group Turf Club Trophy (Gr.III)
● The F.D. Wadia Trophy (Gr.II)
● The S.A.Poonawalla Multi-million (Gr.II)
● The Mcdowell Signature Premier Indian St.Leger (Gr.I)
● The Nanoli Stud Pune Derby (Gr.1)

History Of the Royal Western Turf Club

The history of horse racing in Mumbai is more than 200 years old. The Bombay Turf Club was started in 1800 by British colonial officials with the help of a prominent Indian businessman. The club operated out of the Byculla neighborhood of the city. In Pune, racing started after the end of the Anglo-Maratha wars in 1820. The racecourse there was built in 1830.

The name of the Bombay Turf Club was changed to Western India Turf Club in 1864. Fourteen years later, the club shifted its premises to the current address at Mahalaxmi. In those days, the area around Mahalaxmi Flats was marshland. This land was reclaimed for racing after it was donated to the club by industrialist Cusrow N Wadia.

But the club could only race there for a year, due to inaccessible terrain and the presence of open drains nearby. It would take another 5 years of land development before the club is able to use the land for racing. By the 1890s, the Western India Turf Club had become the second most important racing authority in British India, behind the Royal Calcutta Turf Club.

In the 20th century, the Turf Club continued to grow and attract important guests. Royals like King George V, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Shah of Iran all used to visit the club. The club received its Royal tag from the Emperor of India, King George V in 1935.

The sport of kings continued to flourish in the region under the tutelage of the RWITC even after independence. In the 1970s, Rajendra Kishan, a prominent lyricist, and screenwriter from Bollywood won a record Rs. 4,600,000 jackpot at the Turf Club. It still remains the largest win in a horse racing jackpot in Indian history.

The Modern RWITC

The modern RWITC is an exclusive private club with around 7000 members. It is an independent entity that controls all the races in Mumbai and Pune under its own authority. RWITC is also the controlling authority for races conducted in Delhi. It is one of the key controlling members of the Turf Authorities of India, the premier organization for horse racing laws in the country.

The RWITC races are among the most lucrative in India, attracting heavy sponsorship and patronage from multinational corporations.

The RWITC has a well-maintained website where they provide all the important information about the club and its races. This includes historic race records at both Mumbai and Pune. The oldest record still standing in Mumbai is from 1998, when Game Plan won the 2400m race with a time of 2 ms. 27.71 secs.

At Pune, the oldest record was set by Snow Fire in 2003 in 1100m monsoon races with a time of 1 m 05.94 secs.