The Telegraph Cup was the first race of the day, which was won quite unexpectedly by Malibu, ridden by champ jockey P. Trevor. Bred at the Sans Craintes Stud Farm in Coimbatore, Malibu gifted his owner a neat 10-fold bonanza at the stakes with his surprise win.
What: Eveready presents New Year Day Racing, in association with The Telegraph
Where: Royal Calcutta Turf Club
On the cards: Nine races beginning noon, including The Telegraph Cup, The Eveready RCTC Gold Vase and the Kunigal Stud Indian Produce Stakes.
The contenders: Like every year, the hot hooves came with even hotter names, from Captain Courageous and Speedy Gonsalves to Red Fury and War Games. There were also quirky ones like Elusive Hurricane, Chala Ja Bachha, Bindaas and Something Stupid.
In the stands: The t2 camera couldn’t stop clicking as Calcutta ladies stepped out in style. The most prominent trend was lace. From entire dresses to just a hint of it on the collar or cuff, this delicate fabric was THE fashion fave at the New Year races, possibly taking a cue from the mild weather. While most men stuck to the traditional (read boring) black, grey and charcoal suit, some at least stood out for their Aztec print ties or pocket squares in pop colours. A few sported sleeveless bandhgalas and Jawahar jackets.
Sip and bite: A lavish food court offered a range of cuisines. While many were seen wolfing down steaming biryani in between placing bets, others opted for Mexican rice, fried chicken, batter-fried babycorn, sandwiches, pasta, nachos and noodles. Those who preferred Indian to kick off the New Year had their eyes set on a variety of dosas, pav bhaji, chaats and more.
The buzz: While all these provided food for the tummy, a certain lambi race ka ghoda provided much food for thought. M.S. Dhoni’s sudden retirement from Test cricket dominated race-day conversation. In the Grand Enclosure, cricket expert Kishore Bhimani was surrounded by Dhoni talk, as was Jeet Banerjee, a KKR partner in Calcutta. In the Members’ Enclosure, “why did he do it” to “it was a good time to go” did the rounds. But a lady in green took the cake. “What I am wondering is if they’ll still make that film on Dhoni,” she quipped and silenced ’em all.
