Date:12/07/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/07/12/stories/2003071204361800.htm

Sport - Racing : Horse

Panel formed to look into mount fee issue

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE July 11. The President of the Indian Racehorse Owners Federation (IROF), Vijay Mallya, has named a five-member committee to go into the wider aspects of a revision of jockeys' mount fee.

Mr Mallya's decision came in the wake of prolonged discussion over the mount fee revision issue, which came up before the federation even as the IROF annual general meeting was adjourned sine die.

The AGM, attended among others by India's leading owner Dr M.A.M. Ramaswamy and chaired by Mr. Mallya, was adjourned amid broad agreement that the by-laws needed to be amended.

Election of new office-bearers will now be held at the next meeting, the date for which has not yet been finalised. Mr. Mallya has authorised the secretary of the Karnataka Racehorse Owners Association, Ashok Raghavan, to work on the amendment of the by-laws.

Earlier, the joint meeting of the racehorse owners' associations involving representatives from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Western India, Kolkata and Karnataka, discussed in depth the revision of mount fee sought by the Jockeys Association of India (JAI).

One significant point made during the discussion was that the revision of mount fee notified by the Turf Authorities of India (TAI) at its July 15, 2000 meeting was to be in force till October 31, 2003.

The five-member panel, consisting of Javeed Ghatala (TNRHOA), Shehzad Abbas (APRHOA), Anil Mukhi (WIRHOA), N.L. Chaudhuri (CRHOS) and Ashok Raghavan (KROA), will submit its recommendations to the IROF in the next couple of months.

Owners' bodies have called on the TAI to implement a uniform handicapping system. Another area where there is strong consensus is in allowing free movement of horses across the country.