Are you looking for information concerning the Indian Derby and want to know if it is a good betting opportunity? Horse racing fans in Europe, North America, and Australia are accustomed to Grade 1 Thoroughbred horse racing culture. However, did you know that India also has an elaborate system of breeders, trainers, and Grade 1 horse races that rival the Kentucky Derby?
On top of that, India is well-known for its regular bettors. For this reason, outsiders should prepare for one of the top betting pools in the world found at the Indian Derby.
History of horse racing in India
Since horses originate from Central Asia, it is not impossible to believe that some of the horse races in the world took place in India. However, when the British colonized India, there were few varieties of horses outside of the native Indian Marwari or Milani breed. Today, the most prominent breeds of horse racing are ones used around the world. Like other countries, Thoroughbred horse racing is a top-ranking luxury event and the racecourses and grounds rival those in Australia, Japan, and the U.S.
Rise of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse
In Southwest India, the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is perched on five islands facing the Indian Ocean. In the mid-1800s, the British colonizers brought their sport of Thoroughbred horse racing to India and invaders in Mumbai opened the first Jockey Clubs in Bombay in 1802 and 1798. To show off the top local horses, Mahalaxmi Racecourse was opened in 1883 by the Royal Western India Turf Club on top of swamp land. It was replicated from the Caulfield in Melbourne and is still a garden oasis in the heart of Mumbai with 225 open acres.
Memoirs from the late 1800s and early 1900s have this to say about the Indian Derby:
“The only memorable event in Bushire, which we left after a week’s stay, was the good fortune of one of the cable employees. He had bought a ticket in the big Indian Derby sweepstakes for nine rupees, the original price being ten. It was sold to him rather against his will, the seller being a married man, and feeling it wrong to gamble. The ticket won 5,000 pounds, which was duly paid to the lucky buyer.”
– In the Land of the Lion and Sun: 1886-1888, by Charles James Wills, 1891.
“This is the great week, made greater this year by the arrival of the Viceroy. The Viceroy’s Cup, the Indian Derby was run the other day; the Christmas festivities have brought a large number of people from the provinces; everything is crammed: hotels, clubs, boarding houses.”
– Through Isle and Empire, by Robert Humières (vicomte d’), Rudyard Kipling, 1905.
“The race was an exciting one … and the race eventually lay between Wamba and Bonnie Morn; the latter a ‘bad one to beat,’ being the winner of the Indian Derby, and a Thoroughbred Arab.”
– The Shackles of an Old Love, by Maria Wilkin, 1882.
How the Indian Derby began
The Indian Derby was an event intertwined with the opening of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. During it’s inaugural year, the Indian Derby was presented and has been the top horse racing event of Mumbai since. Each year, the elite of India show on the first Sunday of February and get ready to see which horses will continue the summer horse racing season further north in Bangalore. This is certainly a photo event similar to the Royal Ascot in England where Bollywood celebrities wear their best and get publicity from the press. Other events of a lesser, but similar, nature are the Poonawalla Breeders’ Multimillion and the Indian 2000 Guineas.
Traditions of the Indian Derby
Due to the hot weather in the summer months, the Mahalaxmi Racecourse runs races from November to April. Towards the end of the horse racing season, the first Sunday in February is reserved by the city’s rich for the Indian Derby. To celebrate, regular working class locals come to the track to view the horses and set up their own ‘morning exercises.’
For instance, horse racing fans do yoga, learn to ride horses, jog, or walk on the race track before the Indian Derby begins. This should come as no surprise considering that the track regularly offers beginners and advanced horse racing jockey courses for amateurs. Regardless, the first thing everyone learns is theory, equipment, and horse anatomy and psychology.
Gambling the Indian Derby today
India is one of the oldest human civilizations, and archaeologists have found that gambling has been around for over 4,000 years. Four millennia later, internet betting in India has taken the lead. Although many laws have sprung up over the past 200 years regulating gambling in India, it has never fallen out entirely of favor. The only catch is that the gambling establishment cannot be in India unless it is horse racing.
Naturally, as one of the top five horse races in India, the Indian Derby gets a lot of focus. This, in addition to the other reasons, means that the only betting pools that you will find for India gamblers are focused on horses, casinos, and placing bets online. This is fantastic news for the internet bettor that is looking for extra cash.
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