Newbie's guide to the Indian Derby at the Mahalaxmi racecourse

Buy the book The first thing to buy is the race book You must have seen those small booklets in the hands of people who go racing There are many but the leading ones are Cole BOL and Lucky Spinner They all cost Rs 20 each and they give you all the information about the races horses and their past performance statistics information about jockeys and trainers and even recommendations of who they think would win However you must remember racing is not an easy game and even the best strike rate is about only 35 per cent The free source to get all that information is logging on to httprwitccom the race clubrsquos official website At the paddock where one can look at the horses prerace PicR S Gupta Dressing up If you are visiting the VIP enclosure known as the membersrsquo enclosure entry will be Rs 350 per person you have to follow the dress code For gentlemen the acceptable dress code is suit or safari or a fullsleeved shirt with tie or a jacketblazer shoes are a MUST Else national dress like dhoti or churidar with appropriate footwear is allowed Ladies can wear anything except beachwear However no specific dress code is required if you are planning to visit the public enclosure entry fee Rs 30 Dressing up Derby style The Paddock Races on a dayrsquos card are conducted every half hour and about 20 minutes before the race time horses are brought into the paddock an oval area between the jockeysrsquo weighing room and the race track which is impossible to miss You can see horse owners and trainers planning their strategy and giving instructions to jockeys who then mount the horses and take them to the starting gates Viewing the horses in the paddock can be a great piece of education for the beginner Shaolin monks entertain punters at the paddock during an earlier edition of the Derby Entertainment along with racing has become an integral part of this day Regulars try to lipread the instructions some judge the owner and trainerrsquos level of confidence by the way they are dressed Their thinking is simple If they are nattily dressed they are possibly expecting to be photographed leading in a winner Not a bad piece of logic eh But basically everyone is there to look up the horses Because horses talk and it pays to listen Even firsttimers can attempt to assess a horsersquos condition if they know what to look for The secret is to watch a horsersquos coat or skintone ears eyes neck and tail Watch this board for dividend figures PicR S Gupta Horse Talk Coat Coat means the tone of the skin If it reflects light it is a good sign If it does not the horse may be rusty Eyes Rolling eyes indicate too much excitement or fright Sleepy eyes may signify a dull horse A focused steady and curious gaze in the direction of the sound indicates an alert and ready horse A horse refuses to run as the gates slam open at the start Ears Ears pricked forward generally mean the horse is ready and alert Ears pinned back indicate fear sometimes anger A readytowin horse will always flick ears towards the jockey when he is mounting Neck An arched neck signifies a welltuned horse but generally for a sprint shortdistance race It may not be a great sign for trips of more than a mile Tail Readytostrike horses generally have a high meaning lsquoraisedrsquo tail They may lightly swish it when walking with springy steps A kinked tail is a sign of genuine fear Betting When horses leave the paddock to go to the starting gates itrsquos time to make betting decisions and the action shifts to tote windows and the bookmakersrsquo ring As a newbie you would be better off betting small R10 is a minimum bet on the tote those small windows you will see everywhere Keep your betting simple Bet a horse either to win come first or place finish anywhere in 123 If you like say horse 4 go to any window marked lsquoSellrsquo or lsquoSellPayrsquo and say these words ldquoNumber 4 WIN rupees 10rdquo Collect your ticket and change and if your horse wins go to any window marked lsquoPayrsquo or lsquoSellPayrsquo and encash your profit Money management Money won is twice as sweet as money earned But there is a hidden danger It can also make you unrealistic about its true worth Take the following advice very seriously if you choose to speculate at the races gtgt Keep your betting small gtgtu00a0Remember statistically only one in three races are won by the favourite horse gtgtu00a0Never be too sure about your bet Remember the only certainty in racing is uncertainty gtgtu00a0Never chase losses gtgtu00a0Remember it is NOT compulsory to bet Also it is not wise to bet in every race Did You Know The racetrack is oval in shape and measures exactly 2400 metres So the Derby run over the trip of a mileandahalf 2400m starts from just opposite the club membersrsquo stand and the horses make one complete round of the oval to come back at the same place from where they start to pass the winning post Only fouryearold horses are allowed to participate in the Derby that means only horses born in the year 2009 will be racing in the Derby There will be 17 horses participating in this yearrsquos Derby 15 of them will be colts or geldings male horses and only two will be fillies female horses