The 36th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) will kick off today in Mumbai at the Mahalaxmi racecourse with a quality race card featuring eight races, the prime event being the grade 1, Villoo Poonawalla Indian Oaks. For more than 500 delegates coming from all over the world such top class racing, offered against the spectacular backdrop of the Mahalaxmi racetrack which easily competes with the best racecourses in the world thanks in to its aesthetics, would serve a wonderful opener, because immediately on Monday they will dive headlong into some very serious business which involves high profile meetings of the Asian racing pattern committee, international stewards’ conference and Asian Racing Federation (ARF) executive committee meetings.

In fact, this 36th ARC which has come to India after a gap of 20 years will, over the next four days, discuss many extremely vital issues which will decide not only the direction of this sport until the next conference is held after two years, but perhaps also the future of this sport that has a glorious past but is currently struggling to keep its fan base from declining further.