Royal Calcutta Turf Club
Calcutta Turf Club race course stands before 1905
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| Location | Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
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| Coordinates | 22°33′03″N 88°21′03″E / 22.550881°N 88.350865°ECoordinates: 22°33′03″N 88°21′03″E / 22.550881°N 88.350865°E |
| Date opened | 1847 |
| Race type | Horse racing |
| Course type | Grass |
| Official website | |
The Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC), founded in 1847 in Calcutta, British India (now Kolkata, India), became the premier horse racing organization in India during the British Raj. At one time it was the governing body for almost all courses in the sub-continent, defining and applying the rules that governed the sport. During its heyday the races it organized were among the most important social events of the calendar, opened by the Viceroy of India. During the 1930s the Calcutta Derby Sweeps, organized by the club, was the largest sweepstake in the world. It is still an exclusive private club and still operates the Kolkata Race Course.
Calcutta was the first base of British power in India. With an army based on cavalry, sports such as hunting, polo and racing were naturally important. Organized horse races were first held in India on 16 January 1769 at Akra, near Calcutta, where they were held for the next 40 years. At first they were run on a rough, narrow, temporary course. Governor Lord Wellesley prohibited horse racing in 1798, but five years later the Bengal Jockey Club resumed racing at Akra. The races moved to the Maidan area of Calcutta in 1809, where they are still held. In 1812 the club laid out a new course at approximately the current race course location. The race course is in the southwest part of the Maidan. A viewing stand was built in 1820, later to be extensively modified.
Races were run in the comparative cool of mornings just after sunrise, usually in five heats of 2.5 miles (4.0 km). The idea was to test both the speed and the stamina of the horse. If the result was not decided in the morning the heats were resumed after sunset. The British press regularly published the Calcutta race results. In 1825 the Calcutta Welter, the main horse racing event in India, was moved to the new course. The Calcutta Derby Stakes began in 1842, where maiden Arabs ran over 2.5 miles (4.0 km) for exceptionally high prizes.
The Calcutta Turf Club was founded on 20 February 1847. The purpose was to regulate all aspects of horse racing in Calcutta. Members of the club were elected by ballot. A five-person committee ran the club, and five stewards ran the races. In 1856 the Calcutta Derby was replaced by the Viceroy's Cup. Spectators of this race were admitted by invitation only. In 1860 Lord Ulrich Browne came into the Calcutta racing scene, which he would dominate. He was responsible for redrafting the racing rules and revising the weight-for-age scale. In 1879 the first Monsoon Meeting was held on a specially constructed course inside the main flat course. In 1880 public interest in racing grew when races started to be held in the afternoons, and new stands were built.
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