The Royal Turf Club’s Xmas Races concludes 2016’s racing season on a high

The world will celebrate Christmas on 25 December as always, but the sleepy little town of Nuwara Eliya began their celebrations on 11 December with a Christmas Party at the Race Course – the home of The Royal Turf Club – and what a party it turned out to be. Flying in to grace the occasion was Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, and the sporting gent that he is, he readily agreed to come on stage and regale the appreciative audience with two superbly sung songs.

The Yuletide decor simply took your breath away as the Race Course wore a beautiful festive look. The only thing missing was the snow to give it that White Christmas effect!

There was something there for everyone and even the weather gods blew the rain and clouds away and the sun peeked out to provide the perfect setting.

For the sports buff there were a total of seven races with the feature being the Christmas Gold Cup for horses in the highest class. The bonus was the chance to watch a talented young lady named Rupa who was flown in from India to ride against the boys. She’s a Chennai-based professional jockey who has been doing remarkably well in a profession that is dominated by men. For children the interaction with Santa Claus dishing out presents must surely have been the highlight, while for those seeking high fashion, the Deepthika Jayakody selection more than wowed the crowd with models sashaying down the ramp. On the entertainment side there was Corrine Almeida belting out one number after another to keep the crowds on their feet and as active as the horses on the track.

But the Christmas spirit at RTC was not just a cosmetic. It went much deeper, touching the very essence and the core of what this festival is all about. It’s about giving, and here leading owners Mr. and Mrs. Edwards committed to the cause by donating the entire prize money earned by them on the day to the Cancer Society. Their horses ran their hearts out for this generous and gracious cause and won three races for the red and green sash silks of the Edwards family. RTC joined in by hosting a Christmas meal for their entire staff and their families making it a day to remember for all.

And if that wasn’t enough, the racing through the day was par excellence. It was dominated by Trainer S.P.A. Raju who saddled a lucrative quadruple. He started it off with Captain Haddock (Admiral Of The Fleet ex Beladee) who made every post a winning one under jockey Mahesh to win the German Embassy Advent Cup. Gazaki (Burden of Proof ex Acer) then waltzed away with the Sports Ministry Cup. He was ridden by the Indian pro Aneel who went on from there to reel off a superb hat trick, thus cornering the riding honours for the day.

The piece de resistance – The Christmas Gold Cup – was won by the Deepthika Jayakody owned mare Alcazaba (Burden of Proof ex Alambrah) who improved gradually from the rear to take over the running at the top of the straight and then win in taking fashion. 

All in all a wonderful day at the picturesque Race Course – the home of the RTC in Nuwara Eliya – and it turned out to be a perfect prelude to Christmas!