." The big boss HUNED CONTRACTOR, TNN 4 August 2003, 03:26am IST

Ships to stud farms. If the former makes for Khushroo Dhunjibhoy's business interest, the latter is an endearing hobby that consumes him.

The good thing is that both, the Five Star Shipping Company and the Nanoli Stud Farm, are posting excellent results. But there is more to toast to.

That's the recently declared financial statement of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), which has indicated a healthy turn-around in the balance between income and expenditure.

"This means that our efforts have paid off and it also shows that we are on the right track," says Dhunjibhoy, chairman of the RWITC.

Keeping to the track, after all, is what horse racing is all about. Winning and losing is part of the sport.

This is precisely the kind of philosophy that Dhunjibhoy would like to preach and practise. "My dream," he says, while watching a replay of a race in the steward's room, "is to make racing as big a sport as say, cricket or football."

Horse racing is second nature to Dhunjibhoy. Having grown up under the influence of his father, an avid racing buff and a committee member, Dhunjibhoy soon found himself on the committee too and was then elected chairman in 2000.

This is an annual term, but such has been the vote of confidence in his favour that Dhunjibhoy has been offered the seat three times in succession.

"I would now like to take a break," he whispers. Sure enough, this may be the right time to do so, what with having wiped off the loss of Rs 5.27 crore as announced on June 30 last year, apart from putting into motion a grand design that should switch the image of horse racing from one of gambling to leisure.

It is time for celebration and a vacation.

Moving into the alleys of economics, Dhunjibhoy explains that RWITC's profitable achievement can be attributed to certain key factors like a drop in salary budgets due to the introduction of voluntary retirement schemes, saving on maintenance projects, an increase in royalty received from out-of-state turf clubs which accept inter-venue betting and hiring out of Mumbai's Mahalaxmi course for social events.

"Surprisingly, gate money collection has gone up by Rs 21 lakh despite our fears that interest in Indian racing has dipped," adds Dhunjibhoy.

Back to the hush-hush big plan then. Reveals Dhunjibhoy, "Our vision is to create a destination which means that people who come to the Mahalaxmi should include even those who have no interest in gambling, but wish to have a day of fun at a single-point location. We would therefore like to provide excellent catering facilities, game parlours and even a shopping mall. In the United States, for example, they have five star accommodation on the premises. We wish to promote polo during the off-season period."

The downside of the design is that Pune is not included.

"We are sitting on army land and the restrictions are many. Even such a small attempt as to start an amateur riding school backfired," he laments.

"All of us on the committee are honorary members and there has seeped in the collective attitude of each one being the boss. As happens in any large corporate body, there is bound to be some cloak-and-dagger stuff," he says.

When it comes to the question of illegal betting, Dhunjibhoy adopts a serious stance.

"There is no way we can avoid it because the taxation level imposed by the state government is way too high as compared to say, Karnataka," he reasons.

The slabwise tax on racing in Maharashtra amounts to 16 per cent as compared to six per cent in Karnataka.

"But yes," adds Dhunjibhoy, "we are definitely using new technology to bring about a transparency in the system."