mumbai

About Mahalakshmi Racecourse :

The horse racing season starts in mid-November and ends in the last week of April. On the first Sunday in February, the Derby is conducted annually and is attended by many of the city's glitterati. Since the year 1986 till date McDowell's Indian Derby has been sponsored by liquor baron Vijay Mallya's UB Group under the name of flagship company McDowells Co. Ltd. as The McDowell's Indian Derby. The common Mumbaikar has access to the racecourse in the mornings and evenings during specified timings for exercising, walking or jogging in the inner lane of the main horse race track. The racecourse has also transformed many common Mumbaikars to Marathoners.Yoga sessions akin to Tai-chi are conducted in the garden situated within the race-track during the common permissible timings, akin to "Happy Valley Racecourse" in Hongkong. Lessons for horse-riding are also provided. In the evenings dogs are also allowed to be walked, but one has to check the permissibility. On weekends its common to find Aero-Modelling hobbyists flying planes on the polo ground, performing aerial acrobats with motorized radio controlled planes during non-racing days. The ground is also used as a heli-pad many a times. Lately they have even started with providing newspapers in the morning to the joggers. Happiness abounds here in the mornings and evenings

History of Mahalakshmi Racecourse

The Mahalakshmi Racecourse was built in 1883. The racing ground is oval in shape and the length of the race track spreads to about 2400 meters. The Mahalakshmi Racecourse is built on 225 acres of land, facing the sea. A huge open land sited in the middle of the bustling city of Mumbai, this racetrack is a mirror image of the Melbourne Caulfield Racecourse. Special lawns within the Mahalakshmi Racecourse are used for parties, weddings and other special occasions, with a capacity to house over 1500 to 2000 people. The racecourse has royal style structures that date back to the 1880's. The structures possess immense architectural beauty with a lot of historical significance. The government is taking all possible measures to retain the racecourse's ancient architecture.

Getting to Mahalakshmi Racecourse