Derby Day hangover

Vivek Jain, chairman of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) said this weekend that the McDowell Signature Indian Derby 2010 "redefines Indian sport." Sounds lofty but in a way, it is true.

This weekend the country’s most exalted horse racing event (a kind of social and fashion orgy of the year) held its 25th edition.

A favorite thoroughbred called Jacqueline won the Derby. She set a record by winning the four classic races, all in a row. Her owners Cyrus Dhunjibhoy, Vijay Shirke and Bergis Minoo Desai were described as being "over the moon." Not surprising considering the other record they won that day -- the highest prize ever given to the winner of a horse race in India, Rs 1.25 crore. 

So if you weren't able to smell the perfume of ladies in hats, hear the horses thundering over the turf, or see the BMWs, Mercedes Benzs and other iconic supercars mingling at the Mahalaxmi race course, you'll just have to read about Mumbai's most decadent annual sports event in the news this morning, until next year. 

In other Mumbai news...

The latest Bollywood film with Mumbai as its subject is "Striker," a story of a tiny Mumbai basti or slum called Malvani and its carrom players who turn this favorite Indian pastime into a blood sport. The Indian Express calls it "a striking example of just how good a film can be when the setting and the people are real." 

Cornered Bollywood actor-god Shahrukh Khan took a stab at the latest political pettiness surrounding who is a true Mumbaiker, saying "I am what I am because of Mumbai and I would like everyone in Mumbai to be happy. I think what is happening is very unfortunate. I think all the groups also want Mumbaikars to be happy. Then why create this kind of atmosphere?"