Registrar of the Indian Stud Book Authority visits Sri Lanka

 Nisitha Rupesinghe - Treasurer of the Royal Turf Club, Wayne Wood – CEO of the Royal Turf Club , Satish Iyer - Registrar of the Indian Stud Book, Nihara Rutnam – Committee Member of the Royal Turf Club, Sudarshana Deshapriya - Committee Member of the Royal Turf Club  

Thoroughbred horses race all over the world. Like professional athletes they travel across the globe to compete. The American-bred California Chrome flies all the way from the US to Dubai to win the richest race in the world – The Dubai World Cup. The Japanese celebrate their moment in the sun when Delta Blues wins the Melbourne Cup in Australia - the race that brings the entire nation to a halt and is in fact a national holiday. A mare named Black Caviar, a world champion sprinter from Australia who was undefeated in her 25 starts was flown all the way to Royal Ascot to win the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. 

They really get around don’t they?  What’s more, each and every thoroughbred in every country that boasts of thoroughbred racing has a passport. It’s not issued by the Foreign or Passport Office, instead it is issued by what is called the Stud Book Authority of the country where the thoroughbred is born, bred and raced and this is exactly what the Royal Turf Club of Sri Lanka proposes doing. 

Satish Iyer, the Registrar of the Indian Stud Book, is visiting the Royal Turf Club, Nuwara Eliya. He is responsible for issuing the passports for each and every thoroughbred in India, whether the horse is involved in racing or is located at any one of the numerous Stud Farms spread across India. 

Iyer is in Sri Lanka on the invitation of the Royal Turf Club, Nuwara Eliya to help and advise them on how to set up and establish the Sri Lanka Stud Book, which will function according to international guidelines. 

While in Nuwara Eliya, Iyer inspected the facilities and addressed the trainers, explaining how a Stud Book is necessary for the integrity of thoroughbred racing and the importance of all horses being registered. He also walked the racecourse, complimenting the condition of the track.

“This will be a huge step in the right direction for horseracing in Sri Lanka and for the RTC, who are instrumental in trying to get this exciting spectator sport back on the map,” said RTC CEO Wayne Wood.  

While in Sri Lanka, Iyer addressed a select gathering on 5 July to outline the intricacies of this fascinating subject which will help put owners, breeders and professionals based in Sri Lanka on the right wavelength.  

Iyer, who has years of experience in this field, advised all present  on how thoroughbreds in India were blood-typed and micro-chipped to ensure that nothing was left to chance or compromised when it came to overseeing the sanctity of the breed in India.