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Records show that racing has taken place in the Bombay area since as early as 1797. Indeed the local Bombay Courier carried an article recording racing taking place, for a £50 purse, on 25th November 1797.
RWI3.JPG (73100 bytes) It was to be a further 83 years before the Bombay Turf Club was established in 1880, founded by 4 prominent Englishmen including Sir Charles Forbes.

By 1883 the venue was moved from Byculla to Mahalaxmi and significant improvements in facilities and the state of the course itself were able to be put in place. This was maily the work of Sir Cusrow Wadia.

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Many world leaders who are keen horse racing enthusiasts, have visited the racecourse, had races named in their honour, and presented prizes. These include the Shah of Persia (Iran) and the King of Saudi Arabia.
RWI5.JPG (86340 bytes) Queen Elizabeth II visited the racecourse and from thence it was renamed the 'Royal Western India Turf Club'.

For further information and research on badges and tokens it is worth linking to :-

www.indiannumismatics.com/products.php?id=1

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If you have badges, racecards, pictures of the racecourse or further details about the course, including your memories, then email johnslusar@fsmail.net