As Calcutta saw the crisp winter mornings gradually become warmer, and spring made its presence known, another magnificent race unfolded at Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) — The Indian Air Force Cup and the Eastern Air Command Cup.
CEO of The Royal Calcutta Turf Club, Sivaji Dutt noted, "I am new to this game. It is a magnificent feeling and a thrilling game. It is a brilliant day with guests who have come all the way from Shillong. With ladies so beautifully dressed up we also have the glam quotient in check!" Pictures by B Halder
The IAF Cup was won by Harvestime which is owned by Menaka Gupta, D. A. Nanda, Esha Nanda Bhojwani, Amitabh Nanda, Vishal Doctor and Kamal J Doctor.
Retired Air Force Wing Commander, Deejay Kler said, "The Air Force Golden Jubilee had just finished and we had done the first Air Force ball in Calcutta and then we said we must do something more. That is how the first Air Force Cup was held in 1996. We had only one poster that time and that was of a jaguar that had been lying around in my office." Deejay Kler with his wife
Harvestime was trained by Aashay Doctor and the jockey who reached the finish line first was Yash Narredu. The Eastern Air Command Cup, on the other hand, was won by Wonderful whose performance proved his name. Wonderful is owned by Deepesh M Narredu, trained by Rajesh Narredu and ridden by Suraj Narredu.
We spotted Akanksha Dharkar clicking a selfie with her mother. The duo looked gorgeous with their mandatory hats.