With the recent developments on the management of the Champs de Mars by Côte d’Or International Racecourse, which has launched a call for potential candidates to obtain a race organizer’s license, the most optimistic are announcing the date of June 4 as the kick-off date for the 2022 season. There is still a long way to go to get there.
Managed for hundreds of years by the municipality of Port-Louis, the Champ-de-Mars racecourse has come under the administration of the Ministry of Lands and Territorial Development, and is now under the control of the Côte d’Or International Racecourse and Entertainment Complex Ltd, an entity created less than a month ago by the State. This company is involved in the “Development of building projects for sale Land Promoter and Property developer”. Eight directors and a secretary have been appointed to head this company, including Rajkumar Baungally, Dev Beekharry, Louis Patrice Sebastien Diolle, Goolabchund Goburdhun, Naila Kishani Hanoomanjee, Kalianee Kautick, Dharamraz Mohabeer, Javed Sohail Ahlaq Ahmad Suhootoorah with Prime Partners Ltd. This company will now manage the Champ-de-Mars.
Dev Beekharry said he submitted his resignation as director of Gold Coast International Racecourse and Entertainment Complex Ltd on Thursday. Contrary to what he had said loud and clear in a radio broadcast on Friday, May 13, his presence in this new state entity would have been seen as a case of conflict of interest. For Dev Beekharry is also a Senior Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office and a member of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) Board.
This new development came as the Mauritius Turf Club (MTC) and the MTC Sport and Leisure Ltd (MTCSL) had announced earlier on Friday that they will be forced to take drastic measures if they do not get a response from the Ministry of Lands regarding the application made for the use of the March field on Thursday, May 12, and which remained without any response.
As time goes on, the situation is getting worse for the MTC/MTCSL. The entry of the People’s Turf PLC (PTP) into the race for the March Field lease has changed the situation and put the start date of the season in doubt. PTP is a company that has never run a race, and makes all the official requests with only a letter of intent from the GRA. While none of its directors have a Personal Management License (PML) to act as an officer of a race organizing company.
Among the directors of the PTP are: Rishi Gopaul, Ashnah Gunessing, Shayfiudhin Hussenee Noor-E-Shad (better known as Mr. Noor Hussenee), Veer Tejanand Singh Ramdin, Nayroo Deepmala Sok Appadu and Khulwant Ubheeram, who wears the double hat of CEO and is also the sole owner of many horses in several stables.
The MTC/MTCSL is therefore no longer alone in the race to get the lease for the Champ-de-mars. The PTP will also likely make a bid in this direction. The response from the Côte d’Or International Racecourse and Entertainment Complex Ltd, which has only held one board meeting, on Monday, May 2, is awaited.
Meanwhile, the situation is getting worse for the MTC. The finances are in the red. The historic race organizer had set aside reserves to pay salaries from January to March with the idea of starting the racing season in April. The MTC has a tradition of putting all its surplus money back into stakes money, for renovation and maintenance of its buildings and equipment. The fact that last season was held entirely behind closed doors has put an additional strain on the Turf Club’s finances. The MTC will have difficulty paying the salaries of its 348 employees for the month of May.
The grooms are threatening to go on hunger strike. They plan to meet with union leader Jack Bizlall to decide how to proceed on Monday. Bizlall said that the responsibility for the grooms’ salaries was now in the hands of the government, because the Champ-de-Mars racecourse belongs to the Ministry of Lands and Territorial Development, since the MTC/MTCSL is unable to organize the races.
