This Thursday, July 29, a dozen turf enthusiasts wanted to show their support to the Mauritius Turf Club and the MTC Sports and Leisure Ltd at the Champ de Mars. With placards in hand, they wanted to draw the attention of other turfers and the public in general to the situation that they consider worrying with the advent of the Finance Bill which recommends the establishment of a Horse Racing Division. This new organization, which will be under the aegis of the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) and the State, aims at drastically reducing the prerogatives of the MTCSL on the organization of horse racing in Mauritius.
However, the protesters were keen to make it clear that their actions are not dictated by any political party.
Meanwhile, the MTC / MTCSL is on the warpath to try to make the government back down on this issue.
Meetings are taking place to decide how to proceed. At the moment, the options available to local turf leaders are not huge. In addition, the Ministry of Finance does not want any meetings with MTCSL members. Already, the MTC has alerted international horse racing bodies about the purpose of the Finance Bill. The MTC will also continue its efforts to alert the public to the ‘hijacking’ of horseracing by the state, as described by the MTC leadership.
Legal action is also not out of the question. The MTC’s lawyers have already been asked about this.
As a reminder, the MTC has been running the oldest racetrack in the southern hemisphere for 209 years and is one of the first in the world.
