UDHAGAMANDALAM: The Ooty Horse Race, a legacy of the British, commenced here on Friday, Tamil New Year Day.Several tourists and a good number of punters were present for the races on the inaugural day. The punters’ crowd is not as big as it used to be, but the event remains a draw thanks to the devotion and commitment of the Madras Race Club.M Rangan, 65, who has been a punter for more than four decades, recalled, “Three decades ago, every tourist family here during the season would be present at the race course. Even the children’s crowd inside the course would be huge during the Flower Show. The presence of tall foreign couples in was an added attraction. The race course would be a sea of humanity during the peak summer season, especially during weekends”.The present race course ground was a part of the artificial Ooty Lake. Later, the lake area was reduced as enough water could not be supplied to fill the lake, paving the way for the present race course. The Ooty race course, which celebrated its centenary in 1986, is the oldest in the country. A cross-section of local punters who call themselves “patrons” stressed the need to plant trees around the race course to restore the pristine glory of the Queen of Hills.
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