It was the perfect Sunday afternoon on the 3rd of February when more than 450 elite of Indore gathered to witness the action packed horse races at Indore’s first ever Derby (2019). Derby is currently held in only select cities in India and Indore has now become the select few when Mr Praveen Agarwal of ARA Entertainment along with Ms Shrijika Agrawal, Chairperson of Young Indians, Indore Chapter launched Indore’s first ever Derby which shall be an annual affair.
The cool winter breeze was perfect for the day time event which saw the glitz and glamour at it’s peak. While the ladies went gung-ho with their attire and dresses donning fashionable derby hats, the gentlemen were not far behind making fashion statements in their stylish waist coats & jackets coupled with riding hats and bow ties.
Soul soothing live musical performances by two bands added zing to the event where people relished delectable fusion food of international menu & taste with a free flowing bar. A twelve member dance troupe performed live at the inaugural where Mr Praveen Agarwal & Mrs Shruti Agarwal along with Shrijika Agrawal declared the Derby open. 15 horses with 15 professional jockeys participated in the races which had 3 races in the preliminary rounds followed by 2 semifinals and an action packet final. All the 15 horses and jockeys were brought in from Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata & Delhi.
All the horses were owned for the day by different young & enthusiastic sports lovers and reputed industrialists from Indore. The owners and jockeys of winning horses received trophies. The owners were treated to a beautifully and tastefully created owner’s lounge at the venue and were presented with host of owner privileges including gold plated personalized plates, scarfs, horse pins, et al.
Princess Jahnavi of Mewar, Maharaj Shakti Singh ji of Mewar and Rao Raja Parikshit Singh ji joined the event and gave away the winning trophies. In the words of the princess, “Very interesting and dynamic team to have created the entire Derby setup and race tracks out of nowhere on a beautiful hilltop, it is not an easy task. Extremely well conceptualized and organized event.”
In the words of a senior industrialist, “Praveen Babu ... Thank you so much to ARA & YI for bringing a unique signature event to Indore. I am certain in coming years, Indore would be identified by this event. Had such a gala time. Carrying lots of colorful memories.”