After Kabaddi, Dy CM Sukhbir Badal to promote Horse Racing

Chandigarh, May 10
After kabaddi, Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is set to take his passion for horses to a new level by initiating work on an international racecourse in Ludhiana. There will also be a provision for dog races.

Alike kabaddi, the Deputy Chief Minister is set to market the race in Ludhiana as one where the prize money will be highest in the country. The Kabaddi World Cup organised by Punjab offered Rs 1 crore prize the first year, which was doubled to Rs 2 crore the next year.

“We will offer double the prize money being offered by top players in horse racing,” Sukhbir told The Tribune. At present, the Indian Derby offers highest prize of around Rs 2.5 crore in the country.

Sukhbir himself is a horse breeder with his stud farm at Lambi village winning several prizes in state championships. There are over a dozen quality stud farms in the state, including Dashmesh stud farm managed by the family of former Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar and AB stud farm in Patiala managed by Pradesh Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh and Major Brijindra Singh.

The Deputy Chief Minister said tenders for the racecourse would be released within a year. “We want to encourage horse breeding, which is already done in the state, as well as make Ludhiana an international centre for horse racing,” he said.

Once a racecourse came up in the city, more farmers would take to horse breeding, he said, dubbing horse breeding as another form of agriculture.

Sukhbir said Punjab also had a tradition of dog races. He said dog races would be organised as per international specifications and this too would give another earning option to farmers.