B. Prakash on Fractious Fav Secret Memory. The horse racing season starts in mid-November and ends in the last week of April. On the first Sunday in February, the
Indian Derby is conducted annually and is attended by many of the city's glitterati. Between 1984 and 2022, the Derby was sponsored by liquor baron
Vijay Mallya's UB Group under the name of flagship company McDowells Co. Ltd. as
The McDowell's Indian Derby. The common Mumbaikar has access to the racecourse in the mornings and evenings during specified timings for exercising, walking or jogging in the inner lane of the main horse race track. The racecourse has also transformed many common Mumbaikars to Marathoners. Yoga sessions akin to
tai chi are conducted in the garden situated within the race-track during the common permissible timings, akin to "
Happy Valley Racecourse" in
Hong Kong. Lessons for
horse-riding are also provided by Amateurs Riders Club. In the evenings, dogs are also allowed to be walked, but one has to check the permissibility. On weekends it is common to find Aero-Modelling hobbyists flying planes on the polo ground, performing aerial acrobats with motorised radio-controlled planes during non-racing days. The ground is also used as a
heli-pad. Lately, they have even started with providing newspapers in the morning to the joggers. == 99-year lease debate ==