Mahalaxmi Racecourse

Mahalaxmi Racecourse

The Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a horse racing track in Mahalaxmi neighbourhood, of Mumbai. The track is oval shaped with a to 2400 m straight chute, spread over approx. 325 acres (1.32 km2) of open land in the heart of Mumbai city. It was created out of a marshy land known as Mahalakshmi Flats, a hundred years ago.

The horse racing season starts in mid November and ends in the last week of April. On the first Sunday in February, the Derby is conducted annually and is attended by many of the city's glitterati. Since the year 1986 till date McDowell's Indian Derby has been 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 Mahalaxmi Racecourse is a replica of the Melbourne Racecourse. The ground is run by the Royal Western India Turf Club on lease from the Bombay Municipal Corporation.
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. 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 Hongkong.