KOLKATA: He may have made a flawless transition from tennis court to racetrack, but there is no dearth of challenges for Enrico Piperno. The 62-year-old now faces an acid test as the chairman of racing operations at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) which is set to host the biggest weekend of Indian racing, the 62nd edition of the Invitation Weekend on March 2 and 3.
“Yes, it is indeed a huge task to ensure a smooth staging of Invitation Weekend where who’s who of the Indian racing will be present and a top-class action is expected both on and off the track,” Piperno told TOI.
The former ace tennis player (1977 to 1991), who later coached both the men’s (Davis Cup) and women’s (Fed Cup) Indian tennis teams, was also coach of the most successful Indian doubles pair (Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi). Renowned Indian women’s player Sania Mirza also honed her skills under him in her early years. After hanging his racquet, Piperno took interest in racing activities at RCTC where his father was a leading bookmaker.
What was one thing he learned from tennis that helped him in settling in his new role? “I think apart from sincerity and hard work, one thing that I learned as a sportsperson was fair play. And the position I am holding here at RCTC and adjudicating on certain matters, it is the same sense of fair play which comes in handy as I must be fair to everyone involved,” said Piperno, a steward at RCTC for over a decade.
Indeed, it is his tenacity that came in handy when the labour issues that had cropped up a few months back which almost threatened the very existence of RCTC. “We had to stand firm and negotiate despite huge pressure,” informed Piperno. “Our settlements with unions had become so one-sided that it was sounding death knell for the club and of course for the racing in Kolkata. So, we told them if you don’t agree to our terms then we can’t continue to run the club this way. We managed to hold our ground and succeeded in getting what we wanted,” stated Piperno.
“We had around 350 to 400 horses earlier which had come down to 180 due to these issues. Now things are looking up and we are back to around 350 horses,” he added.
“Around September we had notified the Turf Authorities of India that we may not be able to hold Invitation Weekend. But now we have managed to turn things around and here we are holding the most prestigious races in India racing and I can assure you it will be a spectacular show,” said the man who also runs Enrico Piperno Tennis Trust which helps underprivileged kids in tennis realise their dreams. “I earned a lot of name and fame from the sport and wanted to give it back by helping kids,” he added.
Piperno is also a very active owner and owns about six horses currently and is keenly involved in adding new owners to the sport. “That is my next big challenge. I am trying to get new owners into racing so that the next generation continues to own horses and enjoy racing. I have already made a lot of new owners.”
