HYDERABAD: Former secretary of Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) N.N. Reddy, credited with bringing about many reforms at the club during his 21-year tenure, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest on Sunday.
Reddy was 89-years-old. One of his reforms was getting the totalizator taxes reduced to the lowest in the country, which helped boost totalizator turnovers of HRC. He presented a paper on the same at the Asian Racing Conference, after which many countries including Australia took the cue and revised their betting tax rate.
The HRC was given the status of an independent turf authority in 1977. A computerised totalizator system was introduced for the first time in India in 1988 during his tenure. Another first was the opening of an off-course tote centre.
The former HRC secretary also oversaw the construction of a modern members’ enclosure. When R. Surender Reddy was the chairman, N.N. Reddy pushed for providing the grand stand with modern facilities, a seating capacity of 10,000 and to facilitate movement of 40,000 people. The winter race track at Malakpet Race Course was also laid under his guidance.
N.N. Reddy served as the secretary of Hyderabad Race Club from June 1972 to June 1993.
Prior to that, he was handicapper and stipendiary steward at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club. He was persuaded by the then chairman of HRC R. Raghupati Reddy and current chairman Surender Reddy to join HRC.
