The sport of Viceroys

This revealing film showcases all the pomp and pageantry of the annual horserace at the Hastings Race Course in Calcutta (Kolkata). It offers a useful insight into a colonial high society event: dress is formal, and Indian attendees are very much a minority (while the men mostly wear western suits).

The Viceroy's Cup was usually held in late December or early January and exclusively attended - invitation only - by the local elite. The race on 26 December 1929 was won by Star of Italy.