for adhering to strict deadlines especially when the racing season has a schedule of virtually backtoback race daysright from its inception cole has faced competition from books like red jacket sports bulletin kaka race cards nita beandaz and more recently money spinner and lucky spinner while most of these have shut shop one book named bol best of luck has been catching the eye of many punters started by delhibased mukesh gupta in 1984 bol prints from five centres delhi bangalore hyderabad kolkata and mumbai unlike cole whose printing is centralised in mumbai gupta says he has staff in every centre with 40 in delhi alone he prices his book at rs 20 everywhere except for mumbai and pune where it costs rs 30both adwalia and gupta are loath to offer circulation figures but say they sell a few thousand books every race day adwalia says sales have remained steady of late racing is not drawing the crowds like before betting is highly taxed racing has become more of a luxury sport he saysdsilva remembers the cole cole cries of vendors in the 70s selling the books at sharbatwalla chowk on saturday evenings today there is no pitching for cole or bol they are quietly stocked with the paanwallah at the chowk you will also find the books at westend chowk near the railway station near tryluck and at mandai he saysdsilva recalls how going to the races even if only to see the horses and place nominal bets of rs 10 or rs 20 at the tote was an event that provided entertainment laced with suspense for half a day the electric atmosphere that prevailed then at the racecourse is now missing he feels he discusses horses at the offcourse betting centres these days and sorely misses the irani restaurants the warning notices notwithstanding