– Over $3.5 million at stake
The Norman Singh Memorial Turf Club at Bel Air, No. 6 Village, West Coast Berbice in collaboration with the Customs Racing Stable will stage its grand annual one-day Diwali horse race meet on Sunday with over $3.5M in prizes and trophies at stake.
The eight-race card will see the C class match-up being the main attraction on the day’s programme. A massive $350,000 will be the winning purse over a distance of 1200m and most of the country’s top horses have already signed up to be at the starting gates.
The Norman Singh three-year-old Derby 1600m classic for horses bred and born in Guyana and the West Indies is another feature on the programme and has $250,000 for the winning horse. In the F and lower there is $220,000 available for the winner over a distance of 1200m.
The two-year-old race is for non-winners born in Guyana and will see the animals galloping over a distance of 1100m for a winning purse of $180,000. The G and H and lower 1100m sprint event has a first prize of $150,000.
The other races listed for the day’s programme are the I and Lower 1400m race for $130,000 as the winning purse. And the unclassified divisions (one and two) 1200m gallop has a first prize of $120,000 while the final race for the day will be the unclassified division three class 1200m dash with the winner getting $90,000.
Outstanding performers on the day’s meet will be presented with trophies, compliments of Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall in Bourda Market.
Entries close this Sunday and according to reports from the club over 50 of the country’s top horses have already been registered. Horse owners are also reminded to get their horses properly registered with the Guyana Horse Racing Authority and horses that are not properly entered will not be allowed to participate in the event.
The race meet will be run under the auspices of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) and stable handlers interested in entering their animals can do so by contacting Secretary Ghansham ‘Ganesh’ Singh on 649-3636 or Organizing Secretary Compton Sancho on 616-3020 or the club’s office at No. 6 Bel Air, West Coast Berbice.
