By Iva Wharton
Organising Secretary of the Norman Singh Turf Club Compton Sancho said yesterday that the advent of Digicel into the horse racing industry was a fillip for the sport.
The company yesterday announced that some $2 million will be awarded to the winner of the feature event of the second annual Digicel Horse Race Classics scheduled for July 22nd at the Norman Singh Turf Club, West Coast Berbice.
“When one can compare last year’s feature event which had a prize money of $1.2 million to this year’s figure this tells us how important Digicel’s coming on board in horse racing is in Guyana,” Sancho said at yesterday’s press conference at the company’s headquarters.
According to Sancho, eight races are carded for the July 22nd meet which will see some three feature races on the card.
The second feature event, the three-year-old Open carries a cash prize of $1 million to the winning horse while the two-year-old Open will see some $600,000 going to the first finisher.
Sancho said that since the phone giant came on board there has been more participation of horses, more job creation and international jockeys.
“Recently two jockeys from Trinidad called to find out when is the next meet because they said that they will be onboard definitely and that is to show the interest since Digicel has entered the sports arena in Guyana especially in horse racing.”
Sancho said to date there have been 54 horses registered but added that they are hoping to attract more than 100.
Chairman of the Interim Management Committee for Horse Racing, Justice Cecil Kennard said that he was pleased with the support that the sport was receiving from Digicel and Ansa Mcal who will be partnering with Digicel for the first time in the Classic.
“Sponsorship is absolutely necessary for the successful promotion of any sporting activity. “Those of us who are involved in the administration of sports whether it be cricket, horse racing or what’s not, we need sponsorship to ensure that our events are successful,” Kennard explained.
“Digicel since they started to support horsing in this country has supported all the major race tracks and that says a lot for Digicel,” he added.
According to Kennard, he has no doubt that this meet will be a successful one and the support will continue for a long time.
Digicel’s Advertising Manager, Ramesh Roopchand, said that after the support they received last year and the calls they have been receiving to hold another such meet, there is no way they could have opted out.
“So this year it is bigger and better than last year because there are more prizes up for grabs. Also, we are working to have a great concert at the end of the meet for everybody coming out to support the Digicel Horse Race Classics 2012.”
Darshnie Yusuf, Ansa McAl’s Public Relations representative, said that the company was pleased to be on board with Digicel for this meet. According to her this is not the first time that the company is involved in horse racing but said the involvement was usually done on a smaller scale.
She, however, said that this partnership will continue depending on the support it receives at the event.
At yesterday’s launching were representatives of three stables: Jumbo Jets, Ryan Memorial and the Deo Stables.
The representatives all said that the meet signals greater things to come in the development of horse racing in Guyana.
Joaan Deo of the Deo Stables said that her family was out of the horse racing for awhile and that the Digicel Classics is a breath of fresh air for the horse racing fraternity in Guyana.
