Jumbo Jets Auto Sales sixth annual Guyana Horse Race Meet is set for August 26th at the Port Mourant Race track, Corentyne, Berbice and over 30 horses are set to compete for the first prize of $3 million.
The race meet was launched yesterday at the Jumbo Jet Auto Sales office on Smyth Street.
Present at the head table to conduct the ceremony was coordinator for the Guyana Cup Horse Race meet Melissa Chattergoon, assistant coordinator Compton Sancho, Public Relations and Media specialist, Ajay Baksh and chairman of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority, Cecil Kennard.
The horse race meet has been one of Guyana’s tradition over the years with this meet being deemed the ‘biggest’ of the meets in six years.
“We want to encourage people who are not traditional horse racing fans to come out cause we are trying to make it more family friendly so more people can come out along with the children and enjoy the races,” Chattergoon stated.
The meet will feature 11 races and three featured events – the A class and lower, the three years open (Guyana and West Indian bred) and the two years open.
It was noted that horse racing is receiving great response from the Guyanese public while more persons are getting involved in the ownership of horses for racing purposes.
It was also pointed out that the more owners who get involved would be better for the racing fraternity.
“This is to show how horseracing has been improving in this country, nevertheless we need some other sponsor on board because we looking at the next five years from now where Guyana should be on top in the Caribbean again,” Sancho stated.
International jockeys will be coming in Barbados, Jamaica, Canada and other countries to participate in the meet and more horses are expected to compete in the meet this year.
In the last Guyana Cup the winner in this event received $2 million while this year’s winner will carry off $3 million.
“We started off in 2007 with the first Guyana Cup which started off with $5 million and every year we gradually increase to now giving out over $30 million in stakes and prizes.”
Chairman of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority, Cecil Kennard, commended the organizers for the efforts that were being put towards this event.
“The administrators of various clubs are trying their best to improve horse racing but, unfortunately, we haven’t had so far legislation to ensure that horse racing is conducted in a satisfactory manner,” Kennard stated.
“We need legislation to control horse racing so that it can be run in a proper manner. If we have legislation, doping will be reduced with the sense that this governing body will ensure that no doping takes place in the first place as most of us will know horse racing is a very expensive sport to maintain,” Kennard stated.
The meet will include newly-imported horses from the USA, Trinidad and Tobago and other countries.
Some of the horses that have been entered in the meet are Whosoever, Jet Set Go, Fresh Again, Swing Easy, Captain Cook, Mission King, Technology and Got To Go just to name a few.
“To everyone that is coming out to this race there will be strict security measures carried out just to ensure that everyone there would be safe. There will also be medical facilities at the track in case anyone needs medical attention,” Chattergoon stated.
Cattergoon also said that she would like to encourage everyone to come out and show their support and she also wished the meeting success.
The other two main sponsors for this meet are Digicel and Banks DIH.
