Dear Editor,
I am glad to see the expansion of horse racing in Guyana and in the Jagan family, horse racing was always prominent and well attended, especially in Port Mourant and Georgetown. I fondly remember going to the races in Port Mourant with my grandfather Jagan, an avid horse enthusiast who would travel to Georgetown for the races, cousins and aunts and uncle Udit, my father’s brother. Uncle Naipaul Jagan, who was an integral part of our dental office on Charlotte Street and the family’s backbone (he resolved Jagan family problems and took care of the whole family) and President Cheddi’s third youngest brother, was probably one of the best horse experts Guyana ever had and he owned racehorses and also won races at the Durban Park race-course (behind Cuffy’s statue all the way to the present Cultural Center).
One of his horses, Night Flight, was a notable winner – he always picked winners, especially in English racing and horses (and whistling birds) were his passion and the envy of many bettors who could not pick good horses like he could. When Uncle Naip spoke about horses, everybody listened- as a teenager, the only person I would trust with a good “tip” was him and he always reprimanded me for gambling but gave that sideways smile as he sometimes gave me a winning tip. Over the years, at Durban Park on the day of racing large crowds would gather to enjoy the day and we would enter the grand stand to sit at Uncle Naipaul’s table. When he died in his forties, horse racing and dentistry both lost a real artist of both fields – God bless him and keep his kind soul safe.
Editor, horses are the noblest animals on this planet, not to mention, the most beautiful of animals and built for power, speed and finesse. From the most ancient civilizations, humankind would have not advanced the way it has without the horse. From Alexander the Great (325 BC) and his cavalry battles against the Persians, to the great expansion of Genghis Khan’s empire, to the Pony Express in 19th century in the USA and in certain areas of the world today, the horse has been one of the forces in the development of most civilizations – imagine the great African leader, Hannibal, without horses! Or the Roman Empire without horses.
Genghis Khan, conquered China, what is now Russia and threatened the West with his mounted armies – he actually bred horses which were smaller but could run for days with little rest and had shorter necks so that their riders could shoot arrows straight ahead without shifting right or left for better accuracy. The Cheyenne tribe who lived in the southwest of the USA were considered the greatest horse riders of all time – their riding skills, especially in armed conflicts, were legendary and expert white horsemen in that period were in awe of these Native Americans. The Olympics to this day, gives medals to horse equestrian events which are very
complex and shows different skills horses possess.
Editor, in the history of sports, horse racing is probably one of humankind’s oldest and race horses are definitely athletes, just as jockeys are, and the dangers are present at every single race and that is why Guyanese horse racing officials and owners must always take special care of our racehorses and jockeys – what happened recently at Port Mourant is unacceptable and if there is blame then let it fall on anyone culpable of such a tragic event. Imagine the inherent danger every time a jockey weighing a mere 110 pounds rides a horse weighing almost a ton, as fast as possible, with other horses in close and tight – one has to respect this worldwide sport for its historical longevity and it’s excitement to human beings
On dirt tracks, the best races in the world are the Triple Crown held in the USA – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes and only exceptional horses win all three like Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977) and other great horses over the years. These races are the fastest on the planet and the horses competing each year are among the best three year old athletes in the world of horse racing – a very large world. The other race of great importance in the USA and a world class race is the Travers Stakes which will be run at Saratoga race track in New York this Saturday, August 26 at a distance of one and a quarter mile on the dirt; this race is considered the third most important race in America after the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.
However, this year , the Travers will be extra exciting because in this nine horse field, three of the horses in the race, each won one of the triple crown races earlier this year and are vying for the title of “horse of the year at the best racing age-three years old”. The excitement for horse racing fans will be magnified further because the horse I like and see as a great horse, Forte, was the best two year old in the world last year; he missed the first and second legs of the Triple Crown due to a foot injury and after a long lay-up of two months, Forte brought second, closing fast on the winner, in the Belmont Stakes on a muddy track. On this Saturday, the racing world will see Forte become, not only the best three year old horse in America but the best in the world, ridden by Irad Ortiz (Jr.), who at thirty years old, is the best jockey in the world. In years to come, the racing world will always remember this black handsome stallion who will go on to great performances of class, speed and power – horses of Forte’s caliber appear very rarely in the horse racing world so, to all horse racing fans in Guyana, don’t miss this race as it’ll be broadcast on Fox network TV.
Sincerely,
Cheddi (Joey) Jagan (Jr.)
