Horeseracing goes to Gobabis

Horseracing returns this weekend when the sixth race of the MTC series will be held at Gobabis on Saturday. 

The MTC Winter Cup will be held at the Gobabis Racetrack and will feature about 80 horses competing in 17 races, with prizemoney amounting to N$200 000 on offer. 

The president of the Namibia Horse Racing Association, Mannes Hendricks said they are ready to host great event. 

“We will start at 10h00 in the morning so that we can finish on time. We are expecting a massive number of spectators this weekend because the soccer season has ended now so we will have more feet at the horseracing. Everything is in place and Omaheke is ready to host the event,” he said.

“The horses are properly prepared for this weekend’s racing – it’s going to be a very cold day, but I think it will be a memorable day for horseracing in Namibia,” he added.

According to Hendricks, nine of the races will be for imported horses and eight will be for locally bred horses, while the prize money that MTC has availed for the event amounts to N$200 000.

Hendricks said the safety of horses and jockeys was of paramount importance. 

“The horses are well prepared. We’ve had numerous discussions with the organisers regarding the welfare of the horses and jockeys, and that should remain the priority. We’ve had discussions on the overall organisation, making sure there are paramedics and that everything is in place,” he said. 

Fikameni Mathias of MTC called on fans to turn up in numbers. 

“This is our sixth event, so we call out the community, the Gobabis residents and all horse lovers and supporters at large to come out in numbers – come and see the large crowds that horseracing attracts and it will be a testament to why we invest in this sport.”

According to Hendricks, the main races will be the Nambred 2 000m, the import horses 1 400m, and the 2 000m for imported horses. 

“For the Nambred 2 000m we will have the defending champion Lady Diamond, but she should get strong competition from Sunnyside and Ekuva. 

“In the 1 400m the main contenders will be Stalile, Mr F, Visigoth and Unbroken Promises, while in the main race for imported horses over 2 000m we will have nine horses competing, including the defending champion French Leaf, who will come up against the likes of Imperial Ruby and Crystal Stream,” he said. 

“We have about 80 horses that have entered for Saturday. All water facilities for the horses and the safe offloading of the horses has been taken care of by the organisers, the municipality has availed an amblance, and the grading of the track has taken place, so I would say we are more than ready for Saturday,” he said.