Horse racing returns after break

Sport
Horse racing returns to its home of Borrowdale Park Racecourse on September 6 where 110 horses have been nominated for the seven races carded for the day that will mark the beginning of the 2015/16 racing programme.

Horse racing returns to its home of Borrowdale Park Racecourse on September 6 where 110 horses have been nominated for the seven races carded for the day that will mark the beginning of the 2015/16 racing programme.

By Michael Kariati

Racing has been on a month’s break to give the horses time to rest while at the same time giving Mashonaland Turf Club services manager Charles Mubariki the chance to condition the course for the start of a new season.

Topping the entertainment bill is the Airforce of Zimbabwe Borrowdale Sprint that has attracted 11 horses; including eight-year-old Super Trooper who is heading towards the twilight of his career.

With Captain’s Tiger having mysteriously disappeared from racing at Borrowdale Park Racecourse, Super Trooper is without doubt the oldest horse at the course, but one of the best sprinters at that age.

Super Trooper comes from the Ghokan Terzi yard. Terzi is coming from South Africa where he had taken three horses with him to race at Greyville and Tufforntein race courses, although the trip was not all that successful.

However, Terzi has not fielded any of the three horses he took to South Africa, Rock the Country, Demagogue nor Principled Man in any of the opening day races. He comes back to the course where he guided  Yer-Maan to the OK Grand Challenge and the Castle Tankard titles and is hoping to open the season with a flourish as he also lines up former three-year-old sensation Approval Rating in the AFZ Borrowdale Sprint.

In 2013 Approval Rating won the Zimbabwe Guineas while under the guidance of Kenyan trainer Nuno Nur. At that time, the horse made the racing fraternity sit up and take notice after coming from nowhere to beat the favourites in a last gasp finish.

Ironically, Approval Rating and Super Trooper are the top weights in this race. Approval Rating will be carrying 61kg while Super Trooper is on 60kg followed by Bridget Stidolph’s Arula Borealis who is on 58,5kg.

Apart from Super Trooper and Approval Rating, Terzi who finished second behind Cornie Spies in the trainers’ standings also sends out four-year-old Amas Amat who has been drawn at 10 in this 1 000 metre race and will carry 52,6kg.

There are three Zimbabweans in the 11 horse field, all coming from different stables, with Alyson Wright lining up four-year old filly Picallily while Sebastieb D’Aquino lines up Final Fling. There is a place too for Young Antwun from the Amy Bronkhorst yard.

Bronkhorst also sends out Gentle Brook, Thriller in Manila and Pegwell Bay, while Jannie Blignaut has nominated only one horse in the form of Glastonbury.

There is $8 000 in stake money for the AFZ Borrowdale Sprint, which will be the opening race for the 2015/16 horsesZimbabwe racing calendar.