Zebaldt Ngaruka
Namibia’s racehorses joined their counterparts from Lesotho, South Africa and host Botswana to celebrate Independence Day at Charleshill on Tuesday.
The horses competed in eight plates, where Namibia’s top thoroughbreds showed stellar performance in most sprints.
About 26 racehorses participated in the event called Mbasuva Independence Race in honour of that country’s 58 years of independence.
In the short-distance sprint of thoroughbred horses, Namibia’s Earl of Cardigan scooped the first position in the 800 metres (m), challenged by Botswana’s Desert Doops in second place, while Starlile from Namibia took the third position.
Botswana’s Silver Sky took first place in the 1600m of the imported horses, followed by Woodland Ridge from Namibia in second place, leaving the third spot to King of Love from Botswana.
It was a Botswana affair in the 1400m of the thoroughbred where three local horses dominated.
The horses named Secretary General, Call Me and Mr. Liesbery, respectively, took first, second and third positions in a highly contested sprint.
Namibia’s Sunny Side emerged victorious in the 1000m of cross-breed horses.
The top horse was challenged by two other Namibian horses, 704 and Mboma, who respectively came in second and third places.
Another Namibian horse called Camarata settled for the third position in the 1000m of thoroughbreds after it was overpowered by Botswana’s Prince in the first place, while Incahoots also from Botswana came second.
Another Namibian affair was seen in the cross-breed category, where Sunny Side again won, challenged by Bin Laden in second place, whereas 704 settled for third place.
The thoroughbreds’ main race, which was the 2400m distance, saw Botswana horses Silver Sky triumphant, followed by Secretary General and Western Bypass in second and third places, respectively.
Iritjiua Murangi, who was heading the Namibian delegation to Botswana, said he is happy with the performance of the Namibian horses.
“We managed to get first places, and that shows the class of our horses. We competed against tough horses, and we are happy for the performance,” he said.
He added that the event was well-organised, the turf was superb, and it enabled the horses to sprint well. Despite competing, Murangi holds the view that the event will strengthen the good relations between the neighbouring countries.
“The development of racing sport will continue, and we are expanding to other neighbouring countries,” he said.
He added that the Botswana horses will also be in Namibia for the upcoming race in Rehoboth this month.