Zebaldt Ngaruka
In efforts to promote and revive the sport of horse racing in the vast Kunene region, the Opuwo Town Council has invited racing clubs to the region’s trade fair.
The Opuwo Annual Trade Fair kicked off on Monday, with the official opening ceremony graced by President Nangolo Mbumba.
One of the event coordinators Seun Makono told New Era Sport there are no horse racing clubs in the region, and the time has come for inhabitants of the region to participate in the popular sport.
“We have observed from other regions, like Omaheke. We took a tour, and were impressed with the way they organised their event. It was a very good experience, and we have now invited clubs from the region to demonstrate horse racing sports at our trade fair,” he said.
He added that five top Namibian racehorses from Omaheke will be landing in Opuwo this Saturday to showcase the horse racing aspects.
Amongst others, the Omaheke clubs comprised the Professor Supporters Club and Epukiro Racing.
Harambee Racing will demonstrate how racehorses are handled and trained, as well as feeding programmes.
“They will also show how jockeys should ride, different methods of training, and what is expected from the horse owners when entering this sport. It will be a very informative session, and we want to compete in this sport like other regions,” explained the coordinator.
Makono then encouraged horse racing fanatics to come in numbers, as there will be a horse racing competition on Saturday at Opuwo turf for the local horses.
“We simply arranged this to revive the sports and entertain the fans, as there will also be music entertainment on the turf from popular groups like One Blood, Ongoro Nomundu and many more,” he added. An amount of N$100 000 is put aside for the horse racing competition, in addition to trophies and medals for three plate events.
“The invited horses from Omaheke will not be part of the competition, but they will sprint amongst themselves and get a small token of appreciation,” added the coordinator.
On his part, the chairperson of Epukiro racing Iritjiua Murangi said it would be a great addition to the Namibia Horse Racing Association (NHRA) if the Kunene region established their racing club.
“Horse racing is a national sport, recognised by Namibia Sports Commission, and getting new clubs is in line with the vision of NHRA. We appreciate the invitation, and we are ready to demonstrate this sport to the community,” he said.
Murangi further called on Kunene region horse fanatics to organise themselves and form supporters’ clubs, which is something that contributes to healthy competition among clubs.
“Like in football, supporters in horse racing play a vital role, and it boosts the morale of both horse owners and jockeys. We are open to sharing ideas with those who want to buy horses either locally or internationally,” said the chairperson.
The main plate for the day will be 2 000 metres (m) distance, whereas horses will also compete in 1 000m and 1 600m sprints.
The event is expected to start at 11h00, and adults will pay N$20, while children and cars will be charged N$5 at the gate.