Leading organiser of the Independence Cup horseracing event held at Okahandja last Saturday, Iritjiua Murangi said the country’s top horses and jockeys delivered beyond expectations, as spectators and enthusiasts were all left hankering for more.
The 2022 Independence Cup, which was a collaboration between the Epukiro Horse Racing Club and the Okahandja Racing Club, saw the country’s foremost racehorses and renowned jockeys converging at the garden town of Okahandja to battle it out for top honours and bragging rights.
The competition, which was backed by Standard Bank as the main sponsor and supported by Marley Tjitjo Architects, Tjitemisa White Brahmans Stud and Nucleus Health and Fitness Club, was a tribute to Namibia’s 32nd independence celebration.
The race consisted of 17 racing plates in total, and saw old-time campaigners such as Bring Me More, Broadway Tune, Visigoth, Burundi, Starlile, Tierspoor, Silent Love, Life’s a Trip, Cut the Corner, Gimme the Light, Able Surprise, Von Trotha and Freedom Fighter all taking top places in their respective categories.
“It was really a great event, and one could see the jockeys and horses came well prepared for this race. The crowd attendance and overall atmosphere was superb. Our local vendors that came to sell their products at the race venue, were really well supported and all thanks should go to our sponsors, who made it possible for us to create such a platform for our vendors and all local business people. It was a great show and from here, we will make it bigger and better,” said a pleased Murangi.
Amongst the many divisions, the 2000m thoroughbred open category was won by Bring Me More, closely followed by Visigoth in second place and Burundi in third place. The 1000m Nambred A division was won by Sunnyside and second went to Von Trotha and third to Freedom Fighter.
The 1000m Nambred D division was clinched by Lady Diamond, with Black River trailing in second place and Try Again taking third place. The 1000m Nambred Graduation division was won by Silent Love, and saw Tierspoor claiming second place and Supporters third position.
Cut the Corner was in superb form and won the 1000m Nambred Maidens division, with No Name and President taking second and third places, respectively. No Name was again back in the thick of things when it took the 1400m Nambred Maidens division, followed by President in second place and BB Kata in third place.
It was an action-packed and fun filled day at the Okahandja turf, which also saw a dedicated team from the Social Security Commission (SSC) opening the day with an education session, which focused on educating racehorse owners on the importance of creating suitable working conditions for jockeys and also ensuring that the jockeys’ wellbeing is well covered by the SSC.
“With the ever-growing interest in horseracing countrywide, we are now planning to host more races in other districts of the country. It is important that we create opportunities for everyone and grow the sport as one people. The future looks bright for local horseracing and going forward, we can only improve,” added Murangi.
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na