The central-eastern town of Gobabis has been chosen as the host of the Namibia Horse Racing Association (NHRA) opening race for this year, which is set to take place on 25 March under the patronage of the Epukiro Horse Racing Club.
As has become customary with all opening races on the NHRA calendar, the country’s top thoroughbred racehorses and jockeys will all be expected to grace the event, as they will be vying to set the tone for the rest of the year.
Speaking to this publication yesterday, Epukiro Horse Racing Club owner Iritjiua Murangi said they have been busy behind the scenes, making sure everything is in place for the much-anticipated opening race of the year.
Murangi, whose club is also home to a multitude of renowned racehorses, such as Bright Eye and others, shared that over 70 horses and jockeys have already confirmed their participation and that more entries were still flowing in.
“As you might expect, this will be the opening race for 2023 and all the local leading horses will be in Gobabis to shake off some rust following a long rest.
As organisers, we have worked very hard to ensure that all logistics are in place ahead of the big event, and we have also received great support from the mother body – and for that, we remain grateful. We expect entries to remain open until around 15 March. So, I call on all horse owners to enter and come open the year in style with us in Gobabis,” he said.
Standard Bank Namibia has once again come on board as the event’s principal sponsor with a sponsorship of over N$123 000, while Marley Tjitjo Architects, Dr Kaire Mbuende, Karoo-Ochse Gobabis, Lexna Insurance brokers and Katjipuka Brahman are the other sponsors.
“I also want to assure all our fans that security at the venue will be tight as usual and our jockeys will be well looked after.
To my fellow racehorse owners, let’s please prepare and condition the horses well in advance to ensure they are in top shape to compete come 25 March in Gobabis. This year, it is going to be bigger and better than last year.”
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na