Entertainment galore as horse racing season comes to a close
Voluminous and vogue crowds are expected as the final race of the season goes down at the Ngong racecourse on Sunday, where Sh1m is up for grabs.
The fans will be treated to a bonanza of racing with a competitive eight-race card, featuring the best horses that Kenya has on show.
Title contender James Muhindi was animated about the concluding meeting: “It’s going to be a great day and super competitive. We’re expecting a big crowd.”
Musing over the growth of racing this season which has made the various rivalries more fervent, he grinningly pronounced: “It’s been a great crowd all season which has inspired the jockeys.”
In scenes that resemble the biggest international festivals and races across the world, racing in Nairobi now has the crowds which define the sport, with a party atmosphere that is unmissable. The multitudes come dressed in colourful à la mode fashion, a blend of Kenyan chic with international glamour, and are made up of a who’s who of Nairobi and a cosmopolitan pot-pourri of models and DJ’s.
The fabled Joe Karari, a trainer of some of Kenya’s best horses and jockeys, feels the turnaround in the sport: “The biggest achievement of this season has been the return of racing, new crowds and new people, it means the sport is growing and there is love.”
The jamboree of racing at Nairobi’s vogue couture venue gets underway at 12:20 pm with the 1800m K.A.R. Limuru Cup, with Cindy as the in-form and likely winner, though Daisy is a horse in a different class and should not be counted out.
The 12:55 pm JCK Rose Bowl is a 1200m sprint where it’s hard to see anyone going past Ripon, but Bullet can and should do better while Twyford is always in the running.
Arguably the biggest race of the day is also the longest, the 2400m Jockey Club Stakes at 1:30 pm, where it is hard to imagine Saint Moritz being beaten given his dominance all season, though the fabled General Lee has one last chance to prove that he is not completely forgotten against his younger and more robust rival.
The second sprint of the day, the 2:05 pm 1200m Tote Kenya Cup features two imported horses from South Africa, and one of them, Vuvuzela Umililo, is the favourite jewel, but anything is possible in this short gallop.
The 2:40 pm Pommery Limuru Cup is also a 1200m scamper, where Eccleston should be the punters’ pick against an inexperienced and relatively un-run field.
The Sir Alan Bin Salim Stakes at 3:15 pm is a 1800m middle distance race for two year olds only and a good indicator of classic runners for next season. Arlington starts as the favourite, but Bedford has a love for upsetting the prophesiers while The Gambler is a special horse who always has a look.
The 2060m Nairobi Town Plate is the second of the long runs happening at 3:55 pm, for amateur jockey’s only, where Assured is the level-headed pick, but Zamburak and Grand Surabi know how to run in the money, and first-time jockey S Hudda on Bling could pull asurprise.
The final race is an exciting 1200m sprint at 4:30 pm, The Nairac Gold Circle Trophy, where Rahal will be hoping the magic of trainer T Kuria and jockey M Fundi can continue their special relationship of victory. For the brave and the hopeful, Camberley is a horse that can and should do better, and might be the surprise with nothing to lose.
As always, the racing will be garnished with Nairobi’s finest and most popular pop-up market featuring the award winning 254 Brewing, local favourite Geco Café with their magic vibe, the delectable Maurizio’s, the irresistible Fabio’s Pizza, the always fantastic Lekker, Big Five Breweries, and a return of the Tipsy Horse wine bar, as well as an assortment of other food and drink vendors together with arts and crafts promising an event oozing with everything that racing in Kenya has been waiting to be.
