THE 2023 edition of the Guyana Cup Horse Race meet will feature over 24 million dollars up for grabs when the excitement leaves the starting blocks on August 13.

Launched yesterday at the Duke Lodge in Kingston, the 15th running of the Cup promises to be bigger and better than the last installment, according to organiser Nasrudeen Mohamed.

“Every Year, the Guyana cup has gotten bigger and bigger and this year its fair to say that it will be bigger than ever,” he told the media gathered at the launch.

“We have so far over 14 horses confirmed from overseas with more expected to be confirmed as the date draws closer,” Mohamed added.

So far, horses have been confirmed from the United States of America, Trinidad and Brazil.

Meanwhile, organising committee member Irshad Mohamed added that the event will take on a new twist, with more options for fans to purchase tickets.

“What we are doing this year is that we are selling tickets from tomorrow [today] online. So, persons who want their tickets early can go online and purchase their tickets early. But for those persons that are doing this, we urge you not to post photos of the tickets; they have an added feature of a security bar code so if you post that ticket, persons may be able to take that photo and scan it at the entry.”

The lone sore point of the 2022 edition of the cup was the traffic backlog it caused and Superintendent Harry, a senior rank in the traffic department of region five was present to underscore the Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) plans.

“We have been working with the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee to get the right arrangements this time around. We have established a new entry to the venue and have plans for traffic both entering the venue and proceeding both towards and from Georgetown.”

With Banks Beer in Guyana being one of the longstanding sponsors of the sport, it was only fitting that they be the title sponsors of the 15th running.

“The Guyana cup holds a special place in our heart. We are honored to be title sponsor,” Banks DIH Training and Communications Executive, Sonya Forrester, told those gathered.

She added that the rich history associated with horse racing has continually drawn the beverage time and time again.

With a total of eight races carded on the day, the feature event will see a total of 10 million dollars being disbursed, five of which will go to the winners.

The defending Guyana Cup champion is Alado.