… Over $11M in cash and prizes up for grabs
TELECOMUNICATIONS service provider Digicel (Guyana) Incorporated, yesterday for the second successive year, launched the Digicel Horseracing Classic, which gallops off at the Rising Sun Turf Club on Sunday July 22. According to race coordinator Compton Sancho, eight races are set for the day, with three of them being feature events, starting with the B Class event that has a magnificent first-place prize of $2M awaiting the winner, with the second-, third- and fourth-placed horses receiving $1M, $500 000 and $250 000 respectively.
Present at yesterday’s launching were Chairman of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) Interim Management Committee (IMC), Retired Chancellor of the Judiciary Cecil Kennard, Digicel’s Advertising Manager Ramesh Roopchand, Public Relations Officer of Ansa McAl, Darshanie Yusuf and Digicel’s Public Relations Officer Shonnet Moore.
Sancho lauded the sponsors for their tangible and unflinching support of sports in Guyana, while saying their sponsorship of horseracing meets, has seen the importation of several horses, coupled with overseas jockeys, coming to compete here, while at the same time creating more jobs among the stables.
To date over 57 horses have been registered for the event, Sancho said. The number is expected to double by race day, as many horse owners and trainers are still to complete the registration form.  At the same time he is hoping to see a record-breaking crowd at the venue.
Like Sancho, Kennard lauded the sponsors, who will be teaming up with Ansa McAl Limited for this year’s event, for the wonderful work they have done towards sports in Guyana, since sponsorship of any event, whether it is football, cricket or even horseracing, helps make the venture successful.
“Sponsorship is absolutely necessary for the promotion of sports and we need it to ensure our events are successful, and Digicel has supported all the country’s race tracks which says a lot for them and I have no doubt that they will continue to do so for a long time.”
Reflecting on the formation of the IMC, Kennard said the administration body of the previous GHRA needed to see that things were properly organised, ensuring that sponsors got value for their money, such as starting races on time.
“Things were not going well, with regard to the administering of horseracing in Guyana. The GHRA was not functioning effectively and clubs were complaining, with some of them saying too many meets were being held within a short space of time.
With the GHRA not being in possession of a legislation to support the administration of the sport, nothing could have been done effectively, including penalties being levied on jockeys and even trainers when they committed offences,” stated Kennard.
He said the IMC will be making a petition to the Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony to have legislation, which was presented to the said Minister, passed in Parliament with regard to the administration of horseracing in Guyana, in time for next year’s elections, adding that an official plea would be made to the Minister in the not-too-distant future.
In her brief remarks, Yusuf said her company was pleased to be associated with Digicel in any given activity, while they themselves are looking at sponsoring an entire race programme as time progresses.
“We have been working along with Digicel on various projects in times past and when they ask, they usually come with something good and this horseracing classic is one such event.
We don’t get on board to look at the sales we can make, but rather the impact we can make on the lives of the people in the community, since our company is a community-caring one and with Ansa McAl being involved in horseracing before, we are pleased to once again partner with Digicel on this venture.”
While Roopchand did emulate the earlier speakers, calling for the event to be a successful one, he did say that Digicel, who, along with Ansa McAl has ensured more prizes are up for grabs in this year’s event, is looking to have a grand concert at the end of the day for those in attendance.