Mandla Mpofu Horse Racing Correspondent
A DECENT crowd is expected to converge on Borrowdale Race Course in Harare this afternoon to witness the Thoroughbred Breeders Champagne Stakes race.
This race is on at 3.45pm.
The race carries $13 000 in stakes money and a lean field of 10 thoroughbred horses will trade iron and leather over a sprint distance of 1 200m for the $7 800 winner’s prize.
The next three placed runners-up will each receive $2 600, $1 625 and $975 respectively for their efforts.
During this event, slotted in as race 7 on the card, focus will certainly be on all the juveniles as no runner stands out in this 3rd leg juvenile series.
For that reason punters will certainly have a frustrating day at the park trying to figure out a winner from this cast.
However, in other races their job will be made easy as there are a lot of polished competitors taking part.
Punters with a sharp eye will then be left with no option but to follow the top jockeys and those stables that have a rich history of churning out good sprinters.
Zimbabwe’s five time champion jockey Quinton Riddle has opted to pull the reigns of Maroochydore from the stable of Bridget Stidolp.
Considering that this runner will be handled by a top class jockey plus the fact that it is comes from a stable that has performed beyond expectations over the years, this might swing the pendulum in its favour.
Apprentice jockey Wesley Marwing who has been a thorn in the flesh for most jockeys this horse racing season has crossed the floor from the Gokhan Terzi stable for this competition to saddle Rock Road, another sprinter by trainer Stidlop.
Other juveniles that can spring a shocker come Sunday are Money To Burn, Run The Redlight, Slick, Vaya Con Dois, Yesterday Man, Cherry Brook, Messenger Of Magic and Starry Notions.
There are seven more races on the card and a total of 8 races set for the day, giving 86 horses the platform to show case their running abilities.
Races to look out for on this race day are the Golden Acres Maiden Plate over 1 200m, the Rumbavu Park Merit Rated 60 Handicap (1 200m), the Breeders Sprint (1 400m), the Sarahdane Stud Merit Rated 55 Handicap (1 600M), the Breeders Fillies Mile (1 600M), the Spotted Pig Stud Graduation Plate (1 800M), and the Sunmark Thoroughbreds Merit Rated 65 Handicap (1 200m)
This competition marks the end of the first half of the 2014/15 horse racing season at Borrowdale.
However, action is programmed to resume again on September 6 with the running of the Borrowdale Handicap race over 1 000m, bringing to an end a total of 6 weeks break.
Tips
Race 1: 5 Bankers Blues, 3 Bachata, 8 Nimble Dancer, 13 Burg’s Overture
Race 2: 2 Gotago, 11 Porterhouse, 6 Major Vaughan, 1 Royal Admiral
Race 3: 5 Equina, 4 Super Trouper, 9 Thriller In Manila, 3 Picalilly
Race 4: 1 Sword Of Truth, 7 Confabulate, 12 Maturin, 2 Muhannad
Race 5: All fillies not rated
Race 6: 7 Fig Jam, 4 Mica Point, 3 Second Light, 8 River Waltz
Race 7: All juveniles not rated
Race 8: 3 Touching Base, 1 Wat’s Up Sarge, 5 Pretty Special, 9 Chest Nut Girl.