Britam Kenya Guineas race schedule released

As part of the Britam Kenya Guineas Race Meeting activities, on January 21, 2018, there will be an International Jockeys Competition.

Four countries are participating - Mauritius, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Each to be represented by one rider as follows:

Mauritius: Dinesh Sooful

South Africa: Deon Sampson

Zimbabwe: Brendon McNaughton

Kenya: Richard Kibet

Three races are excluded from the competition are The Kenya Guineas, Kenya Gold Cup and 2 Year Old Maiden.

For the other 5 races, trainers are invited to place initially their declared runners into a pool. The horses' names will be put in one hat and the 4 riders’ names in another hat.

NORMAL PROCEDURE

A draw will then be made to see who rides what. Once this is completed, normal procedure in nominating riders can resume.

This process will be undertaken on January 17 at 11.30am at the Registry Office.

If any Trainer would like to engage one of the three visiting jockeys to ride their horses in an excluded race, then they should contact Joyce Mwangi immediately. Entertainment is to be at an all-time high.

The OBTS has organised a Guineas Sweepstake for January 20, at the Curragh Irish Pub starting from 6.00 pm.

Horses entered for the Britam Kenya Guineas can use the Racecourse on either 11, 16, 17 or 18, between 8.00am and 9.00am. No lead horses are allowed. 

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Imagine that from twenty runners in the Coral Welsh Grand National, only seven survived. Thirteen were either pulled up, or, fell. It was a testy 3 mile 5 furlong, 18 fence grueller.

Raz De Maree (James Bowen 8-1), Alfie Spinner (Richard Patrick 9-1), Final Nudge (Aiden Colemean 15-1), and, Vintage Clouds (Danny Cook 8-1), escaped many hazards, while the rest plodded along in extreme conditions. James Bowen, 16, has already been tipped to become a future Champion Jockey, ever since demonstrating his skills on Raz De Maree, for trainer Gavin Cromwell.

ENDURANCE ABILITIES

Bowen and Cromwell had to wait ten days after the National was re-scheduled, for their opportunity to display Raz De Maree' definite long-haul endurance abilities.

They were still to play their hand when pace-setting, Wild West Wind, crashed out at the 12th jump, a mistake that hampered Vintage Clouds, Big Brown Bear, and, Bishops Road.

But when Alfie Spinner, the race's other 13-year-old, rallied on, Raz De Maree began picking off rivals one by one, stretching to win by six lengths. 

Bowen, who is the youngest winning rider of this race in modern times, son of Pembrokeshire trainer Peter and younger brother of former champion Sean, neither of whom have won the Welsh National.

Raz De Maree equalled the record of Snipe's Bridge in 1927, as oldest horse ever to win the Welsh Grand National when it was still held at Cardiff.  

Gavin Cromwell, a farrier by trade, developed burgeoning training expertise, alongside his mainstay of shoeing horses, in the last few seasons.