Press Release

Dragonara Casino Lounge and Bistro announced on Saturday that for the first time ever, it will be the official sponsor of Malta’s most prestigious trotting trophy, It-Tazza l-Kbira. The prized Cup, It-Tazza l-Kbira, will be awarded to the winner of the championship Final, to be held on Sunday 1st April. 

The early qualifying heats will be held this  Sunday with 6 Heats in all.  Four horses will qualify from each heat and the 24 semi-finalists will run again on Sunday 18th and Monday 19th March.  The first race on Sunday starts at 13:30.

During the press conference held at the Dragonara Casino, MRC Chairman Dr Matthew Brincat said, “It-Tazza l-Kbira, is the most prestigious Trotting Racing Trophy in Malta.  This award dates back to 1934 and has built a reputation that all horse racing enthusiasts consider as the main annual event in this sport.  The Trophy has been won over the years by some of the best horses ever to race on the island, has seen controversy on a number of occasions and has survived over these last 78 years." 

Dr. Brincat thanked Dragonara Casino for there support that makes this championship possible and continued "many of the most popular horses of the moment have been registered to participate in this year's event with nearly all horses coming from the top Class, i.e. the Premier Class.”
 
Ms Svetlana Buckova  of  Dragonara Casino  said: “The confirmation of this year’s sponsorship follows the success we had in 2010 when we sponsored the Autumn Championship. Our association with the Malta Racing Club underlines Dragonara's  commitment to this most noble sport. We believe that our association with MRC will help bring Dragonara Casino closer to Malta’s horseracing enthusiasts."
 
The Dragonara Casino is 19th century Palace built by the Marquis Scicluna as his summer residence on a narrow peninsula of St. Julians Malta. The palace was converted into Malta’s first casino and welcomed its first patrons in 1964. The casino is managed by Dragonara Gaming Limited a joint venture between Novomatic AG and Peninsula Gaming Group, a subsidiary of the Pinnacle Gaming Group.

A total of 72 horses have registered to compete in It-Tazza l-Kbira with the winner being awarded the coveted It-Tazza l-Kbira for a year. The total prize money for the Final is €4,480, consisting of a first prize of €2,600, €1,000 for the runner-up; €450 for the third place; €250 for the fourth place and €180 for the fifth placed. A trophy will also be awarded in respect of each of the first five placed horses. All finalists will be awarded a horse blanket (ghata) with the winner of It-Tazza l-Kbira receiving a special Dragonara Casino horse blanket.

On behalf of MRC, the drivers and supporters of the sport, Dr Brincat thanked Dragonara Casino for providing the necessary financial support. “Supporting It-Tazza l-Kbira also confirms Dragonara's commitment to backing initiatives and traditions that are meaningful to the Maltese.  This enables the MRC to live up to its aims of organising attractive championships at Marsa and raising the level of Maltese horse-racing so as to enable us to continue to compete successfully on some of the most renowned racing tracks in Europe,” he said