by Magnat

Another race-meeting will be held next Sunday 3rd October at the Marsa race track with the first race being scheduled for 2pm.

The race card consists of 8 trotting races, one of which is a monte’ race. The sulky races will be over a distance of 2,640m, whilst the monte’ race will be contested over 2,160m. All classes will be in action except the Premier class.

The Gold class race should be a very interesting one because all competing horses are on the verge of reaching the Premier class. It includes horses such as Mimile du Hamet coming from two straight wins, Mustang de Belfin who has just placed second in his first showing in Malta, Lover Boy Index who placed third last week and a number of horses who were recently racing in the Premier class.

The programme also includes a Monte’ race in which nine horses are scheduled to compete. Given that the horses come from different classes, this will be a handicap race with an advantage being given to horses with less points as against their competitors hailing from higher classes. This will be the second Monte’ race in the last few weeks and this time prize-money will be awarded to the winner and the placing horses.

We augur that this will be another successful race which will further kindle interest in this discipline, so as to further increase the number of competing horses, particularly given the Malta Racing Club’s efforts to prepare and publish regulations for such races and its success in identifying a number of jockeys for this discipline.

Thus, another interesting meeting is anticipated next Sunday. Indeed, last week’s two meetings showed that many horses are gradually getting in form in preparation for the championships that are scheduled in the last months of this year. Two flat races were also held, heralding the continuation of the flat racing season for this year.

A number of close finishes were seen and various good times registered, including the time of 1’15’3 (best time this year over the 2,140m distance) made by Kakisis in Sunday’s Premier class race and the 1’15’8 registered by winner Knock de Manche in Friday’s Premier class race.

It was good to note that initiatives which commenced in the last few weeks such as presentations and photos of winning horses, regular commentaries and interviews about the races taking place were kept up. This is making race-meetings more animated and of greater interest for spectators.

Furthermore, Sunday’s racing programme was for the first time transmitted live on radio on Galaxy FM, a community radio (105 FM) which is also streamed on internet on www.galaxy105.net. This is another innovation which gives more coverage and publicity for Maltese horse-racing.

After one of the recent Friday evening meetings, I went up to Gozo with the 11.35pm ferry, and noticed a number of the race-horses which had come to Marsa from Gozo going back to their stables in their trailers and to a well-deserved rest together with their entourage. And this must also have taken place on the Maltese roads slightly earlier that evening … demonstrating the dedication of the Maltese and Gozitan horse-owners, trainers, drivers who do not spare any efforts in participating in the races.

Well done to all and best wishes for another exciting meeting next Sunday.