by Magnat

Race-meetings will be held at the Marsa race track next Sunday (5th) and Tuesday (7th) June (a public holiday in Malta), with each meeting comprising 10 races and starting at 2pm.

Sunday’s programme forms part of the second edition of the Equestrian Festival, a celebration of horses and of different equestrian disciplines practised in Malta, with the programme including various attractions for both young and old.

It will commence at 7am with pony races, followed by a traditional horse and animal blessing ceremony, dressage and quadrille, a polo match, Challenge Cups for ponies and then a full horse-racing programme.

The trot races are over a 1,640m distance. These include semi-finals leading to a final, for each of the Silver and Gold classes. A final for Premier class horses will also be held, with the participation of a number of popular horses, six of which are Swedish, two French and one from each of Finland and Norway.

We also have the Butler Cup for thoroughbreds in which five horses which competed in the McDonald’s Mediterranean Derby semi-finals will take part, as well as the Piscopo Gardens Cup with the participation of seven Class A thoroughbreds which did not take part in the above-mentioned semi-finals. Both these races will be over a 1,750m distance.

The 7th June meeting will then feature the McDonald’s Mediterranean Derby final also over a 1,750m distance, in which the following seven finalists have been registered to compete: Kimberley Downs, Uncle Bertie, Just The Best, Buttermilk, Ollie Fliptrik, Mayfair Princess and Adorabile Med. These originate in France, Great Britain, Ireland and the USA and include the winner of the last two years’ Mediterranean Derby whilst five of them won at least once in their last three outings.

We will also have the Sette Giugno Cup final over a 2,140m distance, featuring seven Swedish and two French Premier class trotters all of which have had splendid performances recently, i.e.: Energy Launcher, Arnie Sensation, Super Qui, Gentle Way, Nobel de Grimoult, Mentor de l’Iton, Skip Dimanche, Think Yatzee and Isolated.

The other races in Tuesday’s programme are over a 2,640m distance and feature one Copper class race, two for each of the Bronze, Silver and Gold classes and a Premier class race.

The latter includes thirteen horses, among others past Tazza l-Kbira and Prix de Vincennes winner James de l’Iton, Belafonte which took a win and two places in its last three outings, newcomers Yamaha Brodde (SE) and Or Noir Mabon (FR) and nine other optimal horses.

The following trotters are also registered to make their debut in the Gold class in these meetings: Absolut Chili (SE), Nemrod du Ruisseau (FR), Vasterbo Hitchiker (SE), Novano du Brindeau (FR) and Stefan Sufflor (SE).

Two great meetings with a number of interesting finals are anticipated.

Last meeting
Last Friday’s and Sunday’s meetings featured the SECF championships semi-finals.

The first Prix de Vincennes (Premier class) semi-final only had six participants, after two horses were scratched. Here Mystere d’Urfist took the lead in the final straight and was first past the post, but this horse was disqualified, with Malin Roro thus taking its second straight win just ahead of Mark de Chamant, both registering a good time of 1’15’7 per kilometre. Joker de Choisel and Knock de Manche also qualified for the final.

The second semi-final saw Emirates Tazza l-Kbira winner Kakisis and Master Perrine challenging each other in the final straight with practically nothing dividing them. The photo-finish gave the fourth seasonal win to Kakisis and both horses registered the meeting’s best time of 1’15’6 per kilometre. The other qualifiers were Marathon Villers, Le Coup de Foudre and Lovely Mab.

Kojak d’Isques sprinted into the lead in the final straight of the first Prix d’Enghien (Gold class) semi-final to take its third win this year in front of Le Bon Mayennais, Intrus des Rioults, Lord The Best and Novak which also made it to the final.

In the second semi-final, Magnifique Sablais went ahead in the early stages and led throughout, to notch its fourth seasonal win, notwithstanding the challenge of fellow qualifiers Natif de Salvi, Marquis Penalan, L’Alpha de Cosse and L’Ideal de Fersan.

The other SECF championships semi-finals winners were Oeillet Blanc and Oris du Lupin (in a good time of 1’15’9 per kilometre) in the Prix de Cabourg (Silver class), Moustique Rose and November Oaks in the Prix de Cagnes Sur Mer (Bronze class) and Icare de Jemma and Minou du Perdriat in the Prix de Caen (Copper class).

Last weekend’s other highlights were the McDonald’s Mediterranean Derby semi-finals for thoroughbreds which were held on Friday.

In the first, Irish horse Buttermilk had a very good performance to take its first win in Malta, beating the last couple of years’ Mediterranean Derby winner Just The Best, whilst in the second semi-final, American horse Kimberley Downs withstood runner-up Ollie Fliptrick’s challenge to register its third seasonal win.

Outside our shores, we note with pleasure the success registered recently by Maltese driver and trainer Charles Degiorgio at the Solvalla race-course in Sweden. We wish Charles all the best and augur that he will continue to bring further honour to himself and our country.

The Mediterranean Derby
Notwithstanding the superior popularity of trot racing in Malta, a place of honour in the horse-racing calendar is occupied by a flat race - the Mediterranean Derby.

Intially known as the United Service Challenge Cup, its first edition was held in 1889, and it is currently the oldest honour that is still contested in the Maltese horse-racing scene. Its participants have always included the topmost quality of flat racing horses which graced our racecourse.

The elaborate workmanship in the manufacture of the trophy as well as its age – it was produced as an Ascot prize by Messrs Gerrard and Co in Haymarket in 1857 and acquired by the Malta Racing Club in 1889 – contribute to its popularity.

The race distance has varied considerably over the years, from the original six furlongs (around 1,200m), becoming 1.5 miles (around 2,400m), one mile (around 1,600m), 1,700m and other distances, before settling at the current 1,750m.

Particularly in the late 19th and early 20th century, derby day used to be an important occasion in the Maltese social calendar attracting numerous spectators, with officers in uniform and their ladies in Ascot-style gowns and hats. Key personalities such as Prince Louis of Battenburg, Prince Andrew of Greece (father of Queen Elizabeth’s husband) and various Governors of Malta, often presented the trophy to the winners.

Many popular horses which bring back fond memories to racing enthusiasts have inscribed their name on this prestigious trophy, and quite a number have managed to land the trophy more than once, e.g. in the distant past, Centaur in the late forties, Bright Hopper in the mid-fifies, TWA in the early sixties and others, recently Just The Best in the last two years, and Managing Director with the largest number of wins (five between 2002 and 2006).

The derby has naturally also had its share of hard times. There were years in which it was not even held, such as among others the war years and other years in the 1980s and 1990s when flat racing popularity reached rock-bottom. In some cases, it attracted a minimal number of participants, such as 1994 when only three horses competed, and 1996 when the field was limited to two.

With the increase in popularity of flat racing during the last decade, the Mediterranean Derby has regained its traditional prestige and this year we have also seen the introduction of semi-finals to determine the qualifiers for the final.

May the Mediterranean Derby continue offering a great spectacle as it has done for over a century, as well as a memorable experience for owners, trainers and jockeys of the winning horse.

We wish you all two exciting meetings.