Excitement is mounting ahead of the popular annual Berlin November Traditional Horse-racing extravaganza taking place at the end of this month.
Entries for the pinnacle of traditional horse-racing in the province are galloping in with another packed field of contenders set to battle it out for the coveted title.
“We have already reached close to 100 registered horses and we expect that number to more than double by the time of the event,” said Berlin November founder Luthando Bara.
“Ideally we will have around 120 horses participating in the 13 races we have and we will reach that number easily.”
A massive R600000 will be up for grabs at the Berlin November traditional horse-racing handicap, which will be the biggest prize pool to date and the action is expected to be especially fierce as jockeys battle it out for their share of the prize.
“This year we have grown the prize-money by double to show how big this event is growing and how important it is to traditional horse-racing in the province,” said Bara.
“We will also be paying the winning jockeys directly, as there have been incidents of owners not paying jockeys before.
“We are the first event in the Eastern Cape to pay the jockeys directly and we have a dream of converting these jockeys into professionals and want to make sure they are fully taken care of.”
The action on the day is always intense and a number of rivalries are set to be reignited when a number of horses and jockeys return after battling it out last year.
As always there will also be some top new arrivals to the event that will be eager to make their mark, while with many of the defending champs coming from the Eastern Cape local owners and jockeys will want to keep the titles at home.
“These are going to be the best horses and jockeys in the province and also some of the best from other regions and even from outside of the country,” said Bara.
“Last year we had horses from Dutywa who stole the show, so this year we are expecting a number of contenders, especially some of the riders from KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and they will want to get the win.
“The racing will be very exciting and I believe all of the supporters who come out are in for an amazing day and they are going to have a lot of fun.”
Although not just about the horse-racing, the Berlin November is the Eastern Cape’s flagship sport and lifestyle event and offers a myriad of scintillating attractions such as traditional horse-racing of different distances and forms, fashion, food, dance festival, music and art.
“There is huge interest in this event, the interest grows every year and we expect people from all walks of life and from around the country to come and have a taste of what this event has to offer,” said Bara.
The action gets under way on Saturday November 25 and thousands of people are expected to descend on Berlin for the event.
Blazing saddles set to fire Berlin jockeys
Entries for the pinnacle of traditional horse-racing in the province are galloping in with another packed field of contenders set to battle it out for the coveted title.
“We have already reached close to 100 registered horses and we expect that number to more than double by the time of the event,” said Berlin November founder Luthando Bara.
“Ideally we will have around 120 horses participating in the 13 races we have and we will reach that number easily.”
A massive R600000 will be up for grabs at the Berlin November traditional horse-racing handicap, which will be the biggest prize pool to date and the action is expected to be especially fierce as jockeys battle it out for their share of the prize.
“This year we have grown the prize-money by double to show how big this event is growing and how important it is to traditional horse-racing in the province,” said Bara.
“We will also be paying the winning jockeys directly, as there have been incidents of owners not paying jockeys before.
“We are the first event in the Eastern Cape to pay the jockeys directly and we have a dream of converting these jockeys into professionals and want to make sure they are fully taken care of.”
The action on the day is always intense and a number of rivalries are set to be reignited when a number of horses and jockeys return after battling it out last year.
As always there will also be some top new arrivals to the event that will be eager to make their mark, while with many of the defending champs coming from the Eastern Cape local owners and jockeys will want to keep the titles at home.
“These are going to be the best horses and jockeys in the province and also some of the best from other regions and even from outside of the country,” said Bara.
“Last year we had horses from Dutywa who stole the show, so this year we are expecting a number of contenders, especially some of the riders from KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and they will want to get the win.
“The racing will be very exciting and I believe all of the supporters who come out are in for an amazing day and they are going to have a lot of fun.”
Although not just about the horse-racing, the Berlin November is the Eastern Cape’s flagship sport and lifestyle event and offers a myriad of scintillating attractions such as traditional horse-racing of different distances and forms, fashion, food, dance festival, music and art.
“There is huge interest in this event, the interest grows every year and we expect people from all walks of life and from around the country to come and have a taste of what this event has to offer,” said Bara.
The action gets under way on Saturday November 25 and thousands of people are expected to descend on Berlin for the event.
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