Sunday, January 23, 2011

Horse Racing Team Finalist For National Sports Awards

Horse Racing Team Finalist For National Sports Awards

Horse Racing Team Finalist For National Sports Awards

Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:14 AM PST

Once again this year horse racing features in the award night of the SportMalta Awards to be held at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on Saturday 29th January 2011. Last year we had Charles Degiorgio as one of the finalists for the Sportsman of the Year and this year for the first time ever we have a team of 6 drivers as finalists for the Team of the Year Award.

In a collective effort Alan Agius, George Attard, Charles Camilleri, Carl Caruana, Frencu Cassar and Tony Demanuele won last year's Mediterranean Drivers' Trotting Championship which was contested between 8 nations with heats being held intermittently in different countries. This achievement has already been recognised with a Gold Award in the MOC Awards and now they are one of five finalists nominated for the Team of the Year Award which is the highest honour a sportsman or woman can achieve locally.

Local journalists have already been asked to cast their votes but it will all go down to what happens at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on the final night which will be transmitted live on TVM at 8:30 p.m.

Yesterday all the finalists in the different categories were given a certificate to honour their achievements in a special event organised also at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.

On behalf of all horse racing enthusiasts, owners and drivers I wish the best of luck to the Horse Racing Team.

Tomorrow we see the running of the 2nd meeting of the season with 10 races one of which is a flat race. This is the first one for this season over the short distance of 1250m and amongst the six runners we have two that will be making their first local start. Although it is a Class A race, we do not find in it the more popular horses that had been key features in last year's more important races. Still there are some good elements and if everyone tries his best to win it could turn out in a nice well balanced race.

From the 9 trot races, eight are reserved for non Swedish horses. This is because the Swedish horses from the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Copper categories are currently competing in the U*Bet Championship. There are quite a number of new horses taking part in this programme and we expect more to do so in the coming weeks with quite a good number of new imports that have arrived in Malta during this month.

In the Premier Category race we have 13 horses taking part which are amongst the best currently racing on the island. Two new horses are taking part, one French and one Swedish, that have quite an impressive overseas career. The six Swedish horses in this race are all finalists in the U*Bet Championship Final to be raced on Friday 13th February and so this might well serve to assess their current condition.

All the nine trot races are over the 2140m distance.

These are the non starters for tomorrow's programme:

2nd Race – No. 2 Ex Air & No. 14 Garden Pax (To race from the reserve list Gandhi Brogard)
3rd Race – No. 14 Kendo du Chene
4th Race – No. 5 Fly's Way
5th Race – No. 7 Joker Pitstop
6th Race – No. 11 Litchi du Vivier 7 No. 14 Nevermind
7th Race – No. 5 Parigot
8th Race – No. 6 Nico d'Aussy
10th Race – No. 11 November Oaks

The following are the new horses in this programme:

2nd Race – Bronze Category
Pout de Quelaines – an 8-year old French gelding sired by Carpe Diem out of Jalna de Quelaines having won €33,880 in his overseas racing career

4th Race – Flat Class A
Virginia Med – a 4-year old Irish Mare sired by Antonius Pius out of Cajo
Buttermilk – a 4-year old Irish Stallion sired by Muhtathir out of Margie Queen

6th Race – Gold Category
Nobel Pasmarick – a 10-year old French gelding sired by Carpe Diem out of Horlesa having won €112,420 in his overseas racing career
Notre Allegro – a 10-year old French gelding sired by Allegro out of Harpe d'Or having won €126,125 in his overseas racing career
New Sun – a 10-year old French gelding sired by Espeyrac Sun out of Erythree having won €106,500 in his overseas racing career

7th Race – Bronze Category
Blizzard – a 9-year old German gelding sired by Niton out of Nevele Love having won Sek 115,096 in his overseas racing career
Oberon Phi – a 9-year old French gelding sired by Fleuron Perrine out of Elvire d'Arlau having won €38,700 in his overseas racing career

8th Race – Premier Category
Moqueur du Caieu – an 11-year old French gelding sired by Jet du Vivier out of Darling du Caieu having won €478,80 in his overseas racing career
Affe Fager – a 10-year old Swedish gelding sired by Alf Palema out of Pershica Fager having won Sek 1,828,673 in her overseas racing career

10th Race – Silver Category
Nep – a 10-year old French gelding sired by Speed Clayettois out of Help Mineure having won €86,090 in his overseas racing career
Oh Chef du Dray – a 9-year old French gelding sired by Chef du Chatelet out of Escamouche having won €90,730 in his overseas racing career

If I say so myself, last week I was spot on in my predictions and this was mostly because all the races were competitive ones so I knew that everyone was going to try their best to win. This week I am once again faced with the dilemma on who will really be trying, making it harder for me and all those that do these kind of predictions to pinpoint winners. Still I have to give it a fair go and so my tentative predictions are the following:

1st Race – Copper – Kenor Celeste, Judoka du Rib, Marathon d'Isques
2nd Race – Bronze – Larissa du Breil, Divinis, Gandhi Brogard
3rd Race – Bronze – Lorenz de Noyelles, New Hope, Kalifant de Jemma
4th Race – Flat – Minnow, Ollie Fliptrik, Lordswood
5th Race – Silver – Netter Williams, Bete Saknussen, Nill's Daka
6th Race – Gold – Landi Breton, Big Hit, Midoun du Home
7th Race – Bronze – Zut, King de Bourdenay, Blizzard
8th Race – Premier – Think Yatzee, Arnie Sensation, Moqueur du Caieu
9th Race – Gold – Obi Wan Kenobi, Lord of Rush, Socrates
10th Race – Silver – Chilly Beast, Niko de Chamant, Kaki de Peyrahout

During this week more doping test results were received by the Malta Racing Club and I am very pleased to announce that all of them were negative for any prohibited substances. Well done and congratulations to all the owners of the following horses:

The first four placed in the Prix de Vincennes Final – Mont Cenis Honey, Madis Boy, Kakisis and Lou Petiot

The first two finishers in the Prix d'Enghien Final – Lucky des Brisants and Kiflosak Cordiere

The winner of the Prix de Cabourg Final – Muflier des Fleurs

The winner of the Prix de Cagnes-sur-Mer Fnal – Mousko Royal

The result pertaining to the Coronation Cup winner is still awaited.

Prix de Cornulier Tomorrow

The most prestigious and elite monte race in the world is the Prix de Cornulier and it is traditionally raced a week before the Prix d'Amerique at the racetrack of Vincennes.

Tomorrow this race starts at 15:08 and has €700,000 in total prize money. It is over the 2700m distance and the field is full with 18 starters:

1. Sawasde de Houelle (Philippe Masschaele)
2. La Dany Bar (Julien Raffestin)
3. Opale du Gaultier (Estelle Dessartre)
4. Queen's Glory (Julien Dubois)
5. Quille Castelets (Jean Loic-Claude Dersoir)
6. Pretty Jet (Yoann Lebourgeois)
7. Picsou de Villabon (Ludovic Mollard)
8. Pinson (Alexandre Abrivard)
9. Paris Haufor (Damien Bonne)
10. Priscilla Blue (Eric Raffin)
11. Plenty Pocket (Pierre Yves Verva)
12. Scipion du Goutier (Frank Nivard)
13. Quarla (Matthieu Abrivard)
14. Prince de Montfort (Antoine Wiels)
15. Premiere Steed (Jonathan Carre)
16. Oyonnax (Pierre Edouard Mary)
17. One du Rib (David Thomain)
18. Olga du Biwetz (Anthony Barrier)

Last year the winner was One du Rib timed at 1'13"2/km but the record holder is 2008 winner Magnificent Rodney who was timed at 1'12"7. One du Rib had also won the race in 2007.

This race has been held since 1931 with the exception of 1940 and 1941 due to the war. With the exception of 1945, 1946 and 1947 when it was held at Enghien, this race has always been raced at Vincennes.

<b>Lorraine Cunningham</b>

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