The Guyana Cup 2022 is on!

The stage is set for one of Guyana’s principal horse-racing events – The Guyana Cup – to be hosted in 2022.
The draws have been completed by the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee (JJTRC) with much pomp and splendour on Sunday last at the Pegasus Hotel, with Ministers of Sport and Finance, Charles Ramson Jr. and Dr. Ashni Singh, in attendance.

As he delivered the feature address, Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr indicated that strides are being made to regularise this sport.
“What I would like to also state for the record and publicly is that we have started to engage with stakeholders in the move towards the modernisation of the sport. That is something very important. It’s very important to regulate the sector, and that’s not something for anybody to be worried about, I can give you the assurance,” Minister Ramson Jr. revealed.

The Sport Minister further stated, “What that would do is take us into the modern world in relation to horse-racing, and when we are progressing as a country. There’ve been many countries that have used various sectors in relation to sport and have turned it into a business.”
Minister Dr Singh spoke fondly of the sport, which he said he has known since boyhood days.
“I grew up as a child looking forward eagerly to the big horse races at Bush Lot, and then of course there were many other horse owners on the Corentyne Coast. This was something I looked forward to as a child, and I must admit that I’ve never quite shaken that childhood habit. For me, racing is a big thing,” Dr. Singh declared.
“But let me say that horse-racing has a long and distinguished tradition in Guyana,” he later added.
With The Guyana Cup returning for its 14th staging next Sunday, August 14, the JJTRC has left nothing to chance.
Three feature races and a packed entertainment segment are set to ignite the Rising Sun Turf Club, located at Lot 22 Plantation Rising Sun, West Coast Berbice.

The Val’s Construction Sprint Classic would be run over five-and-a-half furlongs for a purse of US$10,765. The draw witnessed the animal “Looking to Heaven” of the Jumbo Jet Stables being drafted in stall 1, “Lady Bird” of Ephraim’s Thoroughbred Stables in stall 2, R&R Syndicate’s “Early Bird” in stall 3, Rising Sun’s “Signal Note” in stall 4, Jagdeo’s “Nuclear Fire” in stall 5, Jumbo Jet’s “Regal Intention” in stall 6, and “Convertor” of the Singerz Stables in stall 7.
The Associated Construction Services’ Derby carries a higher purse, US$17,940, and would be contested over one mile. In the draw, Jumbo Jet’s “Like A Million” has been placed in stall one, and N. Dookie’s “Irish Princes” in stall 2. The horses occupying stalls 3 to 8 have been listed as: A Rampersad’s “Glamorous Star”, “Amazing Grace” of PHVH Stables, “Black Time” of Shocking Stables, Bronson Cheefoon’s “Heartland”, Martin Pestano’s “Judge Not”, and Shaun Mohammed’s “Colour of Sacrifice”.
The Banks’ DIH Guyana Cup, with a purse of US$35,880, would be contested over a mile. “Calibogue Sound” of the Slingerz Stables has been drawn in stall one, Master Z’s “Everesting” is in stall 2, “Alado” is in stall 3, Shaun Mohammed’s “Memories” is in stall 4, Night Eyes’ “Jessica’s Pride” is in stall 5, “Detroit Steel” of Simply Royal is in stall 6, Queen Domina of Slingerz Stables is in stall 7, Jagdeo’s “Our Stuie” is in stall 8, Asif Kahdeer’s “Settling Star” is in stall 9, Jumbo Jet’s “Vera’s Finally” is in stall 10, and Jagdeo’s “Wild Texas Tom” is in 11.
Troy Peters of Banks DIH has underscored the company’s interest in the growth and development of this sport. He said: “Our company has been a major sponsor for this event over the years, and we are very happy with the growth it has made; and we continue to offer this kind of assistance to see horse-racing develop and match other major horse-racing events around the world.”
Aside from the feature races, Jumbo Jet has lined up dancehall artiste Skillibeng to perform after the races.