10 Apr 2023

French Leave from Namibia was crowned the overall champion after snatching the 2 400 metre race at the Maun Polo Affair Easter race on Saturday.

The thorough breed horse was pitted against breeds from Botswana to claim the top honours that attracted the P30 000 prize followed by Perfectly Putty of Maun owned by Bakang Babeile.

It won P20 000 while Brave Warriors of Takatokwane owned by Gothophemang Alome finished third and pocketed P15 000.

The race attracted horses from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. They competed in 800m, 1 000m, 1 200m, 1 400m, 1 600m and 2 400m races.

French Leave also took second place in the 1 200 metres challenged by Starlite and Perfectly Putty from Botswana in first and third places respectively.

Botswana horses did not disappoint as they won other races such as the 800 metres which was won by Mainstay owned by Moris Dijeng of Kokotsha while Lexington owned by Thabang Lejelwa settled for position two.

In the 1 000 metre race, Ido owned by Pasela Mothibi took position one followed by Vangen owned by Mannes Hendricks and Barbie Girl owned by Nelly Motsiele took third position.

Position one pocketed P15 000 while position two and three walked away with P13 000 and P11 000 in all races except the grand race.

One of the managers from the Namibian Aminuis Racing Club, Uakaeta Tjiramba, expressed happiness that their horses performed well in a tough competition.Jockey Abram Witbooi, who won the grand race, could not hide his excitement, saying it was easy considering his preparations. A horse, he said, needed intensive training in order to perform well.

Event organiser, Charles Mabua expressed gratitude, noting that they prepared in a short period of time.

The Maun Polo Easter race was sponsored by DC Tours and its director, Lapologang Molemele said in a recent interview that they invested in the event to promote sport tourism.

He also said the race contributed to the growth of the local economy as it created opportunities for both small and medium enterprises.

Molemele added that they would partner with the organiser of the race for the next five years, saying they would develop the horse track to ensure it matched international standards. ENDS