Okahandja Turf Club will this Saturday play host to the much-anticipated Okahandja Expo Derby horseracing event, and will again see the country’s top thoroughbred horses grinding shoulders in the garden town. 

One of the event organisers Otis Kotjipati yesterday said the event will be different this weekend. 

“We are going to have less than 10 races on Saturday, because we have noticed that the amount of money awarded to the winners has been very little over the years, due to the fact that money is always divided amongst many categories. But this time around, we want to have fewer categories and increased rewards for the various winners,” said Kotjipati, who added that the winner of the main race will pocket a whopping N$50 000.  

“People at times travel from as far as Otjinene, Rehoboth and other places just to come win a N$4 000, which is not good enough,” he said.

In terms of expectations, he said they are hoping to have a decent number of participants over the weekend, but said international competitors have been excluded this time around.

“We hope that this event will attract many horse owners, given the fact that it is only catering for the local guys. Our hope is to see a huge number of local participants,” he said.

Kotjipati also shared that they will strictly enforce Covid-19 rules and regulations, and have also hired a security company to oversee all security concerns. 

“We want people to stick to the rules and regulations of the Covid-19 prevention, since we are still in the pandemic. We have also talked to a security company that will be there for purposes of security and the medics are also going to be available on site,” he said.

Meanwhile, Namibia Horse Racing Association vice president Mannes Hendricks said it’s going to be a huge event and he is happy with the hype around it. He urged fans to come in large numbers and cheer on their local jockeys and racehorses. 

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na