•The Nairobi-made international fashion house that is Le Kasri, whose tailors bespoke pieces for the who’s-who, has recognised that the race course is where fashion happens in Nairobi.
•The Cambric Cup is a 1000m sprint being galloped at 2:05 pm and Century Fox, who holds the record over this distance, is the strong favourite.
Image: KABIR DHANJI
On the same day that American aviator Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo transatlantic nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, Ngong Racecourse will also celebrate a full and busy race card on Sunday, May 21, 2023, complete with a jamboree of festivities.
In the same way that Lindbergh’s aerial navigation paved the way for a new era of transportation between places and things seem far away, the races on Sunday have bridged the lacuna of international fashion with Kenya, and horse racing in Nairobi now firmly re-established as the place to be for the vogue and fashion conscious.
The Nairobi-made international fashion house that is Le Kasri, whose tailors bespoke pieces for the who’s-who, has recognised that the race course is where fashion happens in Nairobi.
Founder Ramah Hawkins said: “The things that are happening here are as good as fashion and racing anywhere in the world, but this is Kenya, and we have something different. Wait till the world sees us!”
Whilst fashion takes center stage off the track, coupled with Nairobi’s most coveted pop-up market and DJs, the racing is an equally mouthwatering spectacle with a brimming seven-card race over the good racing ground.
The day is largely defined by longer running which always produces good contests, challenging horses and jockeys with strategy and staying power.
The first race, the 12:55 pm 2060m Torrequebrada Handicap is not a race where you’d put your head on the block to pick a winner, but the experience of Go Pro over this distance, ridden by the in-form Henry Muya, makes it the obvious choice on paper.
The 1:30 pm Cambrian Handicap run over 2400m is the longest race of the day with Satyan and Rosie as the tipster’s picks, but for anyone looking for something more romantic for the run, It’s a Date ridden by Lesley Secombe is the fanciful choice, and Jordan River, riding 8kg lighter than the rest of the field, could upset a few of the promised.
The Cambric Cup is a 1000m sprint being galloped at 2:05 pm and Century Fox, who holds the record over this distance, is the strong favourite.
Pat-See could cause an upset, but Jack Sparrow, trained by the affable Ollie Gray, is the Bohemian's choice and is scampering 8kg lighter than the anointed, so could topple the established authorities.
The Secret War Maiden at 2:40 pm is a 1400m mid-distance scamper for two-year-olds only and there’s nothing clandestine in forecasting that Carlisle is hard to beat.
Continuing in the epithet of combatants, the 1600m Gifted Warrior Handicap run over 1600m is an apt way to describe the darling of the runners in this encounter, Daisy, who should upset the augury of the Sybil’s.
The 3:50 pm 1600m Civil Service Gold Cup is the race of the day pitting Lady Spencer’s mighty Saint Moritz against the more established and ranking General Lee.
In what could be the stallion coup of racing in Kenya, Saint Moritz, has to be the punter's choice, in an epic battle between Kenya’s two top jockeys, the effervescent Lesley Sercombe and precocious J Muhindi.
The last race of the day is the 4:25 pm 1200m dash that can’t escape Camberley as the favourite, but Ripon, ridden by P Mungai, can't be escaped and should take the race deep.
The excitement of racing is garnished by the award-winning 254 Brewing, alongside Maurizio’s, Fabio’s Pizza, and Lekker who make up the core of the epicurean selection and which now includes Nairobi’s best shawarma and Vietnamese.