RACING FANS?will be treated to a new event with the staging of the Barbados Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s (BTBA)?Mohommed S. Mohamad 45th Birthday Breeders Stakes and Trophy over 1 570 metres on Monday.
Details of the day’s programme were revealed at a Press conference in the Incitatus Lounge at the Garrison Savannah on Wednesday.
Mohamad said that the idea for the race day originated last year as he wanted to do something different for his birthday on Sunday.
“I sought the approval of the board which was subsequently granted. The next step was to seek out sponsorship which was very fruitful,” he said.
“It will be a family affair. There will be face painting, clowns, Disney characters handing out treats for the children, steel band music and losing ticket draws,” he added.
Incentives include best dressed male and female as well as prizes for the winning owner, trainer and jockey for each race, and a cash voucher for the winner in each category based on points.
However, director of the Barbados Turf Club, Rawle Batson, cautioned the BTBA on the timing and placement of the feature on the racing calendar.
Batson said May might not be prudent as all the top three-year-olds may not be available as the Barbados Guineas would have been recently held on April 29. This race will then be followed by the Fillies Guineas in June, the Midsummer Classic in July and the Derby in August.
Recently appointed secretary/treasurer of the BTBA, Raphael Greene, commended Mohamad on securing 45 sponsors in difficult financial times.
After praising Mohamad for his dedication to the racing industry, Greene also noted that the BTBA’s most profound achievement was sponsoring six races yearly since 1985.
President of the Barbados Cancer Society, Dr Dorothy Cooke-Johnson, one of the day’s sponsors, urged families to come out in their numbers and praised Mohamad for his generosity over the years in supporting the society with “considerable sums”.
