Infectious cries of delight at Borrowdale Racecourse

Excitement rang out at Borrowdale Racecourse on a wonderful Sunday afternoon in Harare where ZimFunners delighted in their ownership of two beautiful racehorses and all the privileges of contact with the trainers and to be the parade ring and all for just $100 a year.

Suburban Correspondent

The cries of delight were infectious as they enjoyed not one but two winning races with their established Qunetra in the longer 1700 metre race and their new acquisition, Var Aglow a chestnut sprinter in the first race, a race of 1100 metres.

The body of ZimFunners is making a huge difference − on Sunday there were 55 there − who with friends swelled the profits for the bar and those providing the food! It is no secret that the Mashonaland racecourse is the last of three racecourses in Zimbabwe and is struggling to keep afloat – the two courses that have closed are Bulawayo and Belvedere. Jockeys are trained under the watchful eye of expert trainers still in Harare.

The business of racing is noted as a significant employer of labour; from the caring of paddocks, the grooms and stable hands to the jockeys (the brave ones mounting a hundredweight of a bouncing fired up and excited bundle of energy)!! Not to mention the wonderful tracks that in Harare are kept in admirable form by yet more labour, guided by ex-farmer Giles Dorward.

Horses are bought mainly in South Africa and transported to Harare where local jockeys get experience riding “work”. Our Jockey academy based behind the main public track has produced some excellent jockeys who in recent years have been welcomed on international tracks, notably Nobert Takawira, who is now riding in Japan and Jeffrey Syster soon to be leaving for a stint in the UK.

Morgan Nyamagwete, we are pleased to welcome back from his overseas travels and who is pleased to be back home for a while!

Readers, by buying one or more shares, you are paying not only for a lot of fun and excitement for yourself you are buying into a huge industry that with your help can buy more horses and create more employees with overseas opportunities.

ZimFun Racing Club (Pvt) Ltd was formed with the objective of establishing another innovative horse racing concept for Borrowdale Park which was hoped to make the sport even more accessible to any would-be racehorse owner.

John Smith, one of the founders of the ZimFun Racing Club, says the syndicate also realised that Borrowdale Race Course was under-utilised hence the decision to form the racing club.

“I have to tell you that Borrowdale Park is one of the finest turf courses in the world and I’ve been to quite a few.  But it is grossly underutilised − for reasons which we don’t need to go back over, save to say that Zimbabwe has had quite a few troubled years.

“The track is superb, the stands are impressive, the paddock is legendary and there is bags of room for a great many more owners on the balconies and in the bars,” says Smith.

Think about it − just $100.00 for a year of fun and producing opportunities for others . . . a great birthday present too, write to [email protected] for further details