Banks DIH Guyana Cup horse-race meeting: Slingerz acquire Brazilian horses for today’s challenge

Efforts to dethrone Alado today in the feature race of the Banks DIH Guyana Cup have intensified, with the Slingerz Racing Stables sourcing their steeds from Brazil for this marquee event, in which $10M is involved.
This is the first time ever in the history of the Guyana Cup that horses from Brazil would be mounting such a challenge to a local race horse.
Top steeds El Tarzan, Queen Domina and John Bull, representing the Slingerz Stables, will race out of stalls 1, 5 and 7 as they aim to overthrow defending champion Alado of the Master Z Racing Stables.
In a chat with Guyana Times Sport, Javed Ali of the Slingerz Stables shared why the stables went to Brazil in pursuit of what they hope to be their championship-winning horses.
“We were looking for horses for the Guyana Cup this year, because last year was our first year and we imported from Miami. We look at the different options, the different type of horses that can suit our environment. We had a friend in Brazil that said there’s good horses there, and we could get them at good prices. So, we took the trip to the Brazil Cup in Rio de Janeiro,” Ali explained.
“We were impressed, very impressed with the horses and what they have going on over there. The connections that we got over there was good; the trainers we met, they had some good horses, so we decided to take the chance, ‘cause we like what we saw. So, we decided to go that route and bring the horses from Brazil.”
Detailing some of the features that caught the attention of the Slingerz Stables, Ali noted that the decision was ultimately up to the Stables’ trainer. He divulged, “How they adopted to the tracks, the races over there, the timings that they did, the sizes of the horse – very big horses in size. From the trainer’s perspective, the features that caught his eye, he said, ‘You know, we should take the chance’.”
Quizzed by this publication about today’s big race at the Rising Sun Turf Club and the intention of the stables to win it all, Ali affirmed that winning is always the goal of Slingerz.
He confidently shared, “Definitely! The goal is always to win! That’s what we love! We love to compete, we love these kinds of stages, the big stage. Guyana Cup is the biggest horse race in Guyana, and winning the Guyana Cup definitely would be good for us.”
The feature race in today’s Guyana Cup is set for 17:30hrs. (Jemima Holmes)