More than $15M up for grabs at New Year’s Day Stakes horse race

The opening race of the 2026 horse race calendar is set for Sunday, January 4 at the Rising Sun Turf Club, West Coast Berbice.
It will be the New Year’s Day stakes, an event that will attract the best horses from the elite racing stables and top jockeys, both local and international.
Ten races are carded for the day and the feature event will be open to all horses. The total purse for the one-mile feature is $3,750,000 and the winner receives $2,000,000.
The other races on the provisional programme are the Sprint Classic Open, two-old imported, three-year-old Guyana-bred Derby, F Class and three-year-old imported maidens in Guyana, also open to first- time starters Brazilian-bred horses imported on or before September 2025.

There is also the H2 and Lower open to three-year-old West Indian bred, the L Class non-winners of 2025 and first-time starters, two-year-old Guyana and West Indian-bred open, “I” Class and Lower Open and K Class and Lower.
All purse monies mentioned above are in Guyanese currency. Entries were accepted from December 21 and will close on December 31, 2025. Registration for entry is being only made via entry forms which are available at Port Mourant, Rising Sun, Bush Lot, and Smyth Street, Georgetown.
Additionally, all horses scheduled to participate must be saddled and present on the track at least seven minutes before post time. Failure to do so will result in the race being cancelled with no entry refunds. Notably, horses will not be allowed to race on race day without a completed entry form, which is available at various locations across Guyana, as mentioned above.
The principals of the unbeaten Dataman, who secured wins at the Guyana Cup and President’s Cup, will be hoping the horse maintains that perfect record on the opening day of 2026. Slingerz Racing Stables and J’s Racing Stables are among the stables that will be out for their own glory come race day.