Winning the Guyana Cup means everything – new champion Ali
Javid Ali is on top of the world after his newly imported Brazilian horse Olympic Kremlin pulled off a remarkable upset win in the feature event of the 16th running of the Guyana Cup at Rising Sun Turf Club on Sunday last.
The Slingerz Racing Stables, after three attempts in the Guyana Cup feature, finally came to the victory party. Guyana Cup winner Olympic Kremlin had arrived in Guyana less than four days before race day. According to Ali, the horse was unable to walk for a few days after the intense travelling, but less than 48 hours before race day, the horse began to acclimatize.
“Finally, after a third try in the Guyana Cup! I still can’t believe the horse just win. It is a feeling you cannot explain, to win the most prestigious horse racing in Guyana, the Guyana Cup. This is my third year racing, but I have been coming to horse racing in Berbice since I was a kid. Racing in the Guyana Cup is not easy, it is a lot of work and sacrifices. Credit must be given to the entire team, and Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr. especially,” Ali said. “Winning the Guyana Cup is everything for a horseman. To get this trophy means a lot.”
Sharing his challenges, Ali said: “There was a lot of investment in getting the horse in Guyana. The horse came from Brazil, but logistics was difficult this time. There was some problem in Lethem. Two days ago, the horses were not able to walk, and I called the organizers saying I may not be able to run the Guyana Cup.”
The Slingerz brand is known for music, but this Guyana Cup win gives a significant boost to the new stable. With the likes of the newly crowned Guyana Cup champion John Bull and Ritorna Vencentori in Slingerz Racing stables, Ali said, fans should expect great things.
Olympic Kremlin pulled the trigger at the right moment with a come-from-behind win against a strong and mostly experienced field of horses. Defending champion Easy Time had a lead in most of the race, but Olympic Kremlin stormed past the field to claim a famous win in front of a packed Rising Sun Turf Club.
Ali and his Slingerz Racing Stables walked away with G$6 million. The feature event had a purse of G$11,625,000, which was shared between the top five finishers.
Horsemen will now be gearing up for the next meet, which is the President’s Cup, to be run at the Rising Sun turf on September 22, 2024.