By Orville Clarke,
Freelance Writer
THE prestigious Lotto Classic for the Governor's Cup will be run at Caymanas Park on May 19 and thanks to the contribution of the sponsors, purse money for the five major races on the card is a whopping $3.35 million.
This was announced at a press conference hosted jointly by the Jamaica Lottery Company Limited and Caymanas Track Limited (CTL) at the New Kingston Hilton Hotel yesterday to launch Lotto Race Day.
The Lotto Classic, to be contested by native bred three-year-olds over 2000 metres, is the third major race under the $12.5 million five-year sponsorship deal which was signed between the Jamaica Lottery Company and CTL late last year.
Already the sponsorship has embraced the $1.25 million Lotto Gold Cup over 1400 metres for top class horses on December 16 last year and the $2.0 million Jamaica Lottery Company 2-Y-O Stakes over 1600 metres last Boxing Day.
Speaking on behalf of the sponsors, Eugene Ffolkes, managing director of the Jamaica Lottery Company, noted that the Lotto Classic was first sponsored by his company in 1997 and has been so successful that it has led to a five-year alliance with CTL to sponsor three major races each year.
"We do everything in a major way", he declared. He explained that the alliance between the Lotto Company and CTL was only natural.
"We are both in the gaming industry... Theirs (CTL) require a lot more skill, ours require a lot more luck. It is very important that we work together to promote the entertainment thrust", said Ffolkes.
Also speaking were Karl Angell, executive manager (racing) at CTL, Dayner Clarke, marketing manager Jamaica Lottery Company Limited, Sonia Davidson, the company's public relations and promotions manager and Millicent Lynch, executive manager marketing at CTL.
Angell noted that over the year's winners of the Governor's Cup have gone on to distinguish themselves. He said that "even without the presence of horses of the calibre of Awesome Power and Millimetre, respective winners of the Track Price Plus 1000 and 2000 Guineas, the race will be well supported. We expect to have a full field", he said.
MILLIMETRE and AWESOME POWER are doubtful starters, based on reports from their respective camps. But Angell emphasised that we will just have to await the nominations to see if this is really so.
In addition to the Lotto Classic which offers a total purse of $1.5 million, including a contribution of $250,000 from the Lotto Company, the other major races are the $750,000 Lotto Sprint over 1100 metres for top class horses, this won by the Philip Feanny-trained RHYTHM OF MY HEART last year; the $500,000 Pick 3 Challenge, inaugural running of the $325,000 Scratcher's Dash for three-year-olds and the $260,000 Cambio Express Bonanza.
Overall, the Jamaica Lottery Company will contribute a whopping $750,000 to the purses of these races.
Further, the grooms of the best presented horses in all races will receive gift packages, while in recognition of Child's Month, CTL will host the popular Kiddies Stables for children of the SOS Village and St. Matthew's Basis School on May 19 and 26.
According to Millicent Lynch, an added feature of the Kiddies Stables will be the showing of a popular Disney movie and a storyteller.
Meanwhile, today's midweek programme at Caymanas Park will feature the Alty McKenzie Memorial Cup over a mile in which last year's winner, BULLETIN is tipped to win from BELLY DANCER, SLEWPY'S VALLEY and TOP FRENCH in the field of 11.
