By C John Smith

Today’s quiz question is, who said “rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated?”

Once again, the resilience of Zimbos has seen off all the prophets of doom who regularly forecast the demise of Borrowdale Park. In fact, the year is turning out to be something of a vintage season and it is due to conclude with a cracking race meeting on Saturday 27^th of July when we celebrate the life of Kamal Khalfan with a Memorial renewal of the Republic Cup over 1900m. And what a race that is going to be – it could not get much more exciting. Everybody with a pulse should attend as history might be made.

The race will probably bring together the very best middle-distance horses in the country, notably the Tankard winner Raffles and the OK and Triple Crown victor, Buster Barnes. Also in the field will be last year’s Tankard winner, Ideal View plus other stalwarts such as Wantage, Holy Land, Majestic Warrior, Citrusdal, and Jaeger Moon – it will probably be a ten or twelve-horse field, but Final Acceptances are not out yet.

Raffles will not have to lug 62kg around the track this time – but 61kg – and Buster Barnes will be carrying 55.5kg – a good bit more than the modest 52kg that he did in the OK – so the result is going to be a lot tighter in their renewed challenge. It’s anybody’s call this time – making for a really exciting finale to a season where so many positive outcomes have been in evidence.

• The three big, sponsored races were renewed with very generous purses. 
• Buster Barnes won the Triple Crown – a very rare and difficult accolade to achieve.
• Down to Business, who was the 2023/24 Zimbabwe champion, went south to campaign and pulled off the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup – with more to follow.
• The MTC continued its great progress to operating beyond breakeven – without a cent of betting revenue. 
• The club’s Rules and Bye Laws were successfully redrafted – for the first time in more than fifty years. 
• The club’s retail estate continued its progressive development – with much more to come. 
• The club’s farming venture has begun making material contributions to the financial fortunes of Borrowdale Park. 
• The people’s racing club, ZimFun completed its fourth season with a total of six winners to lead in. 
• Despite the modesty of Borrowdale purses, a number of new and potentially new owners emerged in the year – boding well for the future.
• The home of Owners and Trainers, the Ipi Tombe bar, re-opened and broadened its scope of activities excitingly.
• For the first time in many years, the MTC was able to boast a full complement of Stewards – and in so doing greatly enhanced its functionality. 
• Several local jockeys returned from sojourns overseas to augment the club’s broader riding resources. 
• Some new initiatives are currently in an advanced stage of planning by the MTC – all of which will further underpin the future of Borrowdale Park – watch this space.
• And Duncan Cocksedge – the elder statesman of Zimbabwe Racing – turned 90!

August and September will see the refurbishment of the track in readiness for the start of the 2024 – 25 racing season. Let us hope it will be an even more of a vintage year than the one now closing – a million miles away from the graveyard of sporting clubs.

C J Smith 21^st July 2024.