Sport of Kings
Almost every Saturday afternoon in Salisbury Whites, Blacks and Coloureds flock to Borrowdale Park to enjoy the “Sport of Kings”, completely unmindful of colour, race or creed – or politics – in one of the country’s most remarkable examples of multi-racial togetherness. The whole of Borrowdale Park, including the Members’ Enclosure, is open to all.
Africans are avid, knowledgeable racegoers, and whether they are followers of “form” or have picked up a hot tip straight from the stable, they pick winners, so it is said, far more frequently than Europeans. It is not unknown for an African employee to pass on a good tip to his grateful European employer.
Even the poorest-paid African can go to the races. The price of entrance to the Silver Ring is only 25 cents, an exceptionally low fee. It has its own spacious stand and excellent tote facilities.
It is estimated that 75 000 Africans a week bet on horse-racing in Rhodesia, mainly through the post and off course facilities. But an average of 4 500 actually go to Borrowdale Park each week, arriving in a procession of enormous motor coaches, as well as in private motor cars, today as much a symbol of African affluence as it is in other sectors of the population.
A special low return fare of 50 cents is made for the coaches from and to an African township, which includes admission to the racecourse. For a big sponsored meeting about 13 000 Africans are likely to turn up out of a total of about 28 000 racegoers.
Salisbury people are proud of Borrowdale Park, one of the most picturesque and modern racecourses in Africa, and one that would be the envy of most turf clubs in Britain. It became the new home of Salisbury racing 18 years ago in 1958.
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It has everything, thanks to a progressive, far seeing, non-profit-making Mashonaland Turf Club: two huge stands; modern electric totalisator facilities; a water-reticulation system that covers the entire course; five cameras that film every race in colour from various strategic points; mobile starting stalls that can take up to 22 runners; no fewer than 170 stables, all leased to licenced trainers; and – most important – a children’s crèche (for it has always been a tradition for children to be admitted to Rhodesian racecourses because parents sometimes find it inconvenient to leave them at home).
Last year, to cope with the growing popularity of the sport, the club launched a R$444 000 expansion programme, including a new administration block, with new dining-rooms, jockeys’ weighing-in and changing rooms, and stewards’ quarters.
The first recorded race meeting under the newly formed Mashonaland Turf Club was held on Boxing Day, December 26, 1892, on land Cecil John Rhodes had set aside as a recreation centre for the people of Salisbury.
By 1897 the sport had attracted sufficient following for the club to offer a stake of 1 000 sovereigns to the winner of the Mashonaland Handicap, plus another 750 for the Licensed Victuallers’ Handicap. The big prize money was won by the famous white horse, Recondite, who had walked from Johannesburg for the meeting.
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At the time of writing (early 1976) the club is budgeting for stake money for the next season well in excess of R$600 000.
Of the 42 meetings a year, seven are undertaken by major sponsors, the chief of which are the Rhodesian Breweries, with its R$20 000 Castle Tankard, and B.A.T. Rhodesia with its R$10 000 Benson & Hedges Stakes. Sponsored races have given racegoers the opportunity of seeing in action such famous jockeys as Lester Piggott, Fernando Torro, Henri Samani, Tony Murray and Willie Carson.
In the year before racing moved to Borrowdale, the tote turnover was R$311 000. In 1966, five years after the imposition of sanctions on Rhodesia, the turnover had risen to over R$1 800 000. By 1975 the figure was almost R$7 million and forecast to rise by another million in 1976.
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Nothing better exemplifies the spirit of Rhodesia, in the face of its present problems, than that the “Sport of Kings” should continue to thrive as never before.
~ Above article by A. Gerrard Aberman
Historical Background
History has it that when there was no Bulawayo, but only Gubuluwayo, when indeed there was no Rhodesia but only the land of Lobengula, a race meeting was held there. That first memorable meeting was in the last months of 1889 when a detachment of the Royal Horse Guards came to tell Lobengula of the incorporation of the British South Africa Company by Royal Charter. In honour of the occasion the Queen’s envoys laid on some races as entertainment for Lobengula and his indunas including the, so called, Zambezi Handicap.
That occasion marks the beginning of Racing in Rhodesia, but the history of the Bulawayo Turf Club began in 1894, when Rhodes himself presented a Cup for the Bulawayo Spring Handicap of £150. The present course was opened in February 1896. From that small start in 1896 the Club grew, somewhat intermittently, over the next 50 years to become the premier racing centre in Rhodesia and, although subsequently overtaken by the Mashonaland Turf Club, it was the first course to install photo-finish apparatus in 1948. The Ascot Race Course, as it is known, is close to the city centre to the west of Suburbs. It is a left-hand course of about 11 furlongs and is oval shaped with a five furlong straight. Meetings are held more or less fortnightly.
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In the meantime, the Mashonaland Turf Club was established on 9th January 1892 and the first meeting was held on the Queen’s birthday, 24th May 1892; the total stakes for the six races being £75. The next meeting was not held until September 6, 1897 when, over two days, the £1000 Mashonaland Handicap and the £750 Licensed Victuallers’ Handicap were run. The big race was won by Recondite, winner of the Johannesburg Turf Club Handicap held in September, 1895. This horse was brought up from the Reef by an Umtali syndicate headed by Snodgrass and Fisher, who also entered Common. Other prominent horses at the meeting were Mr. Zeederberg’s Traveller, Mr. Jack Brown’s Cylinder and Mr. Fred Clayton’s Black Diamond and Lassie.
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As was the case in Bulawayo, the Salisbury club continued with a somewhat up and down existence as a result of the two world wars.
By 1950 the 200 acre club grounds contained a right-handed course of over one and half miles in length. In 1958 the MTC moved the course from the old premises at Belvedere to a new site at Borrowdale. Race meetings were increased to 39 pa. In 1960 Rhodesian Breweries put up a stake of R$5 000 for the Castle Tankard which became the first sponsored race in Rhodesia. In 1972 the stake was increased to R$15 000 making it the most important event in the racing calendar.
It is worth recording that, in 1959, a band of enthusiasts initiated trotting races based at Waterfalls in Salisbury and a Harness Racing Association was formed.