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The Herald, May 3, 1980 

JUST after 3.15pm, the 20-strong field will jump off for the start of Zimbabwe’s richest tough event, the $40 000 Natbrew Tankard over 2 000m at Borrowdale Park. 

The sponsors celebrate the coming of age of the race – the inaugural running of 2 000 pounds Castle Tankard in 1960 – with a massive increase of $15 000 in prize money over last year’s purse and the maximum field contains a record eight South African-trained runners, besides City Treasure and Adrian, two recent imports from South Africa. 

The first two horses past the post in 1978 – Taranaki and Burning Love – and the first two in the frame last year, Taranaki and Toredo Steel, are in today’s line-up. 

Taranaki made history twice and the grey has come in for heavy support, shortening from 33-1 to 12-1 to notch a hattrick. 

A record crowd of around 30 000 is expected to cope with punters’ early Jackpot, Place Accumulator and Tierce windows will be open from 9 am until 3.05 pm at the back of the main grandstand. 

Catering to the thirst and appetites of the crowd is in the hands of the Salisbury hotel, which expects to provide about 5 000 hamburgers, 3 000 hot dogs, 250kg of curries, 1 500 cases of beer, and about 600 cases of minerals. 

I think Tammany Hall is weighted to win, and to follow him home is Strike It Rich, Great Royal, Burning Love, and Meistersinger look the pick. 

LESSONS FOR TODAY 

 Horse racing is a very lucrative business with very rich pickings and can be very rewarding for the sponsors. The Castle Tankard, which is sponsored by Delta Beverages, has remained the country’s biggest and most prestigious horse racing event since its inception in 1960. The event is making a return this coming Saturday after a two-year absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

 The return of the massive racing event which is sponsored to the tune of US$50 000 is an indication that the country is opening up after two years of lockdown and will act as a vote of confidence for the return of other events in the country. 

 The Castle Tankard is a family event that brings together a lot of people including visitors to the country. Such events should be fully supported as they bring some respite after the dark cloud that has been hanging over most parts of the world over the past two years. It should also be embraced in the spirit of regional integration.