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HORSERACING is not only a sporting discipline in this country but a huge industry, with a massive following, across the entire nation.

It provides a way for tens of thousands of people, in this country, to eke out a living, from those who train the horses, the jockeys who ride them to the punters, who take a chance, hoping for some rich pickings, on the occasions they get it right.

The races at Borrowdale Park racecourse are broadcast live, to the rest of African and beyond, through the DStv horseracing racing channels.

We all take pride as a country that we gave the world one of its finest racehorses, the immortal Ipi Tombe, a champion thoroughbred, which was bred by Peter J Moor.

At her peak, she was dubbed the greatest horse ever to come out of Africa while the Washington Post even went on to claim ‘’she may well be the best female racehorse in the world.’’

We all knew she was special, when she won four of her five starts at Borrowdale, while coming second in the other race, and her potential saw her being taken, across the Limpopo, by the syndicate owners Henk Leyenaar, Steve Tomlinson and Dave Coleman.

They paid R250 000 to secure her, which turned into a great investment for them as she took the international racing scene by storm, including winning the U$2 million race in Dubai’s Al Fahidi Fort Stakes.

Her only defeat was finishing second, on her international debut, at the South African Triple Tiara at Turffontein Racecourse in Johannesburg, on March 9, 2002.

From there, she simply became unstoppable, winning the South African Oaks, the South African Fillies Guineas, the Woolavington Stakes and the prestigious Durban July Handicap.

By August 2002, a deal had been struck which saw Team Valor, a racing stable based in Kentucky, United States, getting part ownership of this amazing racehorse.

When she captured the Group One Dubai Free Stakes in record time on her way to earning herself the 2003 Dubai Horse of the Year honours, Ipi Tombe, had shown she really belonged to the very best, in the world.

While the country’s horseracing industry today is nowhere the levels it used to be, when it produced the likes of Ipi Tombe, it’s still a vibrant industry, with a lot of people who are working hard, day and night, to try and get us back to where we used to be.

They are an amazing group of people, who have been confronted with all sorts of challenges but, in one way or the other, they have managed to keep on fighting, for the sake of their industry, which means a lot to many people, in this country.

That is why big sponsors, like OK Zimbabwe, are still pouring in huge amounts of money to keep this industry alive and just last weekend, we saw the running of the latest edition of the OK Grand Challenge race.

Finchatton, from the Ghokan Terzi yard, won the 1 800m Grade 3 OK Grand Challenge race, and the US$35 000 that came with taking first place, but that was not the only story of the afternoon.

We were all charmed by the way Peggson, the horse trained by Bridget Studoplh, came back roaring from a poor start to finish second and pocket the US$17 500 cheque  which came with that slot.

Despite having lost about three lengths, at the start, Peggson came powering back, with a storming finish, to come within just half-a-length of the winner.

In that race, we saw everything that makes sport such a beautiful thing, its unpredictability, the refusal by one of the contenders to throw in a towel, despite a poor start, and pride even in defeat.

However, what should have been a week of celebrations for the Bridget Stidolph yard has been turned into one of a brutal soul-searching exercise, with their reputation in tatters, and the integrity of local racing at stake.

When Stidolph accepted a charge of violating the rules meant to keep out banned substances from the sport, leading to her being fined R100 000, this week, she should have known that this was something that was going to be bigger than her stable.

She should have known that the ramifications of this would be felt, far and wide, including plunging a dagger into the very heart of the sport which, until the events of this week, she has served with distinction.

That she is one of our best trainers, which makes her one of the faces of the industry in this country, even amplifies the negativity which will come from her conviction, on her guilty plea, of having contravened the rules which are meant to protect the integrity of this sport.

 “The National Horseracing Authority confirms that at an Inquiry held in Harare, Zimbabwe on Monday, 7 June 2021, trainer Ms Bridget Stidolph was charged with a contravention of Rule 10.5.16.5,’’ the NHRA said in a statement.

“The particulars of the charge being that a forbidden substance, namely, Depo-Testosterone, was found on the premises of her racing stables at Borrowdale Park RaceCourse on Sunday, 21 March 2021.

“Ms Stidolph pleaded guilty to the charge and was found guilty as charged. 

“In determining a suitable penalty, the Inquiry Board considered all mitigating and aggravating factors, as well as the unique set of circumstances surrounding the horseracing industry and those that ply their trade in this industry in Zimbabwe. 

“The inquiry board ruled that Ms Stidolph’s trainer’s licence be cancelled, but that this sanction be suspended for a period of five years, on condition that she is not found guilty of a contravention of Rule 10.5.16.5 or any other rule relating to forbidden substances during this period.’’ 

The only rainbow of light, from this dark cloud, is that the system, which is meant to ensure such transgressions are caught, worked perfectly and, because of that, we can only hope, the state of our racing industry is secure.