Ntabozuko- The 10th anniversary of the Berlin November traditional horse racing event was celebrated in style, with the organizers, sponsors, and participants all contributing to its success. The event, which took place on the 25th of November 2023, in Ntabozuko was a spectacular display of horse racing, fashion, music, and entertainment.
Luthando Bara, the founder of Berlin November, expressed his gratitude to everyone involved in the event and looked forward to an even better decade ahead. He emphasized the importance of empowering SMMEs to share in the event and monetize it for their own benefit, stating that the platform is designed primarily to benefit businesses from the Eastern Cape, including the creative arts and tourism sectors.
Gap Infrastructure Corporation (GIC), displayed its company’s commitment to the growth of traditional horseracing, stating that it has the potential to alleviate poverty in rural communities. GIC sponsored the Thoroughbred category with a total prize money of R250,000, which was dubbed “the changing lives” prize in sync with their motto.
Sandile Xoza a jockey, Lopez Magongo best Trainer/Breeder and the best Horse for Berlin November 2023 Konakelephi won the “wafa-wafa” race, with Hollywoodbets sponsoring the prize money to a whopping R100,000.
Babongile Mkhize, Group Transformation Manager at Hollywoodbets, expressed pride in being part of the iconic 10th anniversary of the Berlin November event. They congratulated Xoza and Magongo on their win and hoped that the prize money would play a developmental role in their lives and in the sport they love.
Xoza expressed his pride in winning the Berlin race back-to-back, “I am very happy that we won again and I do have other horses that I will be defending Konakelephi’s title with and that is Khetha” he added. Magongo announced that they would be retiring Konakelephi to make room for other horses to shine, “It has been a long run for Konakelephi so we decided to let him rest at a friend’s farm, I am not sure of which horse will take after Konakelephi because his shoes are too big to be filled”said Magongo.
Hollywoodbets also sponsored a special awards section and award ceremony held on the 30th of November 2023 with winners including Sandile Xoza, Lopez Magongo, most improved jockey Alutha Vusani , and Konakelephi.
Luthando Bara thanked every jockey and horse owner who participated in the event, expressing gratitude to the thousands of revellers and horseracing lovers who braved the rain to watch the race and enjoy the music curated by the Berlin November team. He also expressed hope that valued sponsors would return for the 11th edition of the event and potentially increase the prize money further.
The success of the 10th anniversary of the Berlin November traditional horse racing event is a testament to the dedication of the horse owners, jockeys, and participants, as well as the support of sponsors such as GIC, Hollywoodbets, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, Mayibuye and Cell C.
