NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 19 – The Geoffrey Griffin Trophy race day promises a cut-throat competition when the second contest of the 2025/26 horse racing season takes center stage on Sunday, September 21 at the Ngong Racecourse.
The Geoffrey Griffin Trophy race is aptly named, borrowing from the idiosyncrasies of the mythical legend that encapsulates the turnaround in Kenya’s horse racing that has captured international attention.
Now known for being a sport for all that belongs to everyone, the busy six-card race day is a fiesta of sports and entertainment, with some of the most competitive racing on the continent taking place.
J Karari, the Champion Trainer for the 2024/25 season, believes that the growth of the event has piqued interest in the sport, which, in turn, has significantly improved the quality of the horses and racing.
“If we are competing with South Africa, which is the best in Africa, we have several horses that are competitive, but most importantly, the breeding of our horses has improved significantly. This is a great sign for Kenyan racing,” he said.
The results on the track echo Karari’s sentiments with records being broken two weeks ago during the opening meeting of the season, where Lewis, trained by Ollie Gray and ridden by J Muhindi, broke the course record in the fifth race of the Directors Million Shilling Stakes, the 1800m Ultra Sharp Trophy, in a time of 1:49.9.
Karari went on to say, “It’s about the track, right now, when the ground is firm and the grass is thin, the track tends to be very fast. The conditions are great for breaking records. You might see another course record this weekend.”
With the weekend weather looking like an Indian summer, the forecast is fast horses, big crowds, fine fashion, and chill beats from unmatched DJs, as Kenyan racing continues to write its own story.
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