Merdeka Cup Race at Tambalang Race Course Sept 3
KOTA KINABALU: Royal Sabah Turf Club (RSTC) will organise the Merdeka Cup Race 2017 at the Tambalang Race Course in Tuaran on September 3.
Exciting battles for top honours are on the cards with four races to be held while another highlight will be a live telecast of off-course betting from Hong Kong and Singapore.
The main event is certainly the Merdeka Cup for Class Three and Class Four ponies scheduled to take place as the third race of the day.
City Express will start as the favourite for the race covering a distance of 1,800 metres which offers total stake money of RM21,200.
There are 10 starters for the race with top contenders Golden Lily, Excellent Lady and Lily Express II expected to challenge favourite City Express.
Another highlight of the event will be the Kinabalu Trophy which is for Class A and B thoroughbred horses competing over a distance of 1,800 metres.
Scheduled for the last race of the event, the Kinabalu Trophy offers total stake money of RM34,500.
Slippery Eel will be back to defend the title with Tip of Borneo, Pop and Catch The Wind expected to provide the challenges. Altogether there will be nine starters for the race.
The other highlight of the event will be the Class Six Rating Stake Race (1,800m) where a total of RM10,500 will be up for grabs.
There will be 13 starters for the second race of the day with Saddler's Rock the top pick while the other early favourites are Super Star V, Cobra Shadow and Crystal Lady III.
For the record, the annual event will commence with the Class Seven race (1,100m) with 11 starters. The favourites are Vitality Lady followed by Immortal Myth, Crystal World and Crystal Glory.
Meanwhile, there will also be a live telecasts of off-course betting from Hong Kong and Singapore on the day of the race.