Racing season takes a break

THE Mashonaland Turf Club race meetings will take a month-long break with racing resuming at Borrowdale Racecourse on September 9 when the 2018-19 season begin.

Borrowdale last hosted the Champagne Stakes as the main race on Sunday in a line-up that had eight races and the Bridget Stidolph yard once again was on the podium in seven of them.

Yesterday also marked birthdays for all horses born in the Southern Hemisphere who celebrate their official birthday on August 1.

In the last race of the 2017-18 season Mia Finola, by Var (USA), played catch me if you can with her four stables mates to clinch the 1 450 meters Champagne Stakes at Borrowdale Park on Sunday.

The two-year-old filly managed to beat Born to Shine by 2.50 lengths as Pas de Deux another two lengths further back.

Party in the Park was scratched a few minutes before the race as Rain Spider, who did not live up to expectations, over-raced in the early stages with his tongue over the bit.

The winner is owned by Newbury Racing (Pvt) Ltd and is trained by Bridget Stidolph a Calvin Habib was the co-pilot.

Bridget Stidolph fielded five of the seven runners, including Rain Spider, Born To Shine and Mia Finola in the main race of the day.

The other runners came from the Kirk Swanson and Penny Fisher yard and the later did not disappoint as Pas de Deux filled a place.

All the runners had to try the 1450m trip and the Fencing Master (GB) filly, Pas de Deux were the only ones with two wins under their belts.