Two prestigious events at Marsa on Friday

Last Wednesday was an exciting day for the finalists of the Oracle Casino Class A1 championship being held at the Marsa racetrack next Friday.

A draw was held at the Oracle Casino which determined the starting positions behind the auto start of the eight finalists - a key issue in any race - and a keenly-anticipated outcome for the many people involved in this sport.

Also on the same date another important race will be held, the Mediterranean Derby. This is a traditional event with a very interesting history.

The winner's trophy for this derby, which is of great prestige, was brought over to Malta by English officials from India in 1889. It was supposed to be presented at the end of a flat race championship for horses from all over the Mediterranean, as at the time trotting races did not exist in Malta.

Although horses from all over the Mediterranean never actually took part, nonetheless the trophy was annually used in Malta for a flat horse racing championship over a distance of one mile.

Mr Anthony de Bono, secretary general of the Malta Racing Club, expressed the club's appreciation for the Oracle Casino's sponsorship of the A1 races.

Mr Laurie Galea, director of the casino, said that his company and its owners, The Tumas Group, were pleased to have supported horse racing in Malta during the past years and expressed his satisfaction that popularity for this sport was gathering momentum year after year.