Castle Tankard date set

race in Africa after the first edition was held in 1960 and this year marks 50 years of the Castle Lager sponsorship.
Delta Beverages, through their flagship brand, returned to partner the MTC last year after Spar had bankrolled the 2009 and 2010 editions.
An official for the organisers believes that this year’s race should leave a lasting impression as Castle marks its golden jubilee with the race.
“This year’s Castle Tankard has been set for Saturday, May 5.
“We are planning to make this year’s race bigger and better because it’s the 50th year that Castle are sponsoring the race.
“The stakes have been set for US$50 000 and remain the highest to befit the Grade One status of the race,” said the official.
Sixteen horses went to the starting stalls for the 2011 edition with South Africa’s Grisham, saddled in by Geoff Woodruff, coming off gate five to win the 2000m event.
“Nominations have been provisionally set for 23 April.
“The field should be bigger and more competitive than last year but at this juncture, its very difficult to predict who is in.
“But we expect all the trainers to field their best runners while they could also be foreign entries,” he said.
During the run-up to the race, Delta will also open in store promotions and road shows.
“There should be sole live bands and lots of entertainment like parachute drops plus the exciting draws.”
Last year musicians Oliver Mtukudzi, Chiwoniso Maraire, Victor Kunonga and Sulumani Chimbetu entertained the crowd.
Besides the main race, there are seven other supporting races to run under the other Delta brands.
MTC chairman Mike van Blerk said they were fully behind the event.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Castle Tankard this year, we at MTC celebrate with recognition that a thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.
“For we have shared and cherished this great Castle Tankard brand for a history, five decades now.
“We might have had other grade one races but they have not survived this far,” said van Blerk.