FIRST KENYAN RUSSIAN REVIVAL WINS BY 8 LENGTHS ON DEBUT

Russian Revival
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

“RUSSIAN’S REVIVAL”

Some years ago, in an attempt to uplift the flagging fortunes of Kenyan racing and breeding, Mick Goss took a delegation of our racing operators to Kenya. The outcome was an arrangement which saw the donation of tote equipment, on course cameras, a flighting of the Kenyan racing signal through Tellytrack, a reorganisation of their business model, and the placement of several stallions with Jo and Janet Mills’ Rawhide Stud.

One of the most recent of these was the highly performed Nureyev racehorse, Russian Revival (Timeform’s Champion Handicapper of his year), and sire of last year’s Dubai Carnival victor ludorum, Imbongi. Last weekend, the first of the Kenyan “Russians”, Viola, made her racecourse debut, and by all accounts, it was some performance. It is early days yet, but an easing-down margin of eight lengths tells its own story.

Imagine what a single Imbongi could do for the international image of Kenyan racing. There might be another reason to visit besides the Masai Mara.