Watch: New MRC chairman Antonio Mizzi keen to take horse racing to another level

Newly appointed Malta Racing Club chairman Antonio Mizzi said that he is ready to focus all of his energy to try and put the sport on a sounder basis.

Judge Emeritus Mizzi is not a new face in Maltese sport as in the past, he occupied the post of president of the Malta Basketball Association. Now he is back in local sport administration after he was appointed as not only the chairman of the MRC but also the head of the newly-formed body Equestri Malta.

Equestri Malta is an organisation that has recently been formed by the government with a view of replacing the Malta Racing Club and will be regulating and organising horse racing events on our islands.

Speaking during a news conference where the draws of the Assikura Championships finals were held, Mizzi said that although he has little knowledge of the sport, he is determined to do everything in his power to learn the dynamics of the sport and try to put in on a stronger basis.

“My goal as chairman of the Malta Racing Club as well as Equestri Malta is quite clear,” Mizzi said.

“We want to improve the sport and to achieve that we have plans to upgrade the facilities at the Marsa racetrack to an international level and help the owners to reach a higher level of competitiveness with their horses.

“Our goal is to see our sport grow even further, not only in Malta but also at international level and although I may not have a lot of expertise on the sport I am keen learner and in the coming weeks I will be doing everything I can to understand more the sport and try to improve it.”

Mizzi appealed to the horse owners to introduce a structure to their organisation as it would certainly make it easier for them to point out important issues that need to be addressed in the sport in front of the authorities.

“For me it is very important to understand well how horse racing in Malta works,” Mizzi said.

“I need to understand well the situation and see what are the problems that are hampering the owners and drivers in our sport.

“Equestri Malta has allocated three places in our committee for horse owners and therefore my appeal to them is to give a sound structure to their organisation as once they attained that, it would be easier for them to take the important issues in front of the authorities to be resolved.

“We have great plans for the sport, with the new consortium looking to invest heavily on the Marsa Racetrack to transform into a venue that can host international races and also is planning to help Maltese drivers to compete abroad.”

Mizzi thanked his predecessor Edwin Borg, the former Malta Racing Club chairman, for his sterling work and also showed his gratitude towards Andrew Grech, Managing Director at Assikura Insurance Brokers Ltd, who for a tenth year has sponsored the competition reserved for trotters from the bronze and gold class.

On his part, Grech said that he was pleased that his company has supported the sport of horse racing for the past ten years and said that it is their intention to further strengthen the ties with the sport and continue to provide it with more financial assistance for many years to come.

“We are pleased that we have managed to arrive for the draw of the Assikura Championships finals this year despite all the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to this sport,” Grech said.

“Despite all the difficulties, our company has continued to give its support to the horse racing enthusiasts as we know how popular this sport is in Malta.

“This is our tenth year sponsoring horse racing and we plan to continue increasing our support and more importantly, to further strengthen our ties with the Malta Racing Club.”

The Assikura Championship finals will be held on June 4.

GOLD CLASS FINAL DRAW

1. Ramon Dekkers; 2. Xceed G.T.; 3. What You Want; 4. Bravehart Jiel; 5. Kasper Trot; 6. Brin de Noblesse; 7. Atus Picken; 8. Baron De Majuag; 9. Cyrus Du Lorault; 10. Chemsak Vedaquais; 11. Gigant Well; 12. Ami de Clerlande.