"The spectators on the grandstand at Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi jumped to their feet as the horses competing in the fifth race of the Day of Champions the last meeting of the season came around the final corner on a recent Sunday afternoon. Bedford! Bedford! Bedford, some roared, punching the air as the horse, jockeyed by Michael Fundi, broke into a gallop on the home stretch, passed the leader, and stormed to victory."
"Fundi embodies the growing involvement of black Kenyans in horse racing, changing perceptions of a sport that has been synonymous with the country's white minority since the British colonial era. Growing up, that was a sport for other people, not me, said Muturi Mutuota, who, like many other children in Nairobi in the 80s and 90s, was taken to the racetrack by his parents at weekends."
"Fundi, who had started the day on top of the jockey standings, was crowned the season's champion after the last race. At 20, he was the youngest in a decade. Above: Michael Fundi with Bedford after winning the 2400m Jockey Club Stakes George Drew Challenge Series. Left: Kenya's former president Uhuru Kenyatta presents the champion jockey plate to Fundi. Far right: Fundi speaks with former champion James Muhindi (L) in the weighing room before the 1200m Alico Limuru Cup race. This is one of those feelings that you can't put in words, he beamed in the parade ring after his award presentation."
Michael Fundi, aged 20, won the jockeys' championship after a decisive finish aboard Bedford at the final meeting of the season at Ngong Racecourse. The victory made Fundi the youngest champion in a decade. Fundi's achievement reflects expanding involvement of black Kenyans in a sport long associated with the white minority since colonial times. Representation at the Day of Champions included three black trainers and ten black jockeys. Muturi Mutuota, now a Jockey Club of Kenya director, recalls horse racing once felt like a sport for other people. Fundi began riding after his grandfather took him to Ngong at 13.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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