Flamingo Stables manager and trainer Solomon Kamugi with some of the horses in Nakuru on July 15, 2014. NATION | PHOEBE OKALL
By ANNIE NJANJA
In Summary
- For Muya and Binks, horse ownership is not a money-making undertaking but a work of love. This explains why they can make huge investments on the animals without whining about the hurdles that must inevitably arise.
- Like his father, Henry has grown to love race horses to the extent he decided to train at the prestigious British School of Horse Racing in London.
“Most Kenyans love rearing cattle but I prefer
horses,” says Joseph Muya, a breeder and proud owner of over 60
thoroughbred horses. So close is he to his mounts that he “talks” with
them every morning.
Mary Binks, on the other hand, leads a life that requires a
lot of travelling, but she still manages to raise tens of horses.
However, unlike Muya, her busy schedule means that she hires help to do
the heavy lifting.
For Muya and Binks, horse ownership is not a
money-making undertaking but a work of love. This explains why they can
make huge investments on the animals without whining about the hurdles
that must inevitably arise.
For instance, although Muya is a hotelier by
profession with a busy business life, he rarely skips horse races. He
religiously attends every event at the Ngong Racecourse; first to watch
his thoroughbreds compete, and secondly, to see his son Henry perform.
Like his father, Henry has grown to love race
horses to the extent he decided to train at the prestigious British
School of Horse Racing in London.
Jockey
The senior Muya’s passion for horses began in the
1970s when he was a stable boy at the Delamere Farm in Soysambu,
Naivasha. His job entailed grooming and training race horses. He later
left the farm and got into other jobs, but his heart was always with
horses.
This later drove him to explore a career as a
jockey. After years of saving, he bought his first horse, Blackbird, in
1980. Blackbird marked the beginning of Flamingo Stables. Fast forward
34 year and today, Muya owns three sheds. He keeps a breeding stock in
Elementaita, stallions in Njoro and race horses in Mwariki, Nakuru.
Eighteen of his horses took part in the 2013/2014
Jockey Club of Kenya racing season that ended last month, with five
mounts - Call the Tune, Derrick Boy, Danny Boy, Russk and Vails - giving
an impressive showing.
With tens of horses under her name and others under
syndicates, Binks leaves her animals with trainer Julie McCain in
Nairobi, while her breeding stock stays at the Nightingale Farm, in
Njoro, Nakuru.
Nine of her horses participated in the
just-concluded racing season where three-year-old Riskovay emerged the
champion sprinter of the year. Binks says the lineage of the 482kg horse
is one of the best breeds owned by her family.
“I have participated in horse racing for 25 years
for the love of the sport and my horses generally perform well,” she
says, adding that she finds them thrilling. With her wealth of
knowledge, passion and the ability to raise horses, ownership comes
naturally for Binks.
The chairman of the Jockey Club of Kenya, Dr Joe
Wanjui, had three horses participating during the just-ended season. He
also co-owns a number of horses with Captain Bootsy Mutiso, which are
trained by Nuno Noor and Oliver Gray. For them, it is for prestige and
love for horses.
Evans Monari, a lawyer and member of the Jockey
Club, has three horses, all of which took part in the recently concluded
Magical Kenya races. Of the three horses, he owns one outright while
the two others run under a syndicate, which is where two or more people
come together to own a horse or horses.
“Horses are beautiful animals. My kids love them and enjoy the races too. It made them happy that I bought a few,” says Monari.
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