Secret Power wins Türkiye’s most prestigious horse race

ISTANBUL

Jockey Özcan Yıldırım won Türkiye’s most prestigious horse race on June 26 with racehorse Secret Power.

A total of 22 horses competed in the Gazi Race held on a 2,400-meter grass track.

Secret Power, owned by Emrah Karamazı, came first at 2:31:04 in the 96th Gazi Race, winning a price of 3.85 million Turkish Liras ($230,000).

Mucize Kız came second at 2:31:31, while Sigoş was third, finishing at 2:31:32.

Özcan Yıldırım achieved the first Gazi Race victory of his career.

“I had been waiting for 20 years to win this race organized in the name of the great leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. I am very proud,” Yıldırım said, adding that this gave him indescribable joy.

“We have been dreaming of this for 20 years. I will enjoy it to the fullest from now on,” Karamazı said, expressing that it felt like a dream.

The winning streak of Ahmet Çelik, who had won the race seven times in a row, came to an end with this race.

Çelik had been in the first place in the Gazi Race since 2015. The master jockey, who went down in the history of the organization, had won the race with the thoroughbreds Renk, Graystorm, Piano Sonata, Hep Beraber, The Last Romance, Call To Victory and Burgas, respectively.

The 96th Gazi Race was held with the participation of the audience after a two-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The race was established in 1927 in honor of Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye.

It was moved from Ankara to Istanbul in 1968 and has been held at Veliefendi Racecourse ever since.