Inaugural Gabs July around the corner
Gaborone will this July emulate other cities, notably, the Durban horse derby, dubbed Durban July, with its own exclusive, horse meet fashion extravaganza, Gabs July event. The event is penciled to take place on July 30th at the National Agricultural show grounds (Sebele Race Track) as it will kick start an annual pilgrimage of horses and people in their finest attires.
The Gabs July is said to be a carnival style event, and is expected to attract close to 10 000 local and regional spectators. The event will showcase various disciplines of horsemanship, including thorough breed and show jumping.
Other highlights to look out for include colorful performances from local artists. Organizers are using this event, which was initially slated to take place in 2020 as a platform to induct Batswana into the beautiful sport of equestrian. Ahead of the main event, the inaugural Gabs July fashion show was held this past Friday at the Game City Rooftop venue.
A number of local designers who included Butterfly Couture, Chosen Designs, Seloba Creations, Albertina Ntwayagae, Mummy D Molapo, Mel-g Designs as well as Lutterloh Patterns Bw showcased an eclectic mix of designs.
The main attraction of the night happened to be the legendary David Tlale. Speaking earlier during the day, event organizer, Ben Kemiso, who is very passionate about the sport of Equestrian, said this is one show that Batswana would not want to miss.
He explained during a media briefing that the event will feature thorough horse breeds, show jumping display (which is a first), as well as a spectacular Junior Motor bike event. Tickets for the event, he said are on sale at Web tickets.
He also said that horse racing and fashion go hand in hand, and that presentation is everything. In total, close to 60 horses will keep guests glued to the race track. “We have received 80 entries,' he said adding that the stakes are high.
He also noted that the winner of the 2.4 kilometer main event will walk away with P100 000.00. Other finalists will pocket P50 000, P25 000, and P10 000 for second, third and fourth prizes respectively. 'In total, we are going to spend close to P500 000.00 on prizes,” he explained.
Meanwhile, he explained that the race track is ready, and that they have TKM Engineering (one of the sponsors) to thank for doing an excellent job of transforming it. Starting from July 22nd, participants will start practicing and familiarizing themselves with the track.