A thoroughbred named “Dragon Flame”, owned by Emra Agung and ridden by Akun Sozen as jockey, won the 98th Gazi Race, which has been held in the name of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk since 1927.
This year, 22 thoroughbreds competed in the 2,400-meter turf race, which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts only once in their racing careers.
The thoroughbred named “Dragon Flame”, ridden by jockey Akkun Sozen, finished first at the Veliefendi Racecourse in a time of 2.28.36 seconds, the first time in Akkun Sozen’s career that he has won a Gazi race.
Second place in the race was won by the thoroughbred “Zişka” owned by Sanem Karaman and ridden by Selim Kaya with a time of 2:28.75 seconds. The thoroughbred “Borrego” owned by Khairulla Doğan and ridden by Mehmet Salih Çelik came third with a time of 2:28.93 seconds.
The race has continued uninterrupted since the first Gazi Race in 1927, won by Ali Muhyiddin Hacibekir’s mare Neriman, and is defined as the “Turkish Horse Derby.”
Prize money for the owner of the winning horse
Winning this important race in Turkish horse racing, “Dragon Flame” brought his owners a prize of 13.5 million lira.
The race pays 5,000,000 400,000 liras for second place, 2,000,000 700,000 liras for third place, 1,350,000 liras for fourth place, and 675,000 liras for fifth place. Thus, the total bonus for thoroughbreds that finish in the top five is 23,625,000 liras.
The owner of the winning foal will receive a total of 20,967,000 liras, including the first prize, registration fee, installment fee and owner premium. If the owner is also the foal’s breeder, this amount will include the breeding premium and the compensation will reach 24,848,250 liras.
