BLB duo, Ferreira for Woodbine

BETTING Levy Board (BLB) chairman Roop Chan Chadeesingh and board member Francis Joseph, along with Arima Race Club (ARC) president Gerard Ferreira, will be in Canada for Saturday’s historic “A Taste of Trinidad and Tobago” at Woodbine race track.

Nationals of Trinidad and Tobago living in Canada have been invited to take part in the event which has been organised by the BLB and TIDCO in Toronto. It is the first time a Trinidad and Tobago Day is being celebrated in Canada. There is a Trinidad and Tobago Day on the first Monday in October at Pontefract in England. Canada will be up linking Saturday’s feature race at Santa Rosa Park — the Caribbean Champion Stakes featuring triple crown winner Top of the Class. That race will be run in Trinidad at 3.47 pm (2.47 pm Canada time). It is the first time a Trinidad race will be beamed live to North America.

Canadian organisers have given Trinidad 30 minutes in which to beam a  race preview,  running of the race and presentation of the trophy in the parade ring. If the up linking proves successful, it will signal the beginning of a relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and Canada to beam live races in the future. TIDCO will be providing 10,000 kits, decorations and an all expense paid trip to Tobago. Booths featuring Trinidad and Tobago will be set up on the fourth floor at Woodbine, highlighting all aspects of the twin-island republic. 

There will be entertainment, featuring calypso, steelband, chutney and limbo dancing. Trinidad and Tobago’s finest cuisine will be on display as chefs from this country will be in Canada for the event. The delicacies include chicken and veggie roti, doubles, shark and bake, corn soup, ackra and phoulourie. TIDCO will also supply 2,500 lighted neon pens, T-shirts, and hats to patrons attending the races which start at 11 am. Trinidad’s most successful jockey Emile Ramsammy, who is currently in third place on the jockey standings at Woodbine, will be engaged in a photo session with patrons.