On September 28, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov took part in the festive celebrations organized at the Ashgabat Equestrian Complex to mark the 35th anniversary of the nation’s sacred Independence. The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, members of the Government, heads of ministries and agencies, public organizations, and the media, as well as heads and representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in our country. Seven races over various distances took place that day. In the first race, a 1,600-meter event for three-year-old horses contested for the prize of the Financial and Economic Complex of Turkmenistan, the bay racehorse Näzli, owned by the Berkararlyk etrap administration of the city of Ashgabat, crossed the finish line first. He covered the distance in 1 minute and 51.8 seconds. Jockey: P. Orazov; groom: V. Gayipov. The winner was awarded a cash prize of 100,000 manats. In the second race, over the same distance and also among three-year-old horses, competing for the prize sponsored by the country’s Oil and Gas Complex, the gray horse Aýýyldyz — owned by the administration of the city of Ashgabat — finished first, covering the distance in 1 minute and 51.4 seconds. Jockey: Sh. Saryyev; groom: H. Gubayev. The winner was awarded a cash prize of 100,000 manats. In the third race held as part of this year’s festival, three-year-old racehorses competed over a distance of 1,800 meters for the Turkmenistan Trade Complex Prize. The best time—2 minutes and 5.2 seconds—was set by the bay horse Bendesen, owned by the horse breeding farm «Bäherden» of the State concern «Türkmengaz». The jockey was Y. Allanazarov, and the groom was an Honored Horse Breeder of Turkmenistan D. Myratgulyyev. The winner was awarded a cash prize of 100,000 manats. In the fourth race of the event, held to mark the 35th anniversary of the Motherland’s sacred Independence, horses aged four years and older competed over a distance of 1,800 meters for the prize awarded by the Transport and Communications Complex of Turkmenistan. In a hard-fought race, the bay horse Gönibek, owned by the Akhal-Teke Equestrian Complex of the President of Turkmenistan, was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 2 minutes and 4.6 seconds. He was trained for these races by a seyis and master jockey-trainer of Turkmenistan O. Annalyyev. The jockey was S. Charyyev. The winner received a cash prize of 100,000 manats. In the fifth race of the festive meet, horses aged four and older competed over a distance of 1,800 meters for a prize sponsored by the Construction and Industrial Complex of Turkmenistan. The first to cross the finish line was the chestnut-colored horse Maksatly, owned by the administration of the city of Ashgabat, which covered the distance in 2 minutes and 3.5 seconds. He was trained by a third-category trainer R. Seyidov, and a jockey was a skilled rider R. Seyidov. In the sixth race, horses aged four and older competed over a distance of 2,200 meters for the prize awarded by the country’s Agricultural Complex. The winner was a bay horse Gudratlydag, owned by the State concern «Türkmennebit», which finished with a time of 2 minutes and 31.5 seconds. It was trained by a master trainer G. Agamyradov, and ridden by a master jockey T. Babayev. The winner was awarded a cash prize of 100,000 manats. In the final, seventh race, horses aged four years and older competed over a distance of 2,200 meters for the Grand Prize of the President of Turkmenistan. In a hard-fought race, the gray horse Bezirgen, owned by the Akhal-Teke Equestrian Complex of the President of Turkmenistan, was the first to cross the finish line. He completed the distance in 2 minutes and 33.8 seconds. His groom was an Honored Horse Breeder of Turkmenistan M. Agamyradov, and his jockey was a master rider B. Agamyradov. The winner was awarded a cash prize of 300,000 manats and the challenge cup of the President of Turkmenistan. The jockeys who won the festive races expressed their sincere gratitude to the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov and to the National Leader of the Turkmen people Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov for their unwavering attention to preserving and continuing national horse-breeding traditions in the modern era, assuring them that they would make every effort to further enhance the global renown of the «heavenly» horses. Upon the conclusion of the festive celebrations at the Ashgabat Equestrian Complex, the Head of State warmly bid farewell to everyone and departed from the venue. Thus, the celebrations organized in honor of the glorious occasion — the 35th anniversary of the sacred Independence of the Motherland — served as yet another vivid testament to the successful implementation, under the wise leadership of Arkadagly Hero-Serdar, of the Hero-Arkadag’s initiatives to develop equestrian sports in Turkmenistan.