The leaders of ten of the twelve CIS member countries were in the audience alongside their spouses. Only Presidents Saparmurat Niyazov of Turkmenistan and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus have failed to turn up in Moscow for today's horserace. This latter cannot attend owing to Independence Day celebrations in his country.
Among the VIP attendees are also Russian governors, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, Cabinet ministers, and senior officials on the Kremlin staff. President Vladimir Putin and his wife, Lyudmila, have settled at a central table in the stands.
The horserace opened with Household Regiment cavalrymen trotting on horseback across the hippodrome to greet the dignitaries in the audience.
Twelve horses from CIS countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, took part in today's race. Nine of them represented Russian provinces, including Chechnya. According to the rules of the Presidential Cup horserace, Russian Federation member states may submit only one horse each.
President Putin signed a resolution on the Presidential Cup horserace on December 30, 2003.
