The Ins & Outs of Barbados 2022

18 Horse Racing Horse Racing …. Barbados Style Horse racing first became popular in Barbados back in the nineteenth century, at a time when merchants and planters all maintained large stables because horses were the main means of transport. The early races were usually held at Milkmarket in St. George and Highgate in St. Michael, until 1845 when the local gentry began competing against British Army and Naval Officers stationed at the Garrison, which had once been Britain’s largest military installation in the Eastern Caribbean. It was in a similar manner that other popular British sports, particularly cricket and polo, were also introduced to Barbados. The end result of the BTC’s commendable endeavours over the past century has been the continuous development and growth of a talented racing community of outstanding breeders, trainers, jockeys and grooms. Indeed, the Garrison has become a nursery ground for numerous highly regarded professionals, many of whom have earned international celebrity status. Most of the jockeys riding at the Garrison in the 1940’s early 1950’s came from England, but that all changed when Eric ‘Sunny’ Holder’ burst onto the scene as the first black Barbadian jockey to ride at the Garrison. Sunny, who was quickly picked up by the powerful Cyril Barnard Stable, rode many great races against his main rival, the Englishman Edgar Crossley. Following in Sunny Holder’s footsteps, Barbadian jockeys such as Challenor ‘Chally’ Jones and Venice ‘Pappy’ Richards went on to dominate When the British army left Barbados in 1905, local race enthusiasts founded the Barbados Turf Club (BTC) and started horseracing as we know it today. The first President was Mr. Darnley DaCosta Sr., who owned the famous Jamaican-bred creole Ben Battle that went on to win 15 major races, competing not only in Barbados, but also Guyana and Trinidad. The popularity of the sport was boosted in 1908 with the building of the first ever Grandstand, even capturing the attention of the racing fraternity in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, that good progress was disrupted when racing was suspended for the duration of World War One. Upon resumption in 1920, the BTC took another step forward by forming a committee of management to oversee the running of racing in Barbados. That is when owners started importing good quality horses from the UK and the USA, not only to race but also for breeding.