‘People are rich and they like to gamble too’ - inside a country dreaming big even while only a handful of people turn up to a Classic
James Stevens heads to Kazakhstan St Leger day at Almaty and discovers a racing jurisdiction on the cusp of major change
More than 4,000 miles away from Doncaster and the Curragh, there is another St Leger. It feels like it is on a different planet.
The September sun shines on the 95-year-old racecourse at Almaty in Kazakhstan, just a short drive from a city home to more than two million, but barely a few hundred are through the gates for a Classic Saturday. No alcohol is served, no bets are taken and the atmosphere barely lifts as six races pass, including the highlight, the Kazakhstan St Leger.
The tired grandstands, small fields and sparse interest paint a pretty bleak picture of racing in Kazakhstan – but in fact this is a place that thinks it is on the cusp of major change, as a possible revision in gambling laws could unlock the potential in a country eager to emerge as the next big racing jurisdiction.
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Published on inIn Focus
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