Revelry, joy and passion as racing struggles on in the toughest circumstances

Rhythmic drumming, ripened mangoes and drying muck greets racegoers as they filter into the grandstand bedecked in the green, yellow and red of the Senegalese flag. The central VIP section, a colourful wave of national dress lightly fanning racecards, is wedged between an almost exclusively male crowd at the grandstand’s hips. Elbows lean over the course’s railings, legs dangle from the hippodrome’s perimeter wall, silhouettes fill the rooftops that overlook the circular, left-handed track reminiscent of Chester, albeit in West Africa.

It’s one of the biggest days in the 30-meeting Senegalese racing calendar, which takes place every Sunday from January to June, and the going at the Hippodrome Ndiaw Macodou Diop in Thies is heavy sand, plastic bottles in places. The temperature is a clammy 32 degrees. There is a calm carnival atmosphere throughout the day as the well-mannered spectators prepare for the feature of the six-race card, the Grand Prix de la Renaissance Africaine, a ‘Fusion Group 1’ over 2,650 metres (roughly 1m6f).

Racegoers queue to pay for an entry ticket outside the racetrack kiosk where tickets range from 500CFA (65p) to 2,000CFA (£2.60)Credit: Maxime Bureau

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