Goat racing

[1][2] Today, it is called the Buccoo Goat Race Festival,[3] which is a popular and lively event that draws thousands of spectators, mainly from Trinidad.

[2] Buccoo, a small seaside village on the southwest coast of Tobago, has hosted goat racing.

The second and current relocation is the Buccoo Integrated Facility, which is a $100 million goat race arena that includes stables.

[6] By 1998, it outgrew this facility and was moved to the Speke Resort, Munyonyo, in 1999 because it is the only location large enough to host the goat races, which grossed USh 10 million and attracted over 7,000 people in 2005.

Similar to the Royal Ascot horse races, there is as much emphasis on dress, in particular unusual hats.

[7] Through a preliminary parade around the track and a betters' guide that describes each goat, spectators can gauge possible winners.

[8] On Saturday, April 11, 2015 the 7th annual Oxford and Cambridge Goat Race took place.

[9] The race is between two goats named after the prestigious universities and is run at Spitalfields City Farm in East London.

[9] The two goats that participate in the race 'run' along their daily route, which leads from an exercise paddock to their stables.

[13] The winning goat has a Maibock named after it and its owners receive a $75.00 USD gift certificate for the Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery.

[1] Animals are trained for at least two months prior to racing when speed and strength are developed.

The goat's diet is carefully regulated to ensure peak performance on race day.

[1] A racing goat can live up to thirteen years with proper attention to diet and training.

[16] Races are sponsored by local companies and accompanied by much shouting as spectators urge their favourites on.

[4] Interspersed throughout the goat races are more cultural programmes and vendors selling local delicacies, sometimes out of their homes.

[4][17] The Tobago House of Assembly's Department of Tourism sponsors the race, which is an annual family event.

[1][18] The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has been criticised in the local Tobago media for not turning a unique festival that lasts a few days and financially benefits some breeders, trainers, and jockeys into a year-round industry that can economically benefit the entire island with the Buccoo Goat Race Festival at its centre.