[1] It commemorates a Croatian–Venetian victory in the Ottoman–Venetian war in the night of August 14, 1715, in which around 700 professional Venetian soldiers and 100 Croats defended Sinj against an Ottoman army led by Mehmed-paša Ćelić of at least 40,000.

The contestant (Alkar) rides his horse, in full gallop, down the track and tries to hit the central ring with his spear.

Only men born in Cetinska krajina (area along the valley of river Cetina in the vicinity of Sinj) can take part in the Alka.

Each alkar is accompanied by a squire (alkarski momak) who is dressed in a folk costume of old, wearing several kinds of weapons (yatagan, flintlock musket and rifle, mace, shield).

Sinjska Alka was created in the early 18th century as a continuation of knightly competitions that were held across the Venetian Dalmatia: Zadar, Imotski and Makarska.

The oldest official file about Alka is a letter of the first Austrian Commissioner for the Austria Dalmatia Count Raymond Thurn that he wrote to the commander of Sinj Josip Grabovac on February 10, 1798.

In the letter Count Thurn informs Commander Grabovac that the Palatine Commission from Vienna "approved further maintenance of Alka in Sinj on the last day of the carnival".

Alka is organised regularly on August 18, which is the birthday of Emperor Franz Joseph, since 1849, as determined by the Statute of 1902.

In 1818, during his trip through Dalmatia, the Emperor Francis II visited Sinj, and the locals organized a special Alka in his honor.

The Alkar has to pass the racecourse length 160 m in full gallop in less than 12 seconds and try to hit the center of a small iron ring called alka.

The Custodian of the Alka (najmeštač alke) and his assistant have the responsibility for the proper placement and height of the Alka; the Custodian steadies the pendant ring with a 3.22 m long stick and simultaneously controls the height of it, while his assistant tightens the rope on which the ring hangs.