The Caribbean island of Saint Kitts, along with its near neighbour Nevis, is in the West Indies bordered by the Caribbean Sea on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. In the early 1620s it became home to British and French colonials, later becoming a member of the British West Indies before finally gaining its independence on 9th September 1983. The islanders enjoy their racing, and have had at least one racecourse on the island for some considerable time. The rare photo below shows a racecourse scene in the early years of the 20th century. Today racing takes place in 2 distinct areas of the islands, Beaumont on St Kitts and Indian Castle on Nevis.
The exclusive Beaumont Park is located in Saint Paul Capesterre Parish, about 2.4 kilometres east of Heldens, and close to Dieppe Bay Town. The premier race track of the island boasts an exquisite Jockey Club Lounge, and at various times in the year offers live horse racing, occasional greyhound racing and other forms of live entertainment. Construction work on the racecourse and its outbuildings began in 2005, with the racecourse opening in December 2010. Racing is administered by the Nevis Turf and Jockey Club, with a lively pari-mutuel betting system in operation. The 6 furlong oval race track also contains separate 5 furlong and 7 ½ furlong chutes enabling sprint races to form part of the programme. There is sufficient stabling for up to 100 horses at any one time, while 120 greyhounds ensure that greyhound races are competitive.
