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 Indian Castle racecourse, in the Gingerland district of Nevis, is operated by the Nevis Turf and Jockey Club which organises a series of race meetings in the afternoons during holiday periods. Like its neighbour, Beaumont Park racecourse on St Kitts, it is able to offer competitive racing despite many of its facilities being rudimentary. There is no need for expensive grandstands when one can see the beautiful Atlantic Ocean and a dormant volcano in the background as one enjoys the racing on the oval dirt track.
