Things You Didn't Know About Tobago's Goat Racing History | Buccoo Tobago | Tobago History Timeline

SUBSCRIBE to the Devonne Adanna Experience:

Tap here for unique product finds that help my family enjoy paradise in Tobago:

Check out my most popular video here:

Video Notes:
Many people know that on the first Tuesday after Good Friday on April 14, in 1925, the first goats ran races in Buccoo.

But here are 8 other things you may not have known about this nearly century year old event in Tobago.

1. The races were not always held at the spot where the Buccoo Integrated Facility stands now. In fact, the first goat race was held on one of the Buccoo village streets which is now called Chance street in Buccoo. There was another area called “the Battery” used after Chance Street was paved and the area developed. But the battery was soon abandoned due to the finish line’s to overhanging cliffs.

2. Did you know the person who started the goat races was not from Buccoo? Samuel Callendar actually lived in Bethel but was originally a Barbadian native. He was an overseer at Grafton Estate when he had the idea that goats could be run similar to horses. Formerly, Easter weekends in Tobago were synonymous with horse racing but those events were open only to a particular class of Tobago people. As such, Mr Callendar, thought that an affordable version of the horse races could be done with goats. Thus, the goat racing tradition was born.

3. 18 goats were set to compete in the 1934 Buccoo Goat Racing competition which took place on April 2 of that year. The Tobago Times, a newspaper in Scarborough reported on March 24 1934 via correspondent that some of the animals shown to him had a fine appearance. He also quoted Mr. Callendar that the stakes for the races had been increased with run contests anticipated.
4. The races began attracting media attention soon after it began. An article appeared in the Trinidad Guardian as early as 1930 detailing the genesis of the goat race as noting the innovator of the event Mr. Samuel Callendar.
5. The goats can be seen at exercise every morning and evening on the main roads in and around Buccoo. This is not only a tradition but a strategy that was talked about in that 1934 article and exists up to today in 2022 Tobago. The jockeys prepare months in advance to race their goats down a 100 yard grass field barefoot.

6. Did you know that crab racing has always been a part of the Buccoo goat racing event? Members of the Buccoo Village Council have always been clear that the crab races have always been a part of the activities and thus in just 3 short years, not only will the goat races be 100 years in existence but the crab races as well.

7. The last goat races in Tobago took place in 2020. Due to the pandemic, goat racing activities have been put on hold in Buccoo. However the Buccoo Mt. Pleasant area representative MR. Sonny Craig confirmed that in 2022 the races will take place as part of a scaled back event called “A Taste of Buccoo”

8. Did you know that Tobago has earned the title of Goat Racing Capital Of The World? This moniker was placed on the island not only because of the fact that our goat races are the longest running goat races in the world. But also because of the fact that Tobago has a $100 million dollar Integrated facility that can specifically accommodate the racing of goats.

---
Check Out These Playlist
Helpful Tools Playlist:
---
LET'S GET SOCIAL:

---
Devonne Adanna is a multi-hyphenate content creator from the island of Tobago.  On this channel you can expect to find This Day In Tobago History | Brain Farts | Info about the My Karibe Influencer program

--

#thisdayintobagohistory #devonneadanna #distobagogyul #WhatisTobagolike
#doyouknowtobago #tobago #tobagopeople #tobagobusiness #trinidad #trinidadandtobago #tobagolanguage #trinidadlanguage #tobagobeaches #africandiaspora #caribbeandiaspora #historyoftobago #trinidadinfluencer #tobagoinfluencer
#Tobago #tobagolove #tobagolocal #Caribbeanculture #868 #trinbago #trinidadandtobago🇹🇹 #buccootobago #goatracing