A Day at The Races in Kenya: The Goat Derby

When we heard that the 11th annual goat derby would be in Diani this weekend, we knew we could not pass up the chance to witness whatever a “goat derby” was. It is telling that none of the Kenyans we spoke to last week knew anything about the goat derby despite it being hosted in their hometown the last 11 years. This was pretty clearly an event for expatriates and it raised money for several excellent causes [Kenyan Red Cross, Kwale Eye Hospital, Association for Disabled Persons of Kenya].

We arrived on the derby grounds (aka the local golf course) to find several tents selling food, promoting local businesses, and selling crafts. In the center of all this action was the racetrack and milling all about were Brits in derby hats and “fancy dress”. It was 95 degrees in the beating sun but this did not deter the Brits; the Brits love their fancy dress and they even had a contest to determine which child was the fanciest dressed (or something like that).

We did not have to wait long until the first race. The goats were all sponsored by local businesses and sported colored bibs with their number and sponsor. The jockeys wore white T-shirts with the sponsor’s name and carried straw brooms to encourage the goats. Below you can see the starting line:



Given the organized appearance of the starting line, we began to think that maybe the goats were trained to actually race. Perhaps we had overlooked the competitive spirit of the goat? Was their blank stare actually hiding a thoroughbred drive?

Look at the staredown between the leftmost goats:


Soon, they were off though and it became clear that they were not competitive, they were terrified. The jockeys chased them screaming and sprinting with the straw brooms. Here you can see the turn and the general chaos that ensued:



After a single lap, the race was over but the goats in their terror managed to trample the starter (who was luckily unscathed) and one goat actually got stuck in the center when he jumped the barrier.

There was lively play-by-play accompanied by photo finishes and significant betting as the Brits continued to day drink in the oppressive sun. After enjoying a few beers (aka melting in the sun for 2 hours), we decided that a swim was in order so we headed out of the land of derby hats and Pimms cups back into Kenya. I’d say our first goat derby (and possibly our last goat derby) was a success.