The Garrison Savannah racetrack normally runs
about 22 or 23 times a year, so check their website
to see when they are open. You will enjoy a day
at the races in Barbados whenever you go, but
try to plan a trip around the Barbados Gold Cup.
The race is normally run in late February or early
March, a perfect time to escape the wintry weath-
er in the many parts of the US. The race draws a
huge crowd and the track is very small, so good
seats are hard to come by. It's a good idea to plan
ahead and contact the Barbados Turf Club by Oc-
tober, if not earlier, to secure race-day accommo-
dations.
What makes the Barbados Gold Cup so special is
not the facility, the purse ($107,000 US) or the tal-
ents of the competitors. This is not Saratoga and
the race is not exactly the GI Breeders' Cup Clas-
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that is so unique, so colorful and such a cause for
celebration. Certainly not in the Carribean. You'll
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Trinidad, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico and
the Dominican Republic, but none of those coun-
tries feature a race or an event anywhere near this
magnitude.
The Gold Cup is to Barbados what the Derby is to
Kentucky. To many, winning the race is special and
victory means a lot more than a few headlines, a
winner's circle picture and a modest purse check.
That is why the likes of Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Eu-
gene Melnyk, Robert Sangster and Gay Smith, the
wife of Coolmore partner Derrick Smith, have tak-
