Lesotho's jockeys saddle up for mountain horse racing
Spectators lining the ridges cheered on the riders as their horses sprinted down one of Africa's highest tracks, more than 2,200 metres (7,200 feet) above sea level.
Horse racing in Lesotho, a country ringed by South Africa, is not just a sport, it is a cultural carnival where wagers are the real blood sport.
This weekend's edition in the village of Semonkong in central Lesotho carried extra weight; it was the premium fixture of the season and timed to mark King Letsie III's birthday.
Preparations started before the crowd arrived, with the horses, also wrapped in blankets and balaclavas to keep warm, walked to the arena in song and dance, then brushed and fitted with weather-worn saddles for their races.
- Being 'focused' -
For many jockeys the track is a rare escape.
The country of around 2.3 million people ranks among the world's poorest, its rich mineral wealth overshadowed by sky-high youth unemployment and a troubling rate of suicide.
The textile-dependent economy faces further gloom, with fresh uncertainty following tariffs announced by the administration of US President Donald Trump, who earlier this year mocked Lesotho as a place "nobody has ever heard of".
The unspoken rule is that you have to forget all your problems or you will fall, jockey Tsaenh Masosa told AFP.
"You have to be focused," said the 21-year-old hotel employee, layered in white, pink and blue jackets.
Races stretch between 800 and 1,200 metres across a rugged mountain terrain that tests both the rider and horse.
Winners pocket up to 1,500 loti ($85) per race, a significant payday in Lesotho, where more than 36 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank.
At the trackside, most bets are simple showdowns -- punters backing one horse to outrun another, rather than the overall race winner.
There are no tickets or betting slips, just fistfuls of cash, tense stares and quick payouts as money changes hands the moment one horse edges out another at the finish line.
- Horses over football -
Horses first arrived in Lesotho with European settlers in the 19th century, and over generations, crossbreeding gave rise to the sturdy Basotho pony -- mid-sized, tough and known for its endurance.
These ponies, along with cross-breeds and thoroughbreds from neighbouring South Africa, now make up the racing stock.
But beyond the track, horses remain part of daily life.
In the mountains, they are still used to herd sheep and goats, or to reach remote villages where no roads go.
That deep connection runs through the culture.
"All the people from Semonkong prefer horse racing to football," said 39-year-old maintenance worker Andreas Motlatsi Mojaje.
On the dusty oval, Masosa is still chasing his first win.
He has raced seven times, coming closest with a second-place finish, but that has not dulled his hunger.
"I like fast horses, it makes me enjoy," he said with a smile.
vid-ho/jhb
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Boca Queen 'Impressed' Kevin Attard In First Start, Now Tries Stakes Company
Boca Queen 'Impressed' Kevin Attard In First Start, Now Tries Stakes Company originally appeared on Paulick Report. Repole Stable's Boca Queen, who turned heads after a stellar debut, steps up to the stakes ranks when she takes on eight rivals in Saturday's Grade 3 $150,000 Ontario Colleen at by Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd., the dark bay filly heads into the one-mile race over the E.P. Taylor turf for 3-year-old fillies off an authoritative 3 ¼-length win at seven furlongs over the E.P. Taylor on July off as the 2-1 choice in the field of 11, Boca Queen hopped slightly at the start, but regrouped and settled mid-pack along the backstretch before ranging up three-wide at the three-eighths mark. Shifted out into the seven path at the quarter pole, she sped away from her rivals en route to the impressive daughter of Kingman out of the Big Bad Bob mare Bocca Baciata covered the distance in 1:20.32 over firm ground. 'Very impressed by that first start,' said champion trainer Kevin Attard. 'She had a little hop at the break, but she recovered quickly – I thought that was a good sign. She found her stride and looked comfortable the rest of the way. We were hoping she would run to her works, and she showed up in a big way. Obviously, you don't know how things will go first time out, but she showed a lot of maturity and class that day.'The dark bay traveled four furlongs in :48.20 over the Woodbine main track on July 19 ahead of the Ontario Colleen.'She came out of it [first start] well and had a nice work on Saturday,' said Attard. 'So, the hope is she can build off that first start and come back with a big effort this time. She definitely inspires confidence. Excited to see what the future holds for her.' Purchased for €400,000 at the 2023 Goffs Orby Sale, Boca Queen is a half-sister to listed winner and €775,000 Goffs November alumni Parkes is the starters include graded stakes winner Somethinabouther, multiple stakes placed Pretty Lavish and stakes placed It Ain't wagering menu for the Ontario Colleen includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (races 8-9-10), and $1 Swinger. $150,000 Grade 3 Ontario Colleen Stakes Boca Queen (IRE) – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard Lupa (IRE) – Fraser Aebly – Josie Carroll Pretty Lavish (IRE) – Ryan Munger – Graham Motion Somethinabouther – Rafael Hernandez – Brendan Walsh Candy Quest – Sahin Civaci – Mark Casse Social Code – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Steve Flint Hidden Quarry – Sofia Vives – Ethan West Tiz Her Money – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse It Ain't Two (GB) – Eric Cancel – Riley Mott Also on Saturday, six fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, will travel 1 1/16 miles on the main track in the $150,000 G3 Trillium Stakes Presented by Don Marty Drexler, who won the 2023 edition of the Trillium with Il Malocchio, will send out the duo of Literate and Veery. Literate, a 5-year-old daughter of Oscar Performance out of the Henrythenavigator mare Infanta Branca, will contest her third consecutive graded stakes bay mare, owned by C2 Racing Stable LLC, was sixth in the Fasig-Tipton La Troienne Stakes (G1) on May 2 at Churchill Downs. She arrives at the Trillium off a fourth in the Belle Mahone (G3) at Woodbine on May 31.'She is doing very, very well,' said Drexler, of Literate, who was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation. 'She has had the opportunity to run on different surfaces, and we have tried a few different things, but at the end of the day, this is what she is best at – two turns on the synthetic.'I really liked her in the race at Churchill, but she missed the break, and it kind of got messed up from there. I think this is the best type of race for her. Hopefully, she gets the job done here. I think she is a very, very talented horse.' Literate launched her career with a quarter of races at Gulfstream. She was second in her debut on Dec. 4, 2022, and broke her maiden in her fifth start, a two-length score at 1 1/16 miles over the Woodbine main track on June 22, 2024, doubling up one month later, also at the Toronto oval.'She is a cool horse to be around,' said Drexler. 'She is not full of personality, but she can be a little high-strung at times. She is a hard trier, and she has a big, beautiful stride on her. Distance never seems to be an issue with her.'She has enough quality, so we hope we can get her a stakes win that we feel she deserves.'Drexler worked Literate, 4-3-1 from 14 starts ($196,126), three times in the lead up to the Trillium, including a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.00 over the Woodbine main track on July 19. 'I really like the way she is coming into this,' said the multiple graded stakes-winning conditioner. 'I have always liked her. The key is to have her come over to the paddock and be chill, which she did last time. She can get wound up at times, but if you can get her settled enough, she usually runs a really good race. And she is great right now.'Literate was a $27,000 purchase at the 2021 Keeneland Association September Yearling Hayes is the groom. A veteran of 29 starts (11-1-4, $309,671), 7-year-old Veery will contest her first stakes race on chestnut daughter of Giant Gizmo out of the Bertrando mare Roust 'Em Bertie has been at the top of her game over her past five starts, fashioning three wins and a pair of thirds.'She has been very impressive and deserves to be here,' said Drexler. 'She is also doing great coming into this race.'Veery, bred in Ontario by Dr. Rolph Davis, heads into the Trillium off a smart four-length score at 1 1/16 miles over the Woodbine main track on June veteran mare turned a three-length advantage at the stretch call into a 4-length win in 1:43.14. 'We raced her for $15,000 last year,' noted Drexler. 'It wasn't until we started stretching her out that it really brought the best out in her. She is just an incredible front-end horse. Once she gets the lead, she will go a long way. That last race – she was never in doubt. She was always the boss, and she kept going.'It's not to say she can't win going shorter, but she seems to be at her best when she is the controlling speed, especially on the synthetic. She just runs so well on the front end.'Veery launched her career with a fifth over six furlongs on the Woodbine main track on Oct. 1, breakthrough came in her fourth race, a 1 ¼-length triumph at 5 ½ furlongs on the Toronto oval main track. Drexler claimed the horse for $10,000 on behalf of David Rowbotham, Rodney Carpenter, and Tony Boogmans, ahead of a Veery win on Dec. 8, 2022.'She is a real Cinderella horse,' said Drexler. 'It took some time to get her to where we wanted her to be – and there have been some ups and downs along the way, but she is just a fighter.'Anthony Bend is the groom. Multiple graded stakes winner Fashionably Fab, 2024 King's Plate winner Caitlinhergrtness, both trained by Kevin Attard, graded stakes placed For Flying, and 2024 Ontario Damsel Stakes winner Ecstasy round out the post for Saturday is 1:05 p.m. The wagering menu for the Trillium includes Rolling Double, Exacta, 0.20 Trifecta, 0.20 Superfecta, 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 5-6-7), 0.20 Jackpot Power Pick 6 (Races 5-6-7-8-9-10) and $1 can wager on all the action through and Fashionably Fab – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard Veery – Eric Cancel – Marty Drexler For Flying (BRZ) – Ryan Munger – Graham Motion Literate – Sahin Civaci – Marty Drexler Caitlinhergrtness – Rafael Hernandez – Kevin Attard Ecstasy – Fraser Aebly – Sid Attard This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.


Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Emirates Adds Mauritius Flight as Island Mulls Opening to Rivals
Emirates is ramping up its presence in Mauritius by adding a third daily flight to the island nation, seeking to buttress its position as the country considers opening up to other carriers. Starting in December, the peak of the holiday season travel, the world's largest airline will offer another service to the Indian Ocean hotspot using a Boeing Co. 777 twin-aisle jetliner, the carrier said. That's on top of two daily flights between Dubai and Mauritius now with the giant Airbus SE A380 double deckers.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dakota Ditcheva reveals sticking points in negotiations with the PFL before re-signing
Dakota Ditcheva is the last guest after her latest win at PFL Africa, and she talks about signing a new contract, being frustrated due to inactivity, looking up to Kayla Harrison, her next fight, and more.