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The West African state of Chad is one of the world's poorest countries. It is also home to a thriving horse-racing scene, with huge sums on offer to winning jockeys.
Every Sunday from December until June, residents of the capital, N'Djamena turn out for the spectacle, which takes place on a dusty track just a few hundred metres from the presidential palace.
In February 2008, this was the scene for a gathering of rebels in the two-day battle of N?Djamena, but mostly it is the setting for 25 equestrian meetings, culminating in the Grand Prix of the Republic.
Each event has four races, starting with one for unknown beginners and culminating in the prestigious, Gargache, which all owners and jockeys aspire to win.
Although more than 1,000 horses competed in the 2008?09 season, only nine people in Chad own more than 10 horses. These are the wealthy elite who compete to employ the best jockeys and acquire the fastest horses.
This business does not come cheap; the investment necessary to stable up to 20 horses is as much as $60,000 (?40,000) a year and that is before the cost of training and breeding and the jockeys? salaries.
The best jockeys, like Saleh Tahir, can earn more than $4,000 (?2,600) in a season. This is a fortune in Chad, where most of the population live below the poverty line.
But for the horses, too many unsuccessful races can mean they find themselves on the meat market, or spending their days pulling carriages.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.