In 2016 China Horse Club chairman and founder Teo Ah Khing announced an ambitious project to bring top-class horseracing to the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. His vision, which he named Pearl of the Caribbean, not only called for the construction of a new racing facility, but hotels, condos, restaurants, a cruise ship port and a casino, all which would provide employment for the residents of this Windward Island in the Caribbean.
Could the neighboring island of Antigua be the next to follow suit? If native businessman Hansen Richards’ dreams come to fruition, there could soon be a high caliber racing facility in the nearby Leeward Islands further north.
Sports have always played a part in Richards’ life as he grew up a fan of cricket and soccer and was himself an accomplished basketball player, but his love of racing was developed at an early age when his father purchased a filly named Pyrite Tip in Puerto Rico to race in Antigua.
His father, a top soccer player for Antigua in his youth, not only owned, trained and bred Thoroughbreds but also worked as a video librarian. He would bring home tapes of American races, which fascinated young Hansen. Alysheba is his all-time favorite North American runner, and he watched repeatedly the old tape of him dueling with Seeking The Gold in near darkness and light snow flurries under the twin spires of Churchill Downs in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
He was a fan of other racing stars of the 80s, including Gulch, Forty Niner, Jack Van Berg, Charlie Whittingham, D Wayne Lukas, Chris McCarron, and Angel Cordero. He is quick to point out, though, his all-time favorite horse is not from North America but is instead the great New Zealand-bred Australian wonder horse Phar Lap.
In 2007, Richards decided to follow in his father’s footsteps to become a racehorse trainer. Taking his time with a very flighty mare named Sunday Whirl, he won with her first time out and was hooked. He not only has he continued to win with his own horses, he has begun a breeding operation to produce more runners for his stable.
Richards has also partnered with Ann Maria Winter-Lake to begin the process of creating the Antigua Stud Book, which will be an asset to the industry when completed and approved by the Jockey Club in Kentucky. In the future, this would allow Antigua-bred runners to compete not only in the other Caribbean nations but farther abroad.
The current racetrack in Antigua, Cassada Gardens, is a typical ‘bull-ring’-style track with little to no amenities - no stabling or grandstand, for instance.
Richards and Winter-Lake, along with two local businessmen/horse owners, have created Mecke Development Corporation to build a new racecourse and revive racing in Antigua. They have located a pristine piece of land on a former sugar plantation, south of the airport, which juts out into the Caribbean. Flanked by beaches on both sides, this 377-acre tract would provide a beautiful backdrop for the new facility.
They have chosen the name Gem of the Caribbean for this ambitious project with a plan to have horseracing at its centerpiece, surrounded by new housing, restaurants, shopping, beach condos, a marina and an indoor sports stadium. In addition, a casino could be operated onsite to provide funding for the races.
Antigua is blessed with 80-degree (F) temperatures year-round and, at a latitude of 17 degrees, it provides nearly 12 hours of sunlight throughout the seasons. With direct flights from several U.S. cities, plus England and Germany, over 270,000 tourists flock to Antigua each year to enjoy the beautiful beaches and the friendly atmosphere of the island.
The south side of the island is known for its harbors and yachts and hosts the highly popular Antigua Sailing Week every spring. It is also the site of several large homes providing vacation getaways for Richard Branson, Eric Clapton, Giorgio Armani and other celebrities.
Hansen Richards lives every moment for his horses, and if Mecke Development Corporation can find the right partner to work with him on his dream, then Antigua could someday become a true horseracing gem.
Despite this, the track used to attract regular crowds of 6,500 due to the popularity of sports on the island. The Antigua Turf Club leases the land very near the V C Bird International Airport but, with no recent improvements, the track has deteriorated and the attendance has dwindled. They are now in danger of losing the facility altogether as the owner has other development plans in mind.