Being held on Sunday, March 3rd, Melchoir says the race is more than just a fete - it’s to bring Saint Lucians together.

“When I say “the community”, I'm talking about Saint Lucia as a whole coming together to do something positive and uplift the well-being of our people who have been traumatised through all of what we've been going through lately,” Melchoir explained.

He says the Race will bring some calm to the citizens’ souls through pure fun and excitement. Noting the recent homicides in-country, he says Saint Lucians need an event to free their minds. He says he hopes youth feel inspired and turn away from bad company.

“We're hoping that this event brings a more calming effect because you know what we've been through for the last couple of weeks. We're hoping that we give people an avenue to express themselves and let go because sometimes people just need to release all of the fear, the trauma and the hurt that they've been going through. Sometimes you just need an event to take your mind off things and think differently for a little bit. Of course, we're hoping to impart and inspire a lot of other young people who've been involved in all the negative activities.”

Melchoir says the races will feature locally-reared horses trained by local jockeys. He adds that some youths are being trained in equestrianism to take up the mantle someday.

“We're going to have four Creole races and three half-breed races. We have horses from all over, young, and old. The jockeys are hot and they're ready to go. We had two weekends where we did some training with some young jockeys, young aspiring jockeys. We're hoping that we give them the opportunity now to come and display their talents and their skill and give other people the opportunity to see what the horse racing industry is all about,” he said.