Meet the teenage Senegalese jockey racing to fame

Fallou Diop won the country’s top racing prize at just 17

Fallou Diop trains a young mare called Raissa Betty, with which he hopes to compete (Reuters)

A head shorter than his peers, Fallou Diop quickly vanishes into the crowd of jockeys preparing for early morning drills in the western Senegalese village of Niaga.

When the racing begins, however, his crouched silhouette is far ahead of the field, aided by an effortless riding style.

Diop says: “When I start riding I get a bit stressed but after a moment, it’s over. At the time of the race, I’m only thinking of victory.”

Diop is one of Senegal’s most promising jockeys, having won the country’s top racing prize when he was just 17. He hopes to begin racing in France next year, realising a dream coveted by some of Senegal’s foremost riders.

Diop holds on to Raissa Betty as they cross a road (Reuters)

A stableboy puts a saddle on to a horse before a training session at the Lambafar stable (Reuters)

Horses are an integral part of life in Senegal. Horse-drawn buggies are ubiquitous and over the past 50 years competitive racing has developed into a national pastime.

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Diop says: “It’s a passion in my family. Since my grandfather we’ve supported horses, then my father after him.”

In villages such as Niaga, where Diop lives, horse feed and supply shops line the main roads and fields are dotted with men on horseback.

Adorned with colourful ceramic tiles on a busy back street, the house Diop shares with 12 family members is getting a new roof thanks to the money from his winnings.

Depending on the number of horses in a race, Diop can earn up to £435 per victory. Average monthly wages in Senegal were estimated at around £130 at the end of 2019.

Diop rides his horse during a training session (Reuters)

Diop strokes Raissa Betty (Reuters)

Diop sits next to his mother Ndeye Boye and brothers as his sister, carrying her son, watches on at their home in Niaga (Reuters)

Diop’s success is a source of pride for his father, who spent much of his life driving a horse and buggy around Niaga. His older brother, who also hoped to be a jockey before a growth spurt got in the way, boasts of Diop’s achievements to visitors.

Diop says: “It’s the elders who taught us everything since we were young and that’s how I became passionate about horses.”

Diop under starter’s orders (Reuters)

Diop, centre, riding to victory (Reuters)

Diop, who has dropped out of formal schooling, was 12 when he left a tailoring apprenticeship to pursue racing. According to his father, he was so determined that he walked 10 miles to enrol in the nearest training programme.

Today, Diop and other jockeys in Niaga are taught by Adama Bao, whose family has maintained a stud farm near the salty shores of Senegal’s Lac Rose for three generations.

Bao says: “[Diop] is very gifted. He could compete up to 50 with his weight and size.”

Adama Bao, a coach who owns the Lambafar stable, speaks to Diop and other jockeys before a race (Reuters)

Trophies awarded to Diop are displayed at his coach Bao’s home (Reuters)

Bao plans to send Diop to France for three months in early 2022 to race for a French-Senegalese breeder. He would have travelled last year, Bao says, if not for the pandemic.

On a Sunday afternoon, Diop’s skills were recently put to the test at the course in Thiès, Senegal’s third-largest city.

Dressed in vibrant yellow and blue, Diop calmly mounted his steed and led it towards the start.

Diop before the race and wearing a mask (Reuters)

Diop went on to finish first in three of his five races that day, taking home nearly £730 in winnings.

“I want to be the best jockey in a country other than mine,” he says. “In Morocco or France, anywhere there is horse racing.”

Reuters, photography by Zohra Bensemra