Just in time for its National Day, the island of Saint Lucia is set to launch its very own thoroughbred industry. 

Horse racing will officially launch in Saint Lucia beginning Dec. 12 with the launch of the 2019 Caribbean Equine Cultural Festival, a luxury lifestyle and racing entertainment event at the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club. 

The event will hold its Race Day on Dec. 13, with the first Pitons Cup, billed as the “richest run” in the Caribbean this year. 

Saint Lucia tourism officials say the Pitons Cup is drawing interest from across the region and abroad, with confirmed participation from both the United States and Australia. 

That will include Hall of Fame trainer Todd Fletcher and Eclipse Award winner Sol Kumin, among others. 

The project is the first major phase of a broader project first launched in 2017 in Vieux Fort on the southern corner of Saint Lucia. That project is called the “Pearl of the Caribbean.”

It’s one of several major new projects in Vieux Fort, most notably the recent announcement of plans by Royal Caribbean and Carnival to build a new cruise ship destination in the town. 

For more, visit the Pitons Cup.