Tuesday Video: Beverley’s Donkey Derby

Beverley Racecourse of East Yorkshire hosted its famous Donkey Derby earlier this month, and as usual the race provided plenty of thrills and spills.

Beverley Racecourse’s A Very Race Day, which is said to “celebrate all things British in the summer” included its world-famous Donkey Derby, run over what appears to be maybe a furlong at most. (What this says about all things British in the summer, we’ll leave up to our readers — I didn’t realize that English donkey racing had a scene, but there you go.)

The Donkey Derby asks professional jockeys to saddle up on a field of good-humored long ears who then occasionally actually participate in a bit of a sprint race. No donkeys are harmed in the running of the Derby; it appears to be all in good fun and as anyone who’s ever worked with a long-ear can tell you, if the donkeys don’t want to participate they simply won’t.

This year’s running took place on June 10:

In our opinion, this year’s race was not nearly as exciting or entertaining as last year’s, which definitely deserves a view:

The 2016 running was held as a beneficiary for the horse rescue Prince Fluffy Kareem. We were unable to find a recorded beneficiary for the 2017 running, but we’d imagine the betting handle from such an event could certainly help a deserving rescue or nonprofit in need!

Go donkeys.