In pictures: Desert horse-racing

Binka Sylla, honorary president of the Bamako Equestrian League, leads Allahtèdon - the six-year-old stallion that has just won the last race of the day.

Allahtèdon has won the equivalent of $82 for its team.

The owner - who may have paid anything from $550 to $1,800 for the horse, and must pay $72 a year to compete - takes 60%, the trainer takes 25% and the jockey gets 15%.

"But for us Muslims, it's not about money, it's a passion," says Mamadou Konaté.