You could be forgiven for thinking that a domesticated buffalo is not built for sprinting, but in Chonburi town, the gateway to resorts along the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, farmers have managed to tweak a turn of speed from these working animals that is nothing short of amazing.

The annual Buffalo races, 28 September – 4 October 2009, are a hotly contested series of sprints across on an open space in front of the town