CAFAGNA: Querceta, a quiet town at the foothills of the Apuan Alps in Tuscany. Its most durable export carved from the mountainside is marble – any colour, any shape. Once a year Querceta comes alive with medieval rivalry. Locals put in hours of practice, adorn the town in team colours and prepare the competitors.

Australia has the Melbourne Cup, Siena has the famous horserace around the piazza, but nothing quite beats the competition in Querceta at this time of year. It’s called Palio Dei Micci – race of the donkeys.

Eight teams contend for the annual donkey championships. There’s no prize money and no betting is allowed. They compete for glory. These are just the time trials. There are no stewards here and the donkeys do get rough treatment on corners.

This year team Ranocchio, that’s “The Frogs” in green and yellow, reckon it’s their year. In fifty years they’ve only won four times. Jockey turned trainer and breeder, Andrea Pollaci, knows his donkeys.

How can you recognise a donkey that will fun fast?

ANDREA POLLACI: You get on its back, and you go. You can’t pick something like that.

CAFAGNA: He’s been rearing them since the age of ten.

ANDREA POLLACI: I think donkeys are more intelligent than horses… because with a horse you can make it do what you want it to do - but not a donkey.

CAFAGNA: That makes it more intelligent, does it?

ANDREA POLLACI: Of course.

CAFAGNA: Because it thinks for itself?

ANDREA POLLACI: Exactly. A donkey understands danger.

CAFAGNA: This year team Ranocchio has brought in an outsider at the hefty fee of three and a half thousand dollars, double that if it wins. A donkey and jockey from another region, sixteen year old Martina Righi and Piccione, a donkey named Pigeon.

The rivalry between the eight teams is so intense that another questionable tactic is employed – injecting donkeys with substances quaintly referred to as “vitamins”.

I’ve heard that at times you feed the donkey certain vitamins, is that true?

ANDREA POLLACI: You don’t talk about these things on television.

CAFAGNA: Why?

ANDREA POLLACI: There’d be too much controversy.

CAFAGNA: Do they all use them?

ANDREA POLLACI: Yes, they all do it…but let’s say they’re… vitamins… vitamins. Let’s call them vitamins.

CAFAGNA: Race eve, confidence and spirits are high. Medieval tradition dictates lots of food and drink.

ANDREA POLLACI: This year I’m very, very, very confident… very confident. Other years I didn’t feel so… this year, confident.

CAFAGNA: How are you feeling?

MARTINA RIGHI: A bit nervous.

CAFAGNA: Why?

MARTINA RIGHI: Because I’m tense about the race.

CAFAGNA: Do you feel you are going to win?

MARTINA RIGHI: I don’t know. I hope so.

CAFAGNA: Race day and no expense has been spared on the lavish parade around the city streets. As with all good Italian festas, the Church plays a strong role in consecrating the festivities. Even the donkeys are blessed. Inside the stadium, the crowd is eager to see the race but first another three hours of show, a whole year of preparation has gone into this.

Finally the competitors arrive and line up, and line up again. And again. A couple of false starts and 20 minutes later, still the donkeys don’t seem to want to stand behind that white line. Perhaps it’s too many vitamins. The crowd’s getting impatient and so too are the jockeys. Finally the word is given. Ranocchio leads from the start, maybe it is their year but then more upset.

A disgruntled jockey stops the race. Violence breaks out and fans flood the track. Police have to restrain angry fans. The crowd just wants to see a donkey race but not yet. Ranocchio and one other team protest and have to be convinced to take part in a second race.

They’re off at a second attempt but it's disaster for Ranocchio. They miss the start and Andrea tries in vain to stop the race again. But the race continues without Ranocchio.

It’s six laps of the oval for the remaining donkeys. It’s more of a canter than a gallop. In an alleyway nearby, despair surrounds the Ranocchio team.

ANDREA POLLACI: What can I say? They took us for idiots.

RANOCCHIO TEAM MEMBER: They just didn’t want us to win.

MARTINA RIGHI: I’m angry… angry and upset.

CAFAGNA: Why?

MARTINA RIGHI: Because you don’t do that!. It’s not right! They didn’t conduct a proper race. But… it’s happened.

ANDREA POLLACI: I said we shouldn’t have raced again.

CAFAGNA: This year the winner is team Leon D’oro – the golden lion. The jockey is first trampled by his donkey and then his fans. Jubilation swamps the stadium. Maybe next year for team Ranocchio.