Photographs & text by Habip Kocack.

Veliefendi Racecourse, stands in the heart of Istanbul, yet it operates in a world entirely its own — guided by its own rhythm, discipline, and silence.
Here, life begins long before the city wakes. In the darkness and mist of the early hours, the first movements reveal the unseen faces of this place: the people who work every day regardless of cold, rain, heat, or fog, and the horses whose breath fills the morning air.

Morning training is the pulse of this hidden world. Around four in the morning, faint lights appear in the stables as grooms and exercise jockeys begin their quiet routines. Each day is a kind of reset. The rider reads the horse in seconds — its posture, its energy, its breath, the tension in its muscles. Every lap on the track is more than simple conditioning; it is the daily renewal of the delicate relationship between human and horse. The real story of Veliefendi Racecourse is written in these laps, long before daylight reaches the sand.

By the afternoon, Veliefendi Racecourse shifts into a different tempo. The track grows quiet, but inside the barns an attentive, meticulous work begins. Horses are cooled down, groomed, checked for swelling or heat, and reshod when needed. Even the smallest change — a stiff step, a warm tendon, a hesitant breath — matters. Grooms, trainers, farriers, veterinarians, and exercise jockeys work as one. This silent collaboration forms the backbone of Veliefendi Racecourse’s unseen labour.

The celebrated moments of race day rest entirely on the work of these unseen faces. A world that never appears under the spotlight is built each morning in darkness and completed in the calm of the afternoon. Day after day, the same rhythm, the same discipline, the same care. This continuity transforms Veliefendi Racecourse from a simple racetrack into a working culture, a shared memory, and a community carried by those who remain largely invisible.

This manifesto reminds us of Veliefendi Racecourse’s true story: What matters here is not the spectacle, but the labour that repeats every day. And that labour lives in the unseen faces of Veliefendi Racecourse.

Thanks for viewing. To see more documentary work by Habip Kocak, please follow this link.
Enjoyed this piece? Why not Like and Share?