Now it is seeking a younger crowd and new investment from city authorities.

Its director general Nabil Nasrallah was on a recent day studying the draft of an advertisement for family-friendly night races, a move he hopes will bring in more youthful punters.

"Would it be better to use the phrase 'back a winner' or 'guess a winner'?" he wondered.

He proposes using what is rare patch of green in Beirut's centre as a park on days when there is no racing, and hopes to restore the racecourse to its past glories with development projects.