Hipodromo Chile, Santiago, Chile
|Hipodromo Chile is a thoroughbred racecourse in the municipality of Independencia in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of Chile and is one of two racecourses in the Greater Santiago district. It is one of three leading racecourses in Chile, the others being Club Hipico de Santiago and Valparaiso Sporting Club.
Hipodromo Chile is a dirt course of 1665 metres (a little over 1 mile) and is home to some significant events, the most important of which are the Gran Premio Hipodromo Chile and the Clasico St. Leger – one leg of the national Triple Crown, the others being the El Ensayo at Club Hipico de Santiago and the Derby at Valparaiso Sporting Club.
It became operational in the first decade of 1900, the inaugural meeting taking place on 19 September 1904, as part of the celebrations of the National Day of Chile. The first director of the racecourse was Pedro del Rio Talavera. In the beginning it operated on a temporary site in the south of the city near the ravine of La Aguada. In search of a permanent location land was purchased in 1905 at the north end of town, in an area known as La Palma. On 15 November, 1906 new facilities were opened with a meeting consisting of six races.
Racing takes place at Hipodromo Chile every Saturday and most Thursdays throughout the year and it is not unusual for there to be 18 or 20 races on a single card.
Principal races:
- St. Leger (G1)
- Gran Premio Hipódromo Chile (G1)
- Tanteo de Potrancas (G1)
- Tanteo de Potrillos (G1)
- 1000 Guineas (G1)
- 2000 Guineas (G1)
- Gran Criterium-Mauricio Serrano Palma (G1)
Official website: www.hipodromochile.cl
Image: Wikipedia