Horse Racing Concludes at Hippodrome de Quebec
The last horse race was run at the Hippodrome de Quebec on Sunday, May 6, 2012. This historic venue, which has been the centre of horse racing in Quebec for more than 114 years, will never again hear the popular call, "C'est l'd?rt, they're off!"
A new amphitheatre will be constructed at the location for lacrosse, which is Quebec's national sport.
The last horse to win at Hippodrome de Quebec, and thus be enshrined in the history books, was a five-year-old pacing mare named Lizo Maggs. She was ridden by Pierre Luc Roy and was trained and owned by Normand Plourde.
In the 10-day meet Pascal Berube won the drivers' title with 16 wins. He was followed by Sylvain Lacaille with 15 wins. But neither of these drivers secured a win the card's five final prestigious races. The Quebec Jockey Club presented a farewell program to thank the population for the support they had provided.
However, this does not mean the end of horse racing in Quebec. The venue will be shifted to the Hippodrome de Trois-Rivieres. The Quebec Jockey Club has an agreement to purchase the new site and the transaction is proceeding normally.
As such, horse racing in Quebec will resume during the summer season. Punters will also be able to bet online in betting parlours, which the Quebec Jockey Club is developing with the Horseplayer Interactive network. Five betting parlours will be available to Quebec residents in 2012 and five more will open in 2013.
History of the Hippodrome de Quebec
Horse Racing in Quebec can be traced back to 1767, started by a section of Her Majesty's army that was stationed there. From the early 1800s the French Canadians had begun to hold their own events across a number of venues in Quebec. In order to accommodate the growing craze for horse racing, the Hippodrome de Quebec was founded. On June 2, 1899, a horse named Tommy won the first race at the venue.
In 1912 Quebec City bought the racetrack and built new grandstands. The races were held during the provincial exhibition from late August to Labour Day. The Hippodrome de Quebec was initially managed by Jos Cauchon, Henri Bertrand and Jules Giguere.
The pari-mutuel and the starting gate were installed in the mid-1940s. Following some interim arrangements a group led by Paul Murdoch took charge of the Hippodrome de Quebec till 1970. In 1975, the Hippobec group was given the control.
From 1998 the Societe Nationale du cheval de course managed the activities of the racetrack till 2006, when the provincial government sold the management to Attractions Hippiques. In 2010, after the bankruptcy of Attractions Hippiques, the Quebec Jockey Club took over.
