Chantilly Racecourse

1833 – Prince Lobanov and his comrades discovered a soft, silky terrain ideal for racing. It is a grassy plain that became home to the Hippodrome de Chantilly a year later. The first unofficial race was then held on the Chantilly lawn. Foundation of the Société d’Encouragement pour l’Amélioration de la Race Chevaline (The Society for the Encouragement of improving horse breeds) is now known as France Galop.

1834 – Creation of the racecourse on the lawn area provided by the Orléans family and the organization of the first races on May 15, 1834. The foundation of the Jockey Club circle.

1835 – The first temporary stands were installed.

1836 – Prix du Jockey Club, also known as the Chantilly Derby was created.

1843 – Prix de Diane was created.

1847 – Upon the request of the Duke d’Aumale, the architect Grisart builds the first stands by his architect Jean-Louis Victor Grisart.

1879 – Grandstand was built by the famed architect Honoré Daumet, who renovated the nearby Château de Chantilly.

1881 – Several visitors flock to the races that the Duke d’Aumale orders the architect Daumet to construct a new stand.

1886 – Duc d’Aumale donated the racecourse to the Institut de France.

1890 – As there is no space in the center of the town, the Quartier Bois Saint-Denis is created to

house the racing stables.

1891 – Charles Girault, a pupil of Daumet, built the weighing building

1897 – As the Chantilly train station is too small to accommodate racegoers who travel from Paris on important race days, the number of platforms was increased to 12 at the Chantilly races station, which can now accommodate 25 000 people in two hours.

1900 – The training center “Aigles” at Gouvieux was created.

1911 – The tribune of the committee, the former tribune of the prince, was rebuilt by the

architect Saint-Ange.

1915 – First World War stops racing at Chantilly. The racecourse remains closed for four years.

1922 – Léopold Bara starts the S.T.H.: Société de Transport Hippique (Horse transport company).

1940 – The Aigles training center was requisitioned and turned into a military airport. The racecourse was closed.

1948 – The racecourse and the Aigles training center were reopened.

1982 – The Living Museum of the Horse was built as part of the stables and opened to the public.

1984 – Living Museum of the Horse in Chantilly was opened.

1994 – The France Galop considered closing the Chantilly Racecourse.

1998 – Chantilly racecourse was saved from closing because of the local community. A public interest group called the “Initiative for Sustainable Development of Chantilly” (IDC) was created. The Group launched a campaign to modernize the racecourse, bringing together France Galop, the community of communes of the Cantilian area, the Institut de France, the State, the Regional Council of Picardy, the General Council of Oise, the city of Chantilly and the Aga Khan Development Network. The grandstand was completely renovated and thickened, and a panoramic restaurant was installed.

2004 – The whole renovated racecourse was inaugurated on May 28, 2004.

2006 – In July, the Foundation for the Safe-keeping and Development of the Chantilly Domain (presided over by Aga Khan IV) acquired the museum.

2010 – The Global Champion’s Tour occurs at Chantilly and becomes a fixture in the International Jumping calendar.

2011 – France Galop commissioned a fiber sand track, the only one in the Paris region. It was completed in December 2011

2012 – The first race occurred on the new fiber sand track in March. Since then, Chantilly has also been running in winter because these tracks are designed to withstand bad weather.

2013 – The new Horse Museum opened in the Great Stables at Chantilly.