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ronmental care. Our track requires very little water because of its deep-rooted turf, and we use two tanks, one of which collects rainwater for maintenance.” Eco-friendly, fun, and cinematic, the Sault racecourse even turns into an open-air movie theater in mid-August, showing animal-themed films under the stars.
STAGE 16 Aix-les-Bains, the Riviera of the Alps After tackling Mont Ventoux in Stage 16, the Tour de France caravan will head toward Albertville for Stage 19. It’ s the perfect opportunity to explore the Riviera— not the one by the Mediterranean Sea, but the one nestled in Savoie. The Aix-les-Bains Racecourse, also known as the Riviera of the Alps, is the only racecourse in the Alpine region. A multi-discipline venue, it welcomes both trotters and gallopers every summer, all enjoying the fresh mountain air between lake and peaks.“ The Aix-les-Bains Racecourse was founded in 1883,” notes Claude Rouy, president of the horse racing association.“ It’ s a place of social diversity and a uniquely welcoming venue at the foot of the mountains, where people from all walks of life come together. Each year, we welcome between 2,000 and 2,500 spectators over the course of our nine summer meetings.” Beyond horse racing, the venue also includes sports facilities like football and rugby fields. To improve the visitor experience, major upgrades were made this year: a 55m ² giant screen has been installed facing the grandstand, and the control room has been modernized with fiber-optic technology. The steeplechase course underwent a complete renovation using next-generation materials that meet the highest safety and animal welfare standards, ensuring optimal safety for both horses and jockeys. A visit to Aix-les-Bains is also a chance— especially for kids and families— to see camels up close:“ Last year, camel races and activities were organized in the presence of Prince Fahd bin Jalawi, President of the Saudi Camel Racing Federation.” And of course, there’ s the local cuisine: the racecourse restaurant serves crozet pasta and diot sausage, two regional specialties— along with raclette, though you might want to come back in winter for that!
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By Mégane Martins
ÎLE-DE-FRANCE REGION
Final stage, destination the capital What do flat racing, NH racing and trotting have in com- mon? As different as these disciplines may be, each has its own temple in Paris: respectively, ParisLongchamp, Auteuil and Vincennes.
From Longchamp to ParisLongchamp The forerunner of Longchamp was the Champde-Mars racecourse, built in 1833. But under pressure from the Duke of Morny, a new Parisian racecourse was created to host races in better conditions. The Bois de Boulogne was chosen, and the City of Paris granted the Plaine de Longchamp site— former land of the Longchamp Abbey— to the Société d’ Encouragement. Longchamp Racecourse held its first race on April 27, 1857, attended by Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie. The Grand Prix de Paris was established in 1863 and remained the world’ s richest race until World War I. Bombed during the siege of Paris in 1870, the racecourse was successively transformed into a livestock park, then a field hospital by the Americans, and finally an airfield during World War I. From 1880 to 1923, the Bastille Day military parade on July 14 took place on the racecourse in front of tens of thousands of spectators. In 1943, Longchamp was bombed again, including during a race meeting. Between 1962 and 1967, the stands were partially rebuilt and moved on rails to replace the old ones. In 2015, renovation work began to make way for the“ New
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