Note that the Reunion Premium – Quinté + which is held on November 11 in Toulouse is THE most important meeting of the year for the Hippodrome de la Cepière. So the latter must be on his 31, which is why upstream, the lawns have been mowed; weeded flower beds, swept leaves, and betting machines checked more often than in turn.
From 2 p.m., eight national galloping races will be run on the flat track, 25 meters wide, the grass of which has been pruned to 10 cm. “For the well-being of the animal, jockeys are allowed six strokes of the whip during a race, without raising the arm to the top. Otherwise, they encourage a fine or a layoff, ”announces Christian Granel, president of the Toulouse Sports Society of Courses, which notably manages the organization of this Quinté +.
For this meeting on November 11, the Cépière racecourse expects to welcome a large audience, “15 times more than a normal course meeting”, adds Christian Granel. That is to say around 2000 visitors, most of whom are also punters. A richness which corresponds exactly to the size of the stands which dominate the grassy track.

Over € 81,000 won this year

For this Quinté +, punters are invited to make a combination to hope to put in order or in disorder the five horses which will arrive first. The minimum stake is € 2.
Moreover, in the hall of mutual betting at the hippodrome (PMH), “nine distributors and fourteen self-service terminals have been installed to meet demand” specifies Franck Blanc, head of PMH, at the Cépière. For him, “the important thing on November 11 is that everyone can play between the finish of one race and the start of the next, because we have a defined period of time. You can only bet before departure. As soon as the race has started, everything is blocked. For us, the people who were not able to play, it is a failure as much as a loss of profit ”, specifies Franck Blanc.
For this Premium Quinté + meeting, the courses of which are broadcast on television, bets will also be open in the 982 PMU points of sale in France, including 180 in Haute-Garonne.
“This Thursday, the courses held in Toulouse are the most important of the day for punters. The previous Quinté + meeting at La Cépière, on June 23, achieved 10.4 million euros in stakes throughout France, ”the PMU said.
After two months of stopping horse lessons in France during the first confinement, and a chaotic recovery following, PMU punters are now delighted to be able to take horse lessons again. Especially when they earn up to € 81,790.20, as was the case on October 17 in the department. The record of the year!

Forty horses are permanently housed

This Thursday, for Reunion Premium – Quinté +, the stables of the racecourse are receiving the visit of 94 equines from all over France. As many boxes were cleaned, disinfected, got a straw letter and sealed until the coaches arrived. This is where the horses prepare themselves before each prize. And after each course, the five winning equines will be subjected to anti-doping controls in four boxes of the Salivarium, reserved for veterinarians. The jockeys will also be checked, but by doctors.
If there is one person who knows the Hippodrome de la Cépière like the back of his hand, it’s Anthony Lopez since he is both owner of four horses, trainer and farrier. “I was almost born at the racetrack by my parents who were also coaches,” he announces. This Thursday, November 11, he will participate in the Reunion Premium – Quinté +, lining up at the start of the Prix Jérôme Rambaud with his mare Duchess of Glory who therefore lives and trains there. An advantage ? “Yes, we play at home. There is no transport, ”announces Anthony Lopez. His mare will compete with 17 canassons to try to win this 2400 m. If Anthony Lopez has chosen to take a location for his horses at La Cépière, “it’s because we have a good training track,” he admits. Even if he notices that as the years go by, it “tends to decrease. Little by little, we feel pushed out. Today, we only have one track left, against two before ”. His mare, Duchesse de Gloire, is one of the forty or so horses that live permanently at the Cépière racecourse. But here too the number has decreased. “When I was a kid, the stables were full with hundreds of horses,” recalls Anthony Lopez.
Philippe Sablon-Birgit, another horse lover, also comes every day to the Cépière, to train CocoA, “on an amateur basis” He also takes care of three other horses that he “feeds, cuddles, takes out”. more to ensure the cleanliness of their box. A passion that demands time and money. “It takes nearly 100 € per month per horse for the rental of the box and the track”, slips Philippe. This Thursday, he planned to come see the lessons but he did not specify if he was going to bet.