Toulouse: new facilities to keep the racecourse in the race
On February 14, some will celebrate Valentine’s Day, others the new passage of the Hippodrome de Toulouse, and some maybe both. One has chosen is sure, next Monday’s race is the perfect opportunity to present to professionals as well as to racegoers, the new path depending on the stables in the presentation round.
“This passage was an idea that had been germinating for years” assures Manuel Demnard, treasurer and communication manager of the Toulouse racecourse. If the project had been postponed until now, the team under the chairmanship of Christian Granel has made it a priority. Saving time for racing professionals, spectacle for the eyes of racegoers and racing enthusiasts, this new passage is a real “plus”, adds the treasurer. Instead of going behind the stands, jockeys can now go directly from the stables to the parade ring where they get into the saddle. “The time saved is saved by 4 minutes” affirms the communication department of the racecourse.
A place for Toulouse residents
A plus which still amounts to 150,000 euros. “The work carried out is indeed important, but we must invest to remain in the front rank of provincial racecourses” continues Manuel Demnard. Since the lifting of the gauges on February 2, the staff of the racecourse therefore hopes to attract spectators with this new infrastructure. The management is also betting on a broader strategy to make the racecourse a place, certainly for sport and entertainment, but also a place that Toulouse residents should take advantage of. The racecourse has a panoramic restaurant which is now open every lunchtime of the week and on race evenings. Meeting rooms are also available for the organization of seminars and personalized evenings must be added to the programme. Monday, February 14 remains a date that worries the organizers a little, who fear that a Monday in the midst of a health crisis is not the ideal time to present the new infrastructure. However, they hope that on Sunday April 24, the “Galop Challenge” day will allow “to inaugurate this new passage with dignity”.