On Sunday, May 6, 2012, a page in the history of Quebec City will be written when horse racing fans will hear for the last time the famous "C’est l’départ, they're off!"

After more than 114 years of activities, the Hippodrome de Quebec will actually present its last racing program as from 1:00 p.m. before giving way, in the coming months, to the construction of the new amphitheatre.

It was in 1898, when enthusiasm for horse racing in the downtown, at the Beaupre Coast or at Ancienne-Lorette requires a more appropriate place, that the Hippodrome de Quebec was established on the land that was to become the Provincial exhibition park.Then, in 1912, the city of Quebec acquired the racecourse which has become the cornerstone of the development of the Limoilou area.

The Quebec racetrack is also inseparable from the Annual Agricultural Exhibition because for several years, horse races were presented at the event at the end of summer. Indeed, the famous '5-Mile Race,' which took place at the end of August, was presented annually, for 102 years, becoming the oldest horse racing competition and certainly the most popular in Quebec.

During the last racing card in the history of the Quebec racetrack, the Quebec Jockey Club will present a 'farewell program' to thank the population in a particular way. Many surprises await the spectators. The invitation is thus sent out for this last show at the Hippodrome de Quebec.

If horse races in Quebec City are ending, fans will not however lose as their favourite activity. The betting parlor of the racecourse will remain open and fans can continue to bet on the races run on the screen.

In addition, the transaction for the purchase of the Hippodrome de Trois-Rivieres is going on normally and horse races will be run during the summer season, in the region, on the Regional Circuit (fairs). Finally, the online bet on horse races is also always available thanks to the 'HPI' (Horseplayer Interactive) network and the Quebec Jockey Club intends to develop its network of betting parlors in the coming weeks. Thus, five betting parlors will open their doors in Quebec in 2012 while the following year, the QJC plans to add five additional betting parlors.

A page of history is turned, but a new chapter of horse racing in Quebec is beginning!

Nearly 160 years after the founding of city of Quebec and shortly after the conquest by the English, horse racing, the favourite sport of the British nobility, was established in the city of Quebec due to the presence of Her Majesty’s army. The first competitions were run on the 'Plains of Abraham.' The first race goes back to July 1, 1767 when a mare, named Modesty, won and received an award of $40, given to its owner, a certain Captain Prescott. At the time, only thoroughbred races were practiced during horse racing competitions.

But French Canadians soon organized their own harness racing events. By the 1820s, beautiful Sunday afternoons were the joy of the working classes who jostled to watch clashes between the notables of their community. Tracks and challenges multiplied in city of Quebec, in the downtown, at the Beaupre Coast and at Ancienne-Lorette.

The craze for the races forced the organizers to find a more suitable field and, in 1898, it was the birth of Hippodrome de Quebec, on what would become the Provincial Exhibition Park. The construction of wooden stands confirmed its vocation as a gathering place. A horse named Tommy was the first star of the Hippodrome de Quebec by covering the distance of a mile in two minutes and seven seconds and a quarter, on June 12, 1899.

In 1912, the racetrack was sold to Quebec City. The following year, new grandstands were built and the racetrack was now intimately linked to the development of the Limoilou area. At that time, races were held almost exclusively during the provincial exhibition, from late August through Labour Day. There were several racing cards during this period and even a handful of horses competed twice a day. When Labour Day is over, fans could attend what is nicknamed 'the circuit of onions,' while some racing cards are held at Saint-Hyacinthe, Valleyfield and Richelieu Park in Montreal.

The first managers in Hippodrome de Quebec were Jos Cauchon, Henri Bertrand and Jules Giguere. The pari-mutuel did not exist at that time and a bell was used to announce the start of the races. Only six horses were on the starting line. The pari-mutuel and the starting gate appeared in the mid-1940s. Later, a group led by Donat Simard assumed the interim, but the City terminated this agreement and Jacques Gravel, of the Union des Carrieres Company, owned by Jos Cauchon, took over.

Then it was the turn of a group led by Paul Murdoch to take the leadership until 1970 when the partners Michaud and Simard took the relay. In 1975, the Hippobec group, formed on the initiative of Leandre Cloutier, were the torchbearers until 1998. The Societe Nationale du cheval de course (SONACC) have succeed at the head of Hippodrome de Quebec until 2006, when the provincial government sold the management to Attractions Hippiques.

In 2010, after a year of closure due to the bankruptcy of Attractions Hippiques, the racecourse resumed the operations thanks to the Quebec Jockey Club.

But now, Hippodrome de Quebec ends its vocation, in 2012, for the benefit of a big project. After hosting rural sports some 100 years ago, the racecourse will now the gathering place for Quebecers’ national sport.

(Quebec Jockey Club)