The racecourse Hipodromo Da Gavea can be found in the Gavea region of Rio De Janeiro, the former capital city of Brazil, about 15 kilometres south west of the city. It is a left handed oval dirt track of about 10 furlongs circumference, with a 3 furlong run in, and first opened its gates to racing in 1926, with the capacity to welcome up to 80,000 punters, including a grandstand which can seat upwards of 3000 people. It was built on marshland which was originally part of the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon before being transformed into a thriving racecourse. The racing is run by the Brazil Jockey Club and there is both a dirt track and a turf track. Racing takes place on Thursday evenings and regularly on a Saturday or Sunday throughout the year. The principal race is the Grande Premio Brasil over 12 furlongs for 3 year olds which is staged in June and was first held in 1933 when won by Mossoro ridden by Justiniano Mesquita. A list of more recent winners of the Grande Premio Brasil is given below. The track also stages its own Triple Crown which is made up of the Grande Premio do Rio de Janeiro, the Grande Premio Francisco Eduardo de Paula Machado and the Grande Premio Cruzeiro du Sul. |
