| INDUSTRY | Krefeld,1938.
200 YEARS O F R AC I N G
IN GERMANY H
orse racing is the oldest organised sport in Germany, and this year it celebrates a major milestone. The very first thoroughbred race in Germany took place in Doberan, on the Baltic Sea, 10 August 1822; this summer marks the 200th anniversary. Around 30 racing clubs have organised a total of 136 race days to mark the celebration. German-bred racehorses are recognised internationally for their stamina and soundness, which is no accident and links directly to that historic day in Doberan. Breeding selection and breed improvement through tests of performance remains a mandate of the Animal Breeding Act, with the retirement of stallions to stud strictly governed. Organised racing in Germany was very quickly established. As early as 13 August of 1822, the Doberan Racing Club
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was founded, the first of the racing clubs created to oversee the contests. The Berlin Racing Club followed in 1828; and by the 1830s, numerous new clubs had been formed across the country. Today, the Düsseldorf Equestrian and Racing Club proudly boasts of being Germany’s oldest continuously existing racing club, founded in 1844; and in April, Düsseldorf racecourse had the honour of hosting the first of the anniversary celebrations. Another major milestone followed when, in 1858, the French casino owner Edouard Bénazet had the racecourse built in Iffezheim near Baden-Baden. Ten years later, Emperor Wilhelm I attended the official opening of the Hoppegarten racecourse in Berlin, 17 May 1868, which quickly developed into one of the most important racecourses in Europe.