SEPI Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales

• This year it expects to be visited by 140,000 persons, which will enjoy more than 200 horse races and of a unique leisure offer along 35 race meetings
• The Season, whose inaugural race meeting will be free, will end on November 27th, and will put into play more than 3 Million € in prize-money
• Hipódromo de La Zarzuela celebrates this year its 75th anniversary as a leisure referent in Madrid

Those who love outdoor leisure can congratulate themselves. Next Sunday March 6th, starts at the horse racetracks of HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA the long-awaited 2016 Season, with the best thoroughbreds in the country and with original leisure proposals for everybody. Furthermore, this season coincides with the 75th anniversary of Madrid’s horse racetracks, which opened its doors for the first time in 1941, and since then it has consolidated itself as a unique leisure offer in Spain’s capital, which envisages bringing horse racing and betting to 140,000 visitors during this year.

Throughout this year and until November 27th, more than 200 horse races will be contested in the capital, distributed in 35 race meetings, of which 13 will be Great Prizes.

A renovated leisure offer

This Season, and in order to celebrate its 75th anniversary, HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA comes with a lot of novelties. One of the most important is the inauguration, in the next months, of the “La Pelousse”, thus recovering the emblematic meadow right beside the track for enjoying the races through a first line experience.

Also will take place the opening of the Eduardo Torroja Museum, thus highlighting the work of the engineer who was the author of the building of the horse racetrack, the winner of Spain’s Architecture Award, and whose grandstands have been listed as a Heritage of Cultural Interest (BIC in Spanish). Besides, the horse racetrack will renovate its gastronomic offer every Sunday with food trucks and children’s games, to which will be added the Qbox workshops, which will allow children to make tridimensional constructions, such as robots, castles or even a huge racing horse.

Equally, the facility will continue featuring the visits of the “La Huella Market”, which will be much enjoyed by fashion’s and accessories’ lovers, and live background music in some of its race meetings. A wide range of leisure offers for the enjoyment of its growing number of visitors, which in the last season reached a record figure.

More than 3 Million € in play during this season

HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA will make available as prize-money from next Sunday more than 3 Million € for the winners, 11.2% more than the amount awarded in the 2015 Season. The best Spanish thoroughbreds will have the opportunity of winning the 102,000 € of the Gran Premio de Madrid (the blue-ribbon horse race in Spain) and the 175,000 € which will be on play during the race meeting in which will be contested the Champions’ Day (October 23rd), with the Gran Premio Memorial Duque de Toledo (40,000 € just for the winner).

The event will take place every Sunday in the spring and the autumn, from 11:30 am, with the exception of June, when it will begin at 5:30 pm. Furthermore, from June 30th and until August 11th the emblematic Nights at the Horse Racetrack will take place, during which it will be possible to enjoy horse racing in the moonlight, tasting a cocktail and with privileged views of Madrid’s skyline.

For celebrating horse racing’s return to Madrid’s horse racetracks, the admission ticket for next race meeting in March 6th will be free for all those who attend. For the rest of the Season, the price of the admission tickets will be of 5 € during the autumn and the spring, with the exception of the Gran Premio de Madrid and of the Champions’ Day, when the ticket will cost 10 €. During the autumn and the spring, the admission for those less than 18 years of age will be free as long as they enter accompanied by one adult. In the summer season, it will be possible to gain admission to the Nights at the Horse Racetracks with one 10 € ticket, and free of cost for those who are less than 14 years of age and who come in the company of one adult.

Celebration of the 75th anniversary

In 2016, HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA reaches its 75th anniversary since it opened its doors for the first time in 1941. In order to commemorate this event, the horse racetracks will celebrate on November 13th, the Great Prix for its 75th Anniversary, with 51,000 € in prize-money, of which 30,000 € will be for the winner. HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA is, without a doubt, one of the most emblematic sites in Madrid, which has been a feature of Madrid’s social life for the last century. Its grandstands, designed by architects Mr. Carlos Arniches and Mr. Martín Domínguez, and by the engineer Mr. Eduardo Torroja, have been listed as a Heritage of Cultural Interest and are regarded as a masterpiece of Madrid’s architecture during the 20th century, since they meant a significant advance for their time.

About Hipódromo de La Zarzuela

HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA is part of Patrimonio Histórico Nacional, and its grandstands are regarded as one of Madrid’s twentieth Century architectural masterpieces. The facility covers a 110-hectare surface with a high ecological value, the equivalent to ten soccer fields, and it has first-level facilities on a privileged location within the city of Madrid, which means that the horse racetracks constitute the most important green lung of the Spanish capital, together with the historical El Retiro Park. HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA celebrates this year its 75th anniversary. For finding out more about the history of Madrid’s horse racetracks and about its 75 year-history, click here.

HIPÓDROMO DE LA ZARZUELA belongs to Grupo SEPI, a corporate holding which includes a total of 16 state-owned companies in which it has direct, majority shareholding participations, with a final workforce of around 73,000 professionals in 2014; the Spanish state-owned television and radio corporation, Corporación Radiotelevisión Española, which is attached to SEPI, and one public foundation. Equally, SEPI has direct minority shareholdings in a further ten companies, and indirect shareholdings in more than one hundred companies.