Equestrian sport
Merano equestrian sport
Since the distant year 1935, the Merano Forst Grand Prix has fascinated equestrian sport fans every year and has always given them new emotions. However, the history of equestrian sport in Merano begins much earlier. In 1896, the first horse race was held to the delight of the aristocratic spa guests, followed by numerous meetings with flat, steeplechase and trotting races on the new racecourse built in 1900, and the "modern era" began in 1935, when the fascist regime of the time had a new racecourse built, which was primarily intended to promote steeplechase sport, but was also to be home to important flat races. From the very beginning, the Merano Grand Prix was linked to the Merano Lottery and was endowed with the highest prize money of the state lotteries. In motor racing, the Merano Grand Prix could be compared to the Monaco Grand Prix: it is different from all other races and therefore exerts a special fascination. There are also more important and better-paid steeplechases, but the Merano Forst Grand Prix enjoys a special status not only among owners, trainers and jockeys, but also among equestrian sport fans.
