Chantilly Racecourse
Encyclopedia
Chantilly Racecourse is a Thoroughbred
turf
racecourse
for flat racing
in Chantilly, Oise
, France
, about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) north of the centre of the city of Paris
.
Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main horse training
area on 65 hectares next to the Chantilly Forest. A right-handed course, it was built with interlocking tracks. The main course is 2,400 metres long, with another at 2,150 metres, plus a round course adaptable from 1,400 to 2,400 metres.
The first race card at Chantilly was held on May 15, 1834 and its existing grandstand was built in 1879 by the famed architect Honore Daumet
, who also did the renovations to the nearby Chateau de Chantilly
. The racecourse was constructed abutting the existing Great Stables (French:Grandes Écuries), built in 1719 by estate owner, Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon
, Prince of Condé
. Designed by the architect Jean Aubert
, the mammoth 186-meter-long stable is considered the most beautiful in the world. http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2151498080078402629tzaxqS
In 1886, the Duc d'Aumale
donated the racecourse to the Institut de France
. In 1982, the Living Museum of the Horse
was created as part of the stables which was opened to the public. In July 2006, the museum was acquired by the Foundation for the Safe-keeping and Development of the Chantilly Domain, presided over by His Highness, the Aga Khan IV
.
During the first week of June, the racecourse hosts the Prix du Jockey Club
, the third of the French racing season's five Classic Races
.
It was used as the venue for the racecourse scene in the 1985 James Bond
film A View to a Kill
, in which racehorses owned by villainous industrialist Max Zorin
(Christopher Walken
) competed. http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/locations/hippodrome-de-chantilly
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
racecourse
Race track
A race track is a purpose-built facility for racing of animals , automobiles, motorcycles or athletes. A race track may also feature grandstands or concourses. Some motorsport tracks are called speedways.A racetrack is a permanent facility or building...
for flat racing
Flat racing
Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...
in Chantilly, Oise
Chantilly, Oise
Chantilly is a small city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune in the department of Oise.It is in the metropolitan area of Paris 38.4 km...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, about 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) north of the centre of the city of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Chantilly Racecourse is located in the country's main horse training
Horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when asked to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrian activities from horse racing to therapeutic horseback riding for people with...
area on 65 hectares next to the Chantilly Forest. A right-handed course, it was built with interlocking tracks. The main course is 2,400 metres long, with another at 2,150 metres, plus a round course adaptable from 1,400 to 2,400 metres.
The first race card at Chantilly was held on May 15, 1834 and its existing grandstand was built in 1879 by the famed architect Honore Daumet
Honoré Daumet
Pierre Jérôme Honoré Daumet was a French architect.Daumet was the winner of the Prix de Rome in 1855, and in 1861 conducted a treasure-hunting expedition to Macedonia at the request of Napoleon III, accompanying the archaeologist Léon Heuzey...
, who also did the renovations to the nearby Chateau de Chantilly
Château de Chantilly
The Château de Chantilly is a historic château located in the town of Chantilly, France. It comprises two attached buildings; the Grand Château, destroyed during the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 1870s, and the Petit Château which was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency...
. The racecourse was constructed abutting the existing Great Stables (French:Grandes Écuries), built in 1719 by estate owner, Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon
Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon
Louis Henri de Bourbon, Duke of Bourbon, Prince of Condé was head of the cadet Bourbon-Condé branch of the French royal House of Bourbon from 1710 to his death, and served as prime minister to his kinsman Louis XV from 1723 to 1726.Despite...
, Prince of Condé
Prince of Condé
The Most Serene House of Condé is a historical French house, a noble lineage of descent from a single ancestor...
. Designed by the architect Jean Aubert
Jean Aubert the Elder
Jean Aubert the Elder, was a French architect, "responsible for many fine interiors but not a leader of the first rank."...
, the mammoth 186-meter-long stable is considered the most beautiful in the world. http://pets.webshots.com/photo/2151498080078402629tzaxqS
In 1886, the Duc d'Aumale
Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale
-Bibliophile:He was a noted collector of old manuscripts and books. His library remains at Chantilly.-Death:By his will of the June 3, 1884, however, he had bequeathed to the Institute of France his Chantilly estate, including the Château de Chantilly, with all the art-collection he had collected...
donated the racecourse to the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
. In 1982, the Living Museum of the Horse
Living Museum of the Horse
The Living Museum of the Horse is a museum in Chantilly, France dedicated to equine art and culture. It is housed in the Great Stables of the Château de Chantilly, about 40 km north of Paris.-History:...
was created as part of the stables which was opened to the public. In July 2006, the museum was acquired by the Foundation for the Safe-keeping and Development of the Chantilly Domain, presided over by His Highness, the Aga Khan IV
Aga Khan IV
Prince Karim, Aga Khan IV, NPk, NI, KBE, CC, GCC, GCIH, GCM is the 49th and current Imam of the Shia Imami Nizari Ismaili Muslims. He has held this position under the title of Aga Khan since July 11, 1957, when, at the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan...
.
During the first week of June, the racecourse hosts the Prix du Jockey Club
Prix du Jockey Club
The Prix du Jockey Club, sometimes referred to as the French Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
, the third of the French racing season's five Classic Races
French Classic Races
In France, the Classics of horse racing are a series of Group One Thoroughbred horse races run annually on the flat. The four races are organized by France Galop.The Prix de Diane is restricted to filles....
.
It was used as the venue for the racecourse scene in the 1985 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill
A View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
, in which racehorses owned by villainous industrialist Max Zorin
Max Zorin
Max Zorin is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film A View to a Kill. He was portrayed by Academy Award winner Christopher Walken...
(Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
) competed. http://www.jamesbondmm.co.uk/locations/hippodrome-de-chantilly