Horse racing is one of the oldest sports in the world, which dates back thousands of years. However, despite having a long history, horse racing isn’t distributed equally around the world.
Europe and the United Kingdom are considered the horse racing capital, and where it all started.
With that said, due to the fast-growing popularity of horse racing, other countries have started investing in horse racing and promoting horse racing culture in different parts of the world.
The spike in horse racing popularity is great for the sport and new countries that promote horse racing allow plenty of other options for horse racing enthusiasts.
So, the next time you browse through horse facts, make sure to check out some of the latest horse racing events that might be worth the watch.
Even though horse racing is popular in Europe, this doesn’t mean that it is present in every country.
This brings us to Portugal. A nation that loves any kind of sporting activity, and it is pretty close to the United Kingdom and France where horse racing is quite popular. Does this mean that Portugal has a rich horse racing culture?
Let’s find out.
Does Portugal have Rich Horse Racing History?
Well, the short answer is no. Compared to other countries, Portugal isn’t on the same level when it comes to horse racing popularity. With that said, in the past couple of years, we’ve seen a huge progression towards developing horse racing culture in the country.
One of the reasons why horse racing didn’t catch on for so long has to do with the legalization of horse racing betting. Since betting is a large part of the sport, a country where horse racing betting is illegal cannot grow the popularity of the sport.
However, Portugal has made some big changes towards promoting tourism and one of the first ones was legalizing betting on horses a few years ago.
History of Horse Racing in Portugal
Even though horse racing isn’t as popular as in other countries, it has quite a long history in this country. The first traces of horse racing are registered around 1924, which also happens to be the date when the first racetrack was built.
In the late 1950s, Portugal introduced harness racing, and first jumping arena, and a couple of cross-country circuits.
One of the most popular horse racing locations in Portugal is Cascais, which is located near Marechal Carmona Park. This is a beautiful racetrack surrounded by incredible scenery and it is also protected by UNESCO.
Over the years, this has become the Equestrian center of Portugal, with rich horse racing culture surrounding it for many years.
Portugal has made some moves toward promoting horse racing over the years, but it seems like the only thing that stopped the sport from flourishing was the legalization of horse racing betting.
In the late 80s and early 90s, we can spot a huge leap in the popularity of horse racing in Portugal.
This is also the time when the first indoor horse racing arena was opened, and it is also the time when the traditional Poules of Quinta da Marinha were created, and the first traces of Polo in Portugal.
Horse Racing In Portugal Nowadays
After government officials, like minister Miguel Rivas fought for the legalization of horse racing betting, as a strategy that will promote tourism and will have a huge impact on the country’s economic growth, the horse racing scene in Portugal changed forever.
Nowadays, horse racing popularity is heavily saturated in one specific place, which is located 1 hour from Lisbon and is considered the horse racing capital of Portugal.
Even though we are talking about a small village, this is where horse racing culture dominates for years. There are racetracks, horse riding schools, horse breeders, and famous festivals like the Feira Nacional do Cavalo, which takes place every year in November.
This festival lasts for 10 days and thousands of horse racing enthusiasts want to get a piece of the action.
Currently, Portugal might not have the riches of horse racing history, but it seems like the sport is growing rapidly and we will see even more big horse racing events in the future if it continues with the same momentum.
