The Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte at 1 avenue de la Pelouse in the northwestern 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...

ian suburb of Maisons-Laffitte

Maisons-Laffitte

Maisons-Laffitte is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris from the center....

 in 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...

 is a 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 ...

 horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 facility and track

Hippodrome

A hippodrome was a Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words "hippos and "dromos"...

 for Thoroughbred

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...

 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...

. Opened in 1878 by Joseph Oller

Joseph Oller

Joseph Oller was a Spanish Catalan entrepreneur who lived in Paris for most of his life. He founded the famous cabaret Moulin Rouge and was the inventor of the parimutuel betting....

, inventor of the pari-mutuel

Parimutuel betting

Parimutuel betting is a betting system in which all bets of a particular type are placed together in a pool; taxes and the "house-take" or "vig" is removed, and payoff odds are calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets...

 machine, it sits on 92 hectares that belonged to the wealthy banker Jacques Laffitte

Jacques Laffitte

Jacques Laffitte was a French banker and politician.-Biography:Laffitte was born at Bayonne, one of the ten children of a carpenter....

.

The nearby Château de Maisons-Laffitte

Château de Maisons

The Château de Maisons , designed by François Mansart from 1630 to 1651, is a prime example of French baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture...

 is home to The Museum of the Racehorse.

Open from early March throuigh to the end of November, currently the major annual Conditions races

Conditions races

Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...

 at Hippodrome de Maisons-Laffitte include the:

• Prix Eugène Adam
  Prix Eugène Adam
  The Prix Eugène Adam is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
  
  
• Prix Robert Papin
  Prix Robert Papin
  The Prix Robert Papin is a Group 2 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,100 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
  
  
• Prix Messidor
  Prix Messidor
  The Prix Messidor is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,600 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July.-History:...
  
  
• La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte
  La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte
  La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 2,000 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.-History:The event was established in 1906, and it...
  
  
• Prix Eclipse
  Prix Eclipse
  The Prix Eclipse is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Chantilly over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in October.-History:...
  
  
• Prix de Seine-et-Oise
  Prix de Seine-et-Oise
  The Prix de Seine-et-Oise is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.-History:The event was established...
  
  
• Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte
  Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte
  The Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte is a Group 2 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbreds. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,200 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.-History:The event was established in...
  
  
• Prix Miesque
  Prix Miesque
  The Prix Miesque is a Group 3 flat horse race in France which is open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Maisons-Laffitte over a distance of 1,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late October or early November.The event is named in honour of Miesque, a highly...