Mauritius

On 25 June 1812, the Champ de Mars racecourse was inaugurated by The Mauritius Turf Club which was founded earlier in the same year by Colonel Edward A. Draper. The Champ de Mars is situated on a prestigious avenue in Port Louis, the Capital City and is the oldest racecourse in the southern hemisphere. The Mauritius Turf Club is the third oldest active turf club in the world.
Undeniably, racing is one of the most popular sports in Mauritius now pulling regular crowds of 20,000 people and over to the only racecourse of the island.
A high level of professionalism has been attained in the organisation of races over the last decades preserving the unique electrifying ambiance prevailing on race days at the Champ de Mars.
Champ de Mars has four classic events a year such as: Duchess of York Cup, Barbe Cup, Maiden Cup and the Duke of York Club.
Most of the horses are imported from South Africa but some are also acquired from Australia, United Kingdom and France.
The island of Mauritius situated in the Indian Ocean not far from the very large island of Madagascar