Hipódromo de la Castellana

The Hipódromo de la Castellana, also known as the Estadio del Hipódromo, was a sports facility dedicated to horse racing located on the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, Spain. The racecourse was opened in celebration of the wedding of Alfonso XII and María de las Mercedes de Orleans 31 January 1878.

It was built by engineer Francisco Boguerín as one of the first "official" and permanent racetracks in the city. The site, now occupied by the office buildings of Nuevos Ministerios, was on the outskirts of Madrid at that time. During its years of operation it was the meeting place of the gentry and aristocracy of the time. The northern extension of the Paseo de la Castellana resulted in the closure of the facility, which was demolished in 1933. The main horse racing venue for Madrid, since the mid-twentieth century, has been the Hippodrome de la Zarzuela. ^[1]

Football

At the beginning of the twentieth century the Estadio del Hipódromo hosted football matches. As a football venue it was replaced by the Campo de O'Donnell, which hosted 4 finals before it too closed.

Matches at the Estadio del Hipódromo included:

• the 1902 Copa de la Coronación Final (in honour of the coronation of Alfonso XIII, not regarded as part of the Copa del Rey, the Spanish football cup competition))
• the 1903 Copa del Rey Final (the first final of the Copa del Rey)
• the 1906 Copa del Rey Final
• the 1907 Copa del Rey Final.

Other uses

In some cases air shows were held.

References

Coordinates: 40°26′42″N 3°41′34″W / 40.4451°N 3.6928°W / 40.4451; -3.6928