Horse racing, better known as turfe, began to gain prominence in colonial Rio de Janeiro and, from the 19th century onward, expanded its reach as the city intensified its modernization process according to European standards. In Europe, racetracks were places to display wealth and prestige, where social gatherings with commercial interests took place. It was no different in Rio, as the city's elite soon embraced the sport, betting, and social gatherings.
The races, which had already been taking place sporadically since 1810 and became more frequent from 1825 onward, were organized by English immigrants at Praia da Saudade, in Botafogo. With the founding of the Club de Corridas in 1849, in the São Francisco Xavier neighborhood, turf racing gained a new status, contributing to Rio's path toward becoming the ‘Paris of the Tropics.’ The first races were organized at Prado Fluminense (located at the Club de Corridas, where UERJ stands today) by Major João Guilherme Suckow. The press devoted significant space to the events, as shown in the September 21 and 22 edition of "Correio Mercantil" that year: "Last Sunday a large part of this capital's population rushed to enjoy a spectacle as entertaining as it was new to us: the horse races at Prado Fluminense." On December 11, 1853, a columnist for "Diário do Rio de Janeiro" wrote: "Beautiful young women, distinguished horsemen, followed the races of the generous horses with frenzied curiosity."
After the Racing Club, came the Jockey Club, in 1868, which held its races at the same Prado Fluminense; the Vila Isabel Racing Club, in 1884; the Prado Itamaraty (Derby Club), in 1885, on the site where the Maracanã stadium was later built; the Turf Club, in 1889, next to the Prado Itamaraty; the Hipódromo Nacional, at what is now Praça Afonso Pena; and the Prado Guarany, in the Praia Formosa area. More popular, with modest facilities and second-rate horses, the Guarany drew great crowds while at the same time causing annoyance among the other associations.
Derby Club. BN Digital Collection
Image description: This is a historic black-and-white photograph of a building with classical architecture. On the left side, we see an older structure with ornamental details. In the center, the main building has a rectangular facade with regularly spaced windows and a sloped roof covered with tiles. At the top, there is a small structure with a flag. On the right, we see another building with similar architectural elements. In the foreground, there are trees and a sidewalk with people walking.In the last decade of the 19th century, Rio had five racetracks. The races began at noon, but it was chic to arrive later, around 5 p.m., bringing along the binoculars as an accessory – indispensable for following the turf and for being mentioned in the newspapers. Betting was the least glamorous part of the events. It took place in the ‘poule houses’ and drove many bettors to ruin, even sparking disputes among horse owners that sometimes ended in gunshots.
Jockey Club (1 - blue), Clube de Vila Isabel (2 - gray), Turf Club (3 - green), Derby Club (4 - red), Hipódromo Nacional (5 - lilac), Prado Guarany (6 - orange), Quinta da Boa Vista (7 - yellow - for reference only). Biblioteca Nacional
Image description: The image is an old engraving of a city, possibly Rio de Janeiro, with streets and neighborhoods marked. The spatial layout begins on the left, where we see streets and neighborhoods such as Andaraí, Villa Isabel, and Serra do Engenho Novo. On the right, we find Rocha and Prado Flamengo. In the center, areas such as Aldeia Campista, Morro do Telegrapho, and Morro do Retiro da América stand out. The colors vary, with emphasis on areas circled in colored rings: blue for Jockey Club, gray for Clube de Vila Isabel, green for Turf Club, red for Derby Club, lilac for Hipódromo Nacional, orange for Prado Guarany, and yellow for Quinta da Boa Vista.In 1912, horse racing arrived at the Santa Cruz Racing Club. A special train took spectators to the racetrack, which survived until 1918. In the early 1920s, the Jockey Club made a swap with the city government, giving up the area occupied by the Prado Fluminense. In exchange, it received the 400,000 square meters of a swampy plot on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, which had been landfilled with debris from the leveling of Morro do Castelo. Where a swamp once stood, the Gávea Racetrack would be built.
Opened in 1926, the racetrack was shared by the Jockey and the Derby Club, which held races on alternating dates. The two associations decided to merge and, in 1932, the Jockey Club Brasileiro was born. The following year, the venue hosted the first Grande Prêmio Brasil. And, with it, came the start of the sport's rise in Rio, which peaked in the 1950s. The Hipódromo da Gávea was the stage for great performances by Luiz Rigoni, from Paraná, considered the country's greatest jockey. His victory aboard the horse El Aragonés at the 1954 GP Brasil is still cited today as one of the most masterful feats ever achieved by a jockey.
The move of the capital to Brasília marked the beginning of the decline of horse racing in the preference of Rio's elite and of Rio de Janeiro's importance on the national sports scene. Adding to this was the decree issued by President Jânio Quadros, which banned anyone under 21 from entering racetracks and prohibited horse races from being held on weekdays.
Even without the charm and investments of days gone by, horse racing is still present in Rio, attracting sports enthusiasts – and bettors – to the Rio Jockey Club every day.
Jockey Club, 1965. Photo by Alice Brill Czapski. Instituto Moreira Salles
Image description: This is a photograph of a racetrack in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1965. In the lower part of the image, we see a crowd of people gathered on a green lawn, watching a horse race. On the left, there is a group of spectators closer to the camera. In the center, the jockeys and horses are in the midst of the race, with the racetrack in the background. On the right, there is a large mountain covered in vegetation, with Pão de Açúcar in the background. The sky is cloudy, giving the image a gray tone.
