5 February 2019
Photo scoopdyga.com
Boulogne-Billancourt, Tuesday, February 5, 2019. - Pau racecourse announces the complete renovation of its fiber-sand track, which was the first all-weather surface created in France. Designed for racing and daily training, the track inaugurated in 2000 needed to be completely renovated.
Meeting in Boulogne-Billancourt, Edouard de Rothschild, President of France Galop, François Bayrou, Mayor of Pau, and Jean-Louis Foursans-Bourdette, President of the SEPA (President of the racecourse and of the neighbouring Sers training center) have announced a joint project to completely renovate the track in 2019 and to redraw its course in order to offer flat races all year round.
The joint investment by SEPA and the City of Pau will amount to 4 million euros. The work will last 4 months from May to October.
Jean-Louis Foursans-Bourdette, President of SEPA, explains: "The fiber-sand track (PSF) of Pau was laid 19 years ago at the initiative of François Bayrou. It became necessary to start over to allow it to be at the top level of a technology that has evolved. Each regional racing Federation has a fiber sand track. The South-west relies on our track, so it will be ready to welcome the future of racing in the region. "
For its part, France Galop welcomes the involvement of the City of Pau in the renovation of its racecourse. This approach, involving local authorities, is a decisive asset to promote the Pau racetrack and strengthen its position in a leading horseracing industry. Already renowned for its racing program over jumps, Pau will be able to provide a first-class training tool over the flat to local horsemen.
The new Pau PSF will thus provide, from 2019, a quality track for the flat racing program in this region and an alternative in case of unfavorable conditions for field races at certain times of the year. The race schedule for flat racing at Pau is extended in 2019 thanks to the addition of two additional race meetings on the PSF of the racecourse, on Saturday March 30 (on the old track) and on October 26, 2019 (on the new track). The number of races from Plat to Pau will thus be increased from 62 races a year to 76 races this year from 2019 on.
Key numbers
Racing in Pau's economy:
- 230 companies impacted by the activities of the Pau Racecourse and the Sers Training Center.
- 418 jobs related to the races on the territory, of which 87% related to the SEPA.
Key figures about Pau racecourse:
- Created in 1842.
- 27 race days, totaling 220 races (62 flat and 158 over jumps).
- 50,000 racegoers at the winter meeting.
- 60 professional and private events organized per year.
- 15,000 people received outside the race days.
Key figures of Sers Training Center:
- 25 trainers on site.
- 600 horses in training on average.
- 1,500 horses in the three training centers in the region.
Flat racing at pau racecourse:
- In 1999/2000: 6 flat races;
- In 2006/2007: 30 flat races;
- In 2017/188: 62 flat races;
- In 2019: 76 races (+2 meetings).