The Cagliari Hippodrome was inaugurated by Victor Emmanuel II on April 29, 1929 in a lavish ceremony.
From the moment of its inauguration until the beginning of World War II, the Poetto Racecourse lived its most radiant period: contests, races and flat races were held in spring as well as in autumn, times of the year during which elegant refreshments could be organized in the parterre, crowded by Cagliaritans and non-Cagliaritans alike, all united by their passion for betting and horses.
Those were golden years, so much so that Sardinian riders, jockeys and horses became known and appreciated in the rest of Italy.
We remember Tonino Gutierrez, who in October 1938, riding the Irish bay “Osoppo” in Rome, broke the world record in show jumping.
This glimpse of an enchanted world, lasted until the outbreak of war (1940-45), a time when the Hippodrome was turned into a horse shelter for Italian-German troops and evacuees.
The stables that remained standing were converted into housing, which gave rise to the small “Ausonia” neighborhood, demolished in the 1960s.
Life at the Hippodrome resumed around the 1950s, and in 1959 there was a revival of the refurbished facility, thanks to the Olympics.
