Taby Racecourse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taby Racecourse, (Swedish: Täby Galopp), is a Thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Täby, approximately 15 kilometres north of Stockholm. Taby Racecourse is the premier track in the three Scandinavian countries where racing is run, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
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[edit] History
Opened in 1960 and based on the major racecourses in America, its facilities have constantly been up-graded and are now as good as most courses in Europe and unrivalled in Scandinavia.
[edit] The racetrack
Racing takes place throughout the year, the variety available varying from dirt racing under lights during the winter and spring to the top flat and jump races in Scandinavia run during the summer and fall.
The course usually stages about 50 days racing a year with the dirt track being used exclusively until May. Racing under floodlights was first staged in 1965 and the formula is now working with considerable success in England at Wolverhampton and other courses in Europe.
The left-handed track was also designed on a similar basis as courses in North America with a dirt track which is about 8 furlongs (one mile) in length on the outside of the turf course. There is also the added attraction of a figure-eight hurdle and steeplechase track on the inside plus stabling nearby.
[edit] Recent developments
In recent years Täby Galopp has made a significant impression on the international scene, being the first course outside the five main European countries to stage a Pattern race following the granting of Group 3 status to the Stockholm Cup International in 1994.
The 12 furlong race has regularly attracted good quality horses from the rest of Europe keen to take on the best Scandinavian middle-distance horses. In 1997 Harbour Dues took the prize for Lady Herries before heading down to Australia to run a gallant fourth in the Melbourne Cup. In 2003 Labirinto won the race for France. In 2004, Collier Hill took the prize back to England and came back again to win it in 2006.
In recognition of the quality of racing at the track, a second race, the Täby Open Sprint Championship, was awarded Group 3 status in 1998.
