After the surrender of the French troops in 1810 against England, Colonel Edward Alured Draper arrived
on the mauritian scene.
For him, it was important and even necessary to win the esteem and the collaboration of the French population.
In that spirit he introduced horse racing in Mauritius in 1812.
Indeed, he believed that coorporation could arise if the eternal rivals were brought to
meet in a relax atmosphere.
Sir Robert Farquhar, who was then the governor of the island supported this initiative and Mauritius Turf Club was founded in
1812. The Champ de Mars was inaugurated on 25 June of the same year and the first race in the Mauritian history was then run.
Horse Racing constitute one of the most popular sports in Mauritius. It attracts more than 20 000 persons at Champ de Mars
every week.
Licensees of betting, commonly called « bookmakers » in the local language have obtained permission
to operate at the racecourse. A high level of professionnalism has been achieved gradually by the Mauritius Turf Club while
preserving the special atmosphere of horse racing in Mauritius.
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