Campanile Chantilly

Hippodrome de Chantilly

by iaint

Chantilly is (for those not "in the know") one of France's (and the world's) premier horse racing venues.

It is also an equestrian centre generally - the Grandes Ecuries form part of the Chateau.

The course is spectacular, with the horses running past both buildings on their way to the finishing straight.

I chose the meeting for the €400,000 Prix Jean Prat group 1 race. The card also had two group 3 races with prize money of €80,000 each.

Atmosphere is quite different to a British or Irish course, as you'd expect. The betting system is like the British Tote.

One difference is the relative lack of food & drink outlets. Just one restaurant and one bar, plus a couple of ice cream kiosks. If you want a sandwich or a burger, bring your own! A positive outcome of that is that you're not plagued by drunks as you would expect at a British course.

Entry was only €4. It's more for a grand prix event, but less for a mid week meeting. Parking was €2.50 (often free in Britain).

Minimum bet is €2. I left my luck (or judgment) at home, and stopped betting after the hot favourite ran like a donkey in the big race. Umbrella - you never know!

Sunscreen - wish I had...

Paris Turf (the French horse racing newspaper) for guidance...

A few € to chuck away...

A sandwich & bottle of wine unless you want a restaurant lunch.

Wallabies

by freya_heaven

At the far end of the park in a north east (ish) direction from the Chateau is a relatively new attraction, a wallabie enclosure in a corner of a large field. There must have been about 15 wallabies here. I actually felt considering the size of the field they could have made their enclosure much bigger. Its about a 20 minute stroll from the Chateau.

Under construction!

by oneonta_ni

"A Place for Horse Lovers"

Before our November 2003 trip to Paris, I started looking at options for a day trip from the city. I narrowed it down to Chantilly and Senlis but made my final decision when visited Joelix's Chantilly Page and saw that there is a horse museum there!

Anyone who knows me knows I am mad about horses and this museum seemed to be just the place for me.

There are many other things to see in this beautiful town but as time was running short, I only got to see the horse museum.

I would recommend a visit to this town, especially in autumn when the trees are brightly coloured and countryside is a little sleepier.