The Hippodrome Wellington (also ''Wellingtonrenbaan'') is a horse racing track in

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

in the

Flemish Region The Flemish Region ( nl, Vlaams Gewest, ),; german: Flämische Region usually simply referred to as Flanders ( nl, link=no, Vlaanderen ) ; german: link=no, Flandern is one of the three regions of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and t ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

built in 1883, renovated in 2011 and named after

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

The facility hosts both harness and

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

events. Starting at the end of June, there's a race day every Monday (until September). Notable among its flat races for

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

horses was the Grand Prix Prince Rose held annually in July on the Nationale feestdag. Formerly known as the ''Grand International d'Ostende,'' it was renamed to honor the great Belgian horse,

Prince Rose Prince Rose (1928–1944) was a British-bred, Belgian-trained Thoroughbred racehorse, often referred to as the best horse in Belgian racing. Background Bred in England by Lord Durham, Prince Rose was sired by Rose Prince out of the mare Indole ...

. The venue hosted concerts by artists like

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

(1997),

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

(2002) and Bon Jovi (2003) and the

2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships The 2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships took place on March 24/25, 2001. The races were held at the Hippodrome Wellington in Ostend (Oostende), Belgium. Reports of the event were given in ''The New York Times'', in the ''Herald ...

In 2004 the center of the race track was converted into a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

named Wellington Golf Oostende.. It holds 4 golf holes of the total of 9. The golf course is closed on race days. Renbaan

Hippodrome Wellington Programme des courses 1984

The Royal Galleries of Ostend were built to link the track to

King Leopold II of Belgium * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...

's villa, allowing the king and his guests to travel between the two without being inconvenienced by rain or wind. On September 3, 1997 American pop-star

gave here a concert as part of his

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning ...

. It was dedicated to Princess Diana, who died 4 days earlier on August 31, 1997. The racecourse and part of the nearby beach have occasionally been used for cyclo-cross races, including the

2021 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The 2021 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships were held from 30 to 31 January 2021 in Ostend, Belgium. Medal summary Medals table References UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships World Championships A world championship is generally ...

Film shot at the Hippodrome Wellington

* 1996:

Camping Cosmos ''Camping Cosmos'' is a 1996 Belgian satirical comedy film and a sequel to ''La Vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978'', directed by the same director: Jan Bucquoy. It stars Claude Semal, Lolo Ferrari (Miss Vandeputte), Noël Godin (Pierre Mertens), H ...

directed by Jan Bucquoy (Jockey sequence)

References

External links

* Official site of current races & events: http://www.oostendekoerse.be * of the ''Wellington Golf Oostende''
Collection of photographs of Hippodrome Wellington
Horse racing venues in Belgium Multi-purpose stadiums in Belgium Golf clubs and courses in Belgium 1883 establishments in Belgium Sports venues completed in 1883 Sports venues in West Flanders Sport in Ostend Cross country running venues {{Belgium-sports-venue-stub