The Duke de Morny, brother to Napoleon III, sponsored the construction of the Longchamp Racecourse in 1857, conceived and funded the Paris Grand Prix in 1863 and was responsible for the introduction of Deauville races.
The race courses were laid out and the stands built over 66 hectares on old reclaimed marshland at the foot of green hills. An express train linked Paris with the Trouville station rendering the course accessible to the Parisian public. Thus, the two very first race meetings were held on the banks of the river Touques on Sunday 14th and Monday 15th of August 1864.
The hippodrome at Touques reopened on July 30th 1995 after extensive renovation carried out between racing seasons. This introduced two new features, a restaurant boasting a panoramic view and a new race track.
This new track was soon replaced by a 2000 metre long sand track opened on July 6th 2003. It was used for training and races whatever the weather, even in winter, and helped to preserve the grass courses. Hence, it was possible for the first time in 2003 to schedule race meetings in December and January.
