Sports

Phu Tho Hippodrome gradually regains its reputation

25/04/2005

On February 27, 2005, Phu Tho racecourse was officially opened with the participation of 12 jockeys from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, including two female jockeys Laurent Abbott from Britain and Julie Berridge from Australia.nbsp; Since the start of its operation, the newly upgraded hippodrome has attracted many foreigners and all of them show their satisfaction with it.

Nguyen Ngo My,
Director of Thien Ma Company at the inaugural
ceremony of the newly-built racecourse.nbsp;

The jockeys checking
their weight before the
race.

In a competition.

This spot fascinating
many people.

On February 27, 2005, Phu Tho racecourse was officially opened with the participation of 12 jockeys from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, including two female jockeys Laurent Abbott from Britain and Julie Berridge from Australia.nbsp;Since the start of its operation, the newly upgraded hippodrome has attracted many foreigners and all of them show their satisfaction with it.

Phu Tho hippodrome was built in 1893 by the French in Saigon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City ) and for a long time it was considered a famous racecourse in Southeast Asia . But after 1975 the racecourse was closed as the horse racing was temporarily ceased. In 1989 the racecourse was restored, but only from June 2004 international jockeys brought to Vietnam purebred Australian horses to participate in competitions, was it completely revived.

To further promote the development of the attracting sport, Ho Chi Minh City ’s Sports Department cooperated with Nguyen Ngoc My, an Australian entrepreneur of Vietnamese stock, Director of Thien Ma Company, who has a thorough knowledge of racehorses as well as doing business related to this field in other countries in the world.nbsp; Nguyen Ngoc My has invested to upgrade the stands and racetracks and equip the racecourse with a modern close circuit television system with 100 screens.

However, the architecture of the racecourse still retained its old features. In addition, a ticket selling system to serve the betting on horses was completely computerized, which makes people more confident when betting on their favorite horses.

In September 2004, Thien Ma Company imported 40 tall, strong, clean-bred racehorses from Australia , thus making races more interesting and competitive. Particularly, the fierce competitiveness in every race always fascinates and encourages fans to make a bet.

Story: Duc Truong -nbsp; Photos: Bach Duong

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Duc Truong - Bach Duong