Parilly Racecourse, Horse racing venue in Bron, France
Parilly Racecourse is a horse racing venue built in 1965 inside Parilly Park in Bron, east of Lyon. It has a grass gallop track, a trotting track surfaced with pozzolana, and steeplechase and cross-country courses, the latter passing through the woods of Parilly. Covered grandstands face the tracks.
Parilly Racecourse opened on 1 May 1965, built in the Parilly park to replace the Grand-Camp track, which had been displaced by part of the La Doua campus. Some 50,000 spectators in their Sunday best attended that first meeting in Bron. The venue has since hosted flat, trotting and steeplechase racing, and from 2021 it has also held the Fête du Chapelier festival each September.
On race days, families spread blankets on the grass near the rail, mixing picnics with watching horses thunder past. The spring meeting for the Grand Prix de la Ville de Bron draws a local crowd that stays after the last race for fireworks over the park.
Wear comfortable shoes because the grounds are spread out and you will walk between the track, paddocks, and seating areas. A light jacket helps on race days since the open park can feel cool even when the sun is out.
Part of the cross-country course runs through the woods of Parilly Park, so horses disappear among trees before returning to the open track. Roofs over the stable area collect rainwater that is reused to maintain the racing surface.
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