Paris-Vincennes, the Bois de Vincennes racecourse since 1863

The Vincennes racecourse, in the Bois de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement, opened in March 1863. At first it held only jump races, then lost ground to Auteuil and was partly destroyed in the war of 1870.

On 7 September 1879 the course on the Gravelle plateau reopened as the first trotting track in the Paris region. The first winter meeting came in 1906 and the Prix d’Amérique in 1920. Jump racing ended in 1934, and on 20 June 1952 René Ballière launched the first evening races. Jean Gabin gave the police the slip here in Le cave se rebiffe.

Between 1976 and 1983 the architect Philippe Monnin thoroughly renovated the 206-metre stands and the stables. Run by the Société LeTROT, the racecourse covers 42 hectares.

Each year it holds 153 meetings and 1,255 harness and ridden trotting races on its 1,975-metre cinder track, with its winter meeting, evening races, the Grand Prix de France and the Prix d’Amérique, run in January.