The Kyiv hippodrome was opened in 1969. However, for about 10 years it was in decline, no electricity was supplied to some of the facilities.
Horse racing was supposed to be an amazing and enchanting show.
I considered and still consider gambling, which includes horse racing as well, not a benevolent work, although it is a noble cause to breed horses and dogs. On February 7, 2009, the first competition for the Cup of the Mayor of Kyiv took place. During the two-hour races, 74 horses competed on the tracks, there were seven races. The seven-year-old horse Graf, number 10, performed best. Yuriy Dranyuk from Kiev won 100 thousand dollars. He guessed the sequence in which the first three horses finished in the first competition. I personally passed to the winner a bag full of $100 bills. Oleg Ponomarenko received another prize, 100 thousand hryvnias. He guessed the winner among the hounds. At the same time, the total amount of bets on the races amounted to 1 million hryvnia. One week later, on February 14, the second round of equestrian competitions for the Cup of the Mayor of Kyiv took place. There was also a celebration of Valentine's Day called "Love will win." There was a concert where Irina Bilyk performed. The next races took place on February 21 and were repeated every week.
The price of an entrance ticket during the third Mayor's Cup dropped to 10 hryvnia.
Horse racing at the hippodrome still take place every Sunday.