Pyatigorsk Hippodrome

Pyatigorsk Hippodrome in the North Caucasus region of Russia is the country's foremost thoroughbred flat racing venue and the home of the Russian Derby — the oldest continuously run Classic race in Russia, with a history stretching back to the mid-19th century when Pyatigorsk (then a fashionable spa resort frequented by Russian aristocracy) became the country's most important thoroughbred breeding and racing centre. The track is situated at approximately 500 metres above sea level in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, and its turf course benefits from the North Caucasus's relatively mild climate compared to central Russia — allowing a longer racing season than Moscow or St. Petersburg could support. The Russian thoroughbred breeding programme, centred on state-owned studs established in the Soviet era that continued operating after the USSR's dissolution, produces horses primarily for the domestic market but occasionally exports bloodstock to Eastern European nations. The Russian Oaks and Russian 2000 Guineas are also run at Pyatigorsk, making it the complete Russian Classic venue.