The 181st edition of the Carreras de Caballos de Sanlúcar, the horse races held on the beach of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, began this Saturday. The event will run in two cycles, on August 8, 9 and 10, and again on August 21, 22 and 23.
Cardboard, a few markers and a beach umbrella are about all it takes to keep the spirit of the races alive. Children build makeshift betting stalls along the sand, where anyone who places a bet can walk away with a handmade bracelet or sweets, whether their horse wins or loses.
While bottles of manzanilla sherry are uncorked and Turf betting slips are sealed near the finish line area, it is on the beach where the town's character comes through most clearly. A few cents are enough to place a bet at the stalls that many children build and decorate each year according to their own tastes. In front of their stalls, using their betting stubs, the children draw a line in the sand that becomes their own personal finish line, watching for the horses to pass so they can race back to their stalls and hand out prizes to the winners.
New features this season
This year's races go beyond horse racing itself, drawing on the cultural, heritage and culinary character of the Guadalquivir river estuary, a setting largely unknown outside the region. The season brings several changes, including an increase in the number of races to 26. Starting August 21, results will also be available to follow on the national betting circuit.
The celebration continues to draw growing numbers of visitors to the beaches and race grounds each year, including well known figures from culture, entertainment and media circles.
Roots dating to 1845
Oysters, langoustines and the Doñana National Park will once again be part of a festival that has been held since 1845. While some romantics trace its origins to legends and myths, the most widely accepted account places its beginnings in Jerez de la Frontera. It was there, during a period when horse racing was flourishing in Spain, that the first races in the province of Cádiz were held. A resident of Sanlúcar who witnessed those races wanted to bring the tradition to his own town.
According to press reports from the era, the resulting celebration drew crowds with what was described as extraordinary joy, with the number of people arriving from different places giving the city an unusual appearance. That scene differs little from the one seen 181 years later, as children, grandparents, visitors and locals continue to gather to watch what is described as the most vibrant sunset in southern Spain. Even as the races continue to grow more professional and draw larger crowds, organizers say something remains unchanged: the genuine, warm scene created by the children's stalls scattered across the beach.
