Chile

Chilean Thoroughbred Breeders Association (Criadores Fina Sangre de Carrera de Chile)

Since the beginning of the last century, the buying and selling of Thoroughbred racehorses in our country has been carried out primarily through public auctions.

In 1925, the first institution to bring together Thoroughbred breeders – the Chilean Breeders Association – was founded by a group of prominent breeders: Geoffrey Bushell Watson, Arturo Calvo Mackenna, Abraham Gatica, Guillermo B. Scott, Ricardo Searle Lorca, Eugenio Subercaseaux Browne, and Ignacio Valdés Ortúzar.

This organization’s bylaws included, among other things, contributing to the development of the breed and participating in the organization of sales.

Since that year, and after some name changes, it has remained the country’s main auction house for Thoroughbreds and other horse breeds. In Chile, stud farms and breeding operations for thoroughbred racehorses are located in the central and southern regions of the country, utilizing approximately 4,000 hectares of agricultural

land. These farms encompass 150 breeding centers, including stud farms (establishments with stallions and at least 10 broodmares), breeding operations (facilities that only house mares), and breederowners (with registered broodmares).

This activity generates approximately 1.800 direct jobs and 5.000 indirect jobs. The sale of each generation’s offspring is conducted through two commercial houses and direct sales.

The commercial houses and breeders utilize the facilities that Criadores Fina Sangre de Carrera de Chile has owned in Santiago since the beginning of the last century for the auction and/or sale of their horses.

In the country there are four racetracks. The Chilean Hippodrome (Hipódromo Chile) and Racetrack Club (Club Hípico),both located in Santiago (Metropolitan Region), the Valparaiso Sporting Club in Viña del Mar (Valparaiso Region), and the Concepcion Hippodrome Club (Biobío Region). Currently, it is known as Criadores Fina Sangre de Carrera de Chile and its shareholders are the leading and most important Thoroughbred breeders and stud farms in Chile.