On Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September, Merano returns to the centre of the international stage with the 87th Gran Premio Merano Alto Adige. At the Maia Racecourse, two days of top-level horse racing, adrenaline, fashion, food and wine, and entertainment await. There are events that simply belong to the sporting calendar. And then there are events capable of turning a city into a destination to be experienced.
That's exactly what happens every year as autumn approaches in South Tyrol, when the Maia Racecourse prepares to host one of the most prestigious events in Italian steeplechase racing. Edition after edition, this event has established itself, drawing in enthusiasts and an ever-growing public, won over by the elegance, the spectacle and the atmosphere of these great racing days.
The most eagerly awaited moment will be Sunday 27 September, when the spotlight falls on the Gran Premio, the great steeplechase race run over a demanding 5,000-metre course. A race that calls for well-prepared horses, experienced jockeys and a perfect understanding between man and animal, turning every jump into a moment of tension and spectacle.
But it would be an oversimplification to think of the Gran Premio Merano as just a race; the event becomes a grand spectacle in its own right. Saturday 26 September will feature seven races on the card, with two particularly anticipated events: the 82nd Premio delle Nazioni – Crystal Cup and the 9th Gran Premio Haflinger. A day that will open the great international weekend, bringing various expressions of Merano's equestrian tradition onto the track.
Sunday 27 September, on the other hand, will be the day of the grand finale.
Seven races will accompany the public right up to the most anticipated moment, the 87th Gran Premio Merano Alto Adige, while off the track a packed programme continues, turning the racecourse into a great arena of entertainment. And it is precisely this ability to go beyond the race itself that has made the Gran Premio an increasingly cross-cutting event. In Merano, a passion for horses coexists with a passion for style, and in recent years the Gran Premio has strengthened its glamorous character, to the point of being described as a kind of