HORSE RACING
From turf to turmoil: Brazil’s high-stakes horseplay
Horse racing once drew large crowds each week. Now, jockey clubs are struggling to survive. Photo: BW Press/Shutterstock
The long decline of Brazil’s horse racing industry has placed it at the center of high-stakes urban land battles. In the country’s two largest cities, shrinking audiences and prime real estate once tied to a sport of considerable influence have left racecourses as white elephants — costly to maintain and unable to sustain themselves.
In Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Eduardo Paes has proposed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva converting a 12-story Jockey Club building in a coveted downtown location into the global headquarters of the…
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