Located close to Fuengirola and Mijas, just off the N340 highway, you will find one of the most popular attractions on the Costa del Sol. The Hipodromo (racecourse) makes an entertaining day out for the whole family. Entrance and ample car parking is free. Most of the racecourse is new, well planned and well organised.

Since its inauguration on 1 July, 2000, residents and visitors to the Costa del Sol have been able to enjoy the extraordinary excitement and adrenalin rush of seeing their chosen horses vying for top slot at the Hipodromo Costa del Sol, at Mijas. The twin-track course represents many years of hard work and lobbying for a number of people, not the least of whom is the former Mayor of Mijas, Antonio Maldonado. It was he who pushed the vision to have a top-class track through the multi-layered bureaucratic maze, fought with those who said it would never work and finally saw his dream come true.

The track’s main incentive for racehorse owners - apart from the highest prize money in Spain - is that the Hipodromo Costa del Sol racing season lasts throughout the winter, when most European courses close due to bad weather and the jump jockeys take over. For trainers it is the ability to be able to school their horses and race them throughout a season which lasts this year from 13 January right through until 15 December.

Night-time racing on Saturdays, from 10pm, takes place during June, July, August and September. From October to May, daytime racing takes place every other Sunday, starting at 11am and, from June to September, every Saturday, again starting at 11am.

The Hipodromo Costa del Sol is the brainchild of Antonio Maldonado, for 18 years the first mayor of Mijas after the death of General Franco. A mind-boggling £24 million has been poured into the project, eventually to cover 250 acres of land with villas, hotels, shops and almost anything else that can be fitted on it. But the hub of the enterprise is the racecourse, to which all are invited for free every Sunday - even on an ordinary day 2,500 people turn up for the craic.