The hippodrome was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words hippos ("horse") and dromos ("course"). The term is used in the modern French language and some others, with the meaning of "horse racecourse".

The Longchamp Racecourse (French: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare (140 acres) horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tracks and a famous hill that provides a real challenge to competing thoroughbreds. It has several racetracks with 46 different starting posts. The course is home to more than half of the group one races held in France, and has a capacity of 50,000.

The first race run at Longchamp was on Sunday, April 27, 1857 in front of a massive crowd. Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugénie were present, having sailed down the Seine River on their private yacht to watch the third race. Until 1930, many Parisians came to the track down the river on steamboats and various other vessels, the trip taking around an hour to the Pont de Suresnes.

A number of prominent artists have painted horse racing scenes at Longchamp including the one seen here by Édouard Manet in 1867 and another four years later by Edgar Degas titled "Race Horses at Longchamp".

More Info: en.wikipedia.org